It is not the rich man's son that the young struggler for advancement has to fear in the race for life, nor his nephew, nor his cousin. Let him look out for the dark horse in the boy who begins by sweeping out the office.
Interpretation
Success often comes from unexpected places, not just from wealth or privilege.
In this quote, Andrew Carnegie emphasizes that true competition in life comes not from those who are born into wealth or privilege, but rather from those who demonstrate hard work and determination, regardless of their background. The 'dark horse' symbolizes an underdog or overlooked individual who may unexpectedly rise to prominence through diligence and effort, suggesting that success can come from humble beginnings and that one should not underestimate those who seem insignificant initially.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming adversity.
Give me the life of the boy whose mother is nurse, seamstress, washerwoman, cook, teacher, angel, and saint, all in one, and whose father is guide, exemplar, and friend. No servants to come between. These are the boys who are born to the best fortune.
To kill a man will be considered as disgusting [in the twentieth century] as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.
You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, love big and live big.
Speculation is a parasite feeding upon values, creating none.
Don't be content with doing only your duty. Do more than your duty. It's the horse that finishes a neck ahead that wins the race.
He that cannot reason is a fool. He that will not is a bigot. He that dare not is a slave.
I have started to realize that I am really just a world athlete and a world entertainer -- I am a world-known person, I am a global icon.
We really don't look at our competitors. The market is big. If you focus too much on competitors, you can lose focus on the customer. If we make our customers happier, we are going to win.
Most important of all, to be successful in life demands that a man make a personal commitment to excellence and to victory, even though the ultimate victory can never be completely won. Yet that victory might be pursued and wooed with every fiber of our body, with every bit of our might and all our effort. And each week, there is a new encounter; each day, there is a new challenge.
I didn't want to be a big star. I wanted to be a really good actor.
Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.
Shooting the ball is a part of the game. Everybody can shoot in their own way. Not everybody can make. But everybody can shoot.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.