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.
My ultimate goal is for that next generation coming up, who didn't see me play, go, 'Oh, he used to play football?'
Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile, I caught hell for.
I never thought a career as a musician was possible.
Perfection is often the enemy of greatness.
Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.
As a rule, he or she who has the most information will have the greatest success in life.
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