The actual sight of a first-class house that a Negro has built is ten times more potent than pages of discussion about a house that he ought to build, or perhaps could build.
Booker T. WashingtonRead
Decide to be your best. In the long run the world is going to want and have the best and that might as well be you.
Interpretation
Choose to strive for excellence, as the world ultimately seeks the best.
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-improvement and striving for one's best potential. Booker T. Washington suggests that by committing to excellence, individuals can position themselves as the best candidates in a world that increasingly values quality and capability.
In practice
In a career development workshop to encourage participants to strive for excellence.
The actual sight of a first-class house that a Negro has built is ten times more potent than pages of discussion about a house that he ought to build, or perhaps could build.
Leaders have devoted themselves to politics, little knowing, it seems _x000D_ that political independence disappears without economic independence _x000D_ that economic independence is the foundation of political independence.
You go to school, you study about the Germans and the French, but not about your own race. I hope the time will come when you study black history too.
Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.
I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.
If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.
It's about doing something larger than yourself. It's about serving this world, helping others.
If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere.
I want to find people who have had to work hard and who have learned from their failures. Perseverance is no guarantee you’ll succeed, but without it, it’s almost guaranteed you won’t.
Don't give up on your ideals. Don't compromise. Don't turn to expediency. And for heaven's sake . . . don't get cynical.
The work of many of the greatest men, inspired by duty, has been done amidst suffering and trial and difficulty. They have struggled against the tide, and reached the shore exhausted.
Just start. You will learn so many lessons just by doing.
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