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.
Interpretation
Seeing real achievements is far more impactful than mere discussions about potential.
Booker T. Washington emphasizes the importance of tangible accomplishments over theoretical discussions. The quote suggests that witnessing the results of hard work, particularly by marginalized communities, carries more weight and influence than simply talking about what could or should be done. It highlights the value of practical examples as motivational and transformative forces in society.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech on community development to illustrate the impact of real projects.
Leaders 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.
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.
Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.
I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.
If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.
Great men cultivate love...only little men cherish a spirit of hatred
If you try to make such projects, unseen by others, as perfect as any human could, you'll develop skills that other professionals don't have.
I had great football players. To be quite truthful, my great football players, the ones who wanted the ball at the end of the games, they weren't focused on money. They want to do something great. They want to go to Pro Bowls. They want to win Super Bowls. Those are the people that succeed in sports - or in business.
The safest way to get what you want is to deserve what you want.
Heroes are made in the hour of defeat. Success is, therefore, well described as a series of glorious defeats.
I was on a path. I was going to become a principal dancer. I never let my mind rest.
I look for the entrepreneur to capture my attention. If you don't come out with a great presentation, you're dead. That's a big red flag.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.