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
Every person who has grown to any degree of usefulness, every person who has grown to distinction, almost without exception has been a person who has risen by overcoming obstacles, by removing difficulties, by resolving that when he met discouragement he would not give up.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Success is often achieved by those who persist through challenges and obstacles.
This quote by Booker T. Washington emphasizes that individuals who attain usefulness and distinction typically do so by facing and overcoming various obstacles. It highlights the importance of resilience and determination in the face of discouragement, suggesting that success is often a result of sustained effort and an unwillingness to give up when confronted with difficulties.
Themes
SuccessObstaclesResilienceDeterminationOvercoming
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech to inspire students facing academic challenges.
More from Booker T. Washington
All quotes →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.
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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.
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Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.
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I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.
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If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.
Booker T. WashingtonRead
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