It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.
George Washington CarverRead
I went to the trash pile at Tuskegee Institute and started my laboratory with bottles, old fruit jars and any other thing I found I could use. ... [The early efforts were] worked out almost wholly on top of my flat topped writing desk and with teacups, glasses, bottles and reagents I made myself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects innovation and resourcefulness in the pursuit of knowledge.
George Washington Carver's quote highlights the importance of creativity and ingenuity in scientific endeavors. Despite starting with limited resources, he demonstrates that determination and the ability to utilize what is available can lead to significant contributions in education and science. His description of setting up a laboratory with everyday items emphasizes the idea that innovation often rises from humble beginnings.
Themes
InnovationResourcefulnessEducationCreativityScience
In practice
Example use cases
During a school assembly on creativity and resourcefulness.
More from George Washington Carver
All quotes →We have become 99 percent money mad. The method of living at home modestly and within our income, laying a little by systematically for the proverbial rainy day which is due to come, can almost be listed among the lost arts.
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I would never allow anyone to give me money, no difference how badly I needed it. I wanted literally to earn my living.
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Fear of something is at the root of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.
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God is going to reveal to us things He never revealed before if we put our hands in His. No books ever go into my laboratory. The thing I am to do and the way of doing it are revealed to me. I never have to grope for methods. The method is revealed to me the moment I am inspired to create something new. Without God to draw aside the curtain I would be helpless.
George Washington CarverRead
Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise.
George Washington CarverRead
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