Booker T. Washington

"There is no such thing as a permanent failure. There are only permanent attitudes of failure."

"The richest inheritance a child can receive is a parent who is willing to work for his advancement."

"My wish is that the Negro shall never permit the question of his rights to overshadow the question of his duties."

"Individual effort and individual achievement are the only foundations of genuine freedom."

"I believe the time will come when our people will be judged not by the color of their skin but by the character of their work."

"The mind that is afraid to take a chance is the mind that will accomplish the least."

"Nothing will build morale and character more than honest work and the knowledge that one has done it well."

"There is a certain amount of dignity in every form of honest work."

"The individual must first be a good citizen of his home, then of his community, then of his nation."

"What I have is the result not of accident, but of honest effort and careful planning."

"The Negro youth should learn that a trade is as dignified as any other calling."

"All races will be brought to the highest degree of civilization by those who have learned to use their hands and their minds together."

"I believe that any individual who is honest with himself and with others will ultimately succeed."

"The greatest part of our improvement must come from within ourselves."

"Men are not the same in color or in intellect; but they are the same in their capacity for development."

"I have always believed that the future of a people lies not with those who despair, but with those who have hope."

"The individual who cannot govern himself is not fit to govern others."

"Opportunity often comes to those who wait; but it comes more often to those who search for it."

"The Negro must realize that the solution to his problems lies not in the hands of others, but in his own hands."

"There is nothing in the universe that can take the place of simple, honest hard work."

"The individual who learns from his mistakes is wiser than the individual who never makes them."

"I believe that my greatest value to my people lies in what I have accomplished, not in what I claim to be."

"The Negro in America should be grateful for the opportunities that are available to him."

"Success is not something that is given; it is something that must be earned through persistent effort."

"The hand that does honest work is always in position to receive a blessing."

"True freedom comes not from the removal of restraints, but from the development of character."

"The individual who is not willing to sacrifice something will not accomplish anything significant."

"I have found that the best way to lift others up is to rise up yourself and show them the way."

"Every person who works with his hands and his mind is performing a service that is worthy of respect."

"The Negro must learn that property ownership is the foundation of all wealth and power."