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 lived a fairly average, anonymous small-town life till I got the idea to do Nine Inch Nails. Then I locked myself in a studio for a year, and then got off the tour bus two years after that, and I didn't know who I'd turned into.
Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit.
Most entrepreneurial ideas will sound crazy, stupid and uneconomic, and then they’ll turn out to be right.
Congratulations. I knew the record would stand until it was broken.
Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work
In the great undertakings, there is glory, even in failure.
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