Booker T. Washington

"A strong and bitter wind was blowing, but that was the least of my concerns."

"The wisest among my race understand that the agitation of questions of social equality is the extremist folly."

"There is no defense or security for any of us except in the highest intelligence and development of all."

"Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in deserving them."

"The individual who has nothing to do with his time but read is worse off than the individual who has to labor."

"In this connection, I feel obliged to state frankly that the bare knowledge of facts and truths is not all that goes to make an education."

"Success should not change the character of a man; rather it should test his character."

"It is at the bottom of life we must begin, not at the top."

"I would permit no man, no matter what his color might be, to narrow and degrade my soul."

"The opportunity to earn a dollar in a factory just now is worth infinitely more than the opportunity to spend a dollar in an opera-house."

"The great human soul that flows out in sympathy, help, and interest in the welfare of others has always been the salt of civilization."

"My father and mother were also slaves, but had little opportunity to give me anything of value except existence."

"Atlanta compromise speech captured the essence of practical advancement for the Negro race."

"One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him."

"The duty of every man is to contribute to the good of the community in which he lives."

"The Negro must gain education, acquire property, develop thrift, and become law-abiding citizens."

"Freedom, mere freedom is not enough; one must have the education and the moral character to use that freedom properly."

"A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good, just because it is accepted by the majority."

"The individual who can skillfully work with his own hands will never lack for employment."

"An ounce of practical experience is worth more than a bushel of theoretical knowledge."

"The Negro needs help, not of the sentimental kind, but the help that comes through such ownership of land and such control of business and industrial interests."

"It is with sincerity and earnestness that I have devoted my life to the work of education and the improvement of my race."

"In my most secret heart of hearts, I am not ashamed of my race or myself."

"The institution of slavery was nothing more than another form of economic exploitation."

"Every man must develop the capacity for independent thinking and action."

"Slavery and its attendant horrors had stamped upon millions of my people the marks of degradation."

"I have tried to emphasize the importance of the mastery of both the theory and the practice of one's profession."

"The progress of any community depends on the development of every individual in that community."

"Tuskegee Institute was founded to provide practical and industrial education to colored youth."

"There is a class of colored people who have made money, acquired land, and become property holders; these are the ones who hold their destiny in their own hands."