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
No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Every profession, whether manual labor or artistic creation, has its own dignity and value.
This quote by Booker T. Washington emphasizes the importance of recognizing the dignity in all forms of work, whether it is agricultural labor or artistic expression. It suggests that societal progress is contingent upon valuing and respecting every individual's contribution, regardless of the nature of their work, fostering an inclusive and appreciative environment for all efforts.
Themes
DignityWorkEducationValueLaborRespect
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech advocating for equal rights, this quote could illustrate the value of all types of professions.
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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There are two ways of dealing with nonsense in this world. One way is to put nonsense in the right place; as when people put nonsense into nursery rhymes. The other is to put nonsense in the wrong place; as when they put it into educational addresses, psychological criticisms, and complaints against nursery rhymes or other normal amusements of mankind.
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