My mother helped me understand how not to show off what I knew, but how to use it so that others might benefit.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of humility in sharing knowledge for the benefit of others.
In this quote, Dorothy Height reflects on the lessons taught by her mother regarding the responsible use of knowledge. Instead of flaunting what one knows, the quote advocates for using that knowledge to support and uplift others, highlighting the value of humility and communal growth over self-promotion.
In practice
In a speech about mentorship, I could use this quote to describe the role of a mentor.
I think of my life as a unity of circles. Some are concentric, others overlap, but they all connect in some way. Sometimes the connections don't happen for years. But when they do, I marvel. As in a shimmering kaleidoscope, familiar patterns keep unfolding
Progress comes from caring more about what needs to be done than about who gets the credit
We had people of all backgrounds coming together - all races, all creeds, all colors, all status in life. And coming together there was a kind of quiet dignity and a kind of sense of caring and a feeling of joint responsibility.
There is no contradiction between effective law enforcement and respect for civil and human rights.
The Black family of the future will foster our liberation, enhance our self-esteem, and shape our ideas and goals.
We have to improve life, not just for those who have the most skills and those who know how to manipulate the system. But also for and with those who often have so much to give but never get the opportunity.
A man's college and university degrees mean nothing to me until I see what he is able to do with them.
One of the issues I kept saying to my students is you have to learn to interrupt. When you raise your hand at a meeting, by the time they get to you, the point is not germane. So the bottom line is active listening. If you are going to interrupt, you look for opportunities. You have to know what you're talking about.
People who graduate are more resilient financially, and they weather economic downturns better than people who don't graduate. And, throughout their lives, people who graduate are more likely to be economically secure, more likely to be healthy, and more likely to live longer. Face it: A college degree puts a lot in your corner.
This is the practice school of writing. Like running, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Some days you don't want to run and you resist every step of the three miles, but you do it anyway. You practice whether you want to or not. You don't wait around for inspiration and a deep desire to run ... That's how writing is too ... One of the main aims in writing practice is to learn to trust your own mind and body; to grow patient and nonaggressive.
A recluse without books and ink is already in life a dead man.
We worship education but hate learning. We worship success but hate the successful. We worship fame but hate the famous.
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