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.
Booker T. WashingtonRead
There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Strength can be used to harm or to help; the choice is ours.
This quote by Booker T. Washington highlights the dual nature of strength and power, suggesting that we can either use our strength to oppress others or to uplift and support them. It emphasizes the moral responsibility that comes with power: to choose actions that positively impact others and foster growth, rather than using strength for negative purposes.
Themes
StrengthHelpUpliftResponsibilityPower
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about leadership, one could say, 'As Booker T. Washington said, there are two ways of exerting one's strength: pushing down or pulling up.'
More from Booker T. Washington
All quotes βLeaders 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.
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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.
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Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.
Booker T. WashingtonRead
I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.
Booker T. WashingtonRead
If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.
Booker T. WashingtonRead
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