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
Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Excellence comes from approaching everyday tasks with creativity and uniqueness.
The quote by Booker T. Washington emphasizes that achieving excellence is not about performing extraordinary feats but rather about doing ordinary tasks with a perspective and execution that set them apart from the norm. It invites us to infuse our daily actions with originality and thoughtfulness, thus elevating the common into something remarkable.
Themes
ExcellenceCreativityOriginalityCommonUncommon
In practice
Example use cases
Citing this quote during a motivational speech to encourage teamwork and creativity.
More from Booker T. Washington
All quotes βLeaders 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.
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