33 Quotes & Sayings By Booker T Washington

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery and became one of the most influential leaders of the American South. He was instrumental in ending slavery and building schools and colleges for African Americans. He is often called the "Father of the Negro". Booker T Read more

Washington was the founder of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which became a model for such institutions across America. He is credited with helping to develop the Tuskegee method of education, which emphasized practical skills such as agriculture, mechanical trades, domestic arts, and manual training. Washington's philosophy on education focused on preparing students for productive work in a practical world. He argued that black children should be taught a trade as their first course because they would return to their former labor if they found it necessary to survive.

Since land was often unavailable due to racial discrimination, he also stressed developing education as a path to economic independence through education rather than as a way to enjoy leisure as Europeans did. In his words, "education must be made practical." According to Washington's philosophy, if an African-American were willing to work hard and acquire specific knowledge in a number of fields, they could become economically independent and support themselves without government assistance. In 1901 Washington founded the Negro Business League in Washington D.C., which attempted to provide African Americans with business opportunities through networking between businesses and individuals that had need of their services or products.

In 1904 he helped found the National Negro Business League with Booker T. Washington as director of the National Negro Business League. The purpose of this organization was to bring together blacks from across America at local level for educational purposes and also engage in community service programs such as home visiting programs for pre-school children from poor families so that they could learn from their parents how to be good citizens by respecting their elders; by respecting themselves; by respecting others; by respecting property; by respecting themselves; by respecting God; by respecting themselves; by respecting law; by respecting self-government; by respecting self-control; by respecting honor; by respecting themselves; respect other civilizations; respect other races; respect other nationalities; respect other governments; respect public opinion; respect physical laws; respect honor, love your neighbor as yourself." This organization later became known as the Junior Chamber International (JCI).

Those who are happiest are those who do the most...
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Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. Booker T. Washington
I have learned that success is to be measured not...
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I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. Booker T. Washington
You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles...
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You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you have to overcome to reach your goals. Booker T. Washington
The older I grow, the more I am convinced that...
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The older I grow, the more I am convinced that there is no education which one can get from books and costly apparatus that is equal to that which can be gotten from contact with great men and women. Booker T. Washington
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I knew that, in a large degree, we were trying an experiment--that of testing whether or not it was possible for Negroes to build up and control the affairs of a large education institution. I knew that if we failed it wold injure the whole race. Booker T. Washington
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In my contact with people, I find that, as a rule, it is only the little, narrow people who live for themselves, who never read good books, who do not travel, who never open up their souls in a way to permit them to come into contact with other souls — with the great outside world. Booker T. Washington
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In my contact with people I find that, as a rule, it is only the little, narrow people who live for themselves, who never read good books, who do not travel, who never open up their souls in a way to permit them to come into contact with other souls -- with the great outside world. No man whose vision is bounded by colour can come into contact with what is highest and best in the world. In meeting men, in many places, I have found that the happiest people are those who do the most for others; the most miserable are those who do the least. I have also found that few things, if any, are capable of making one so blind and narrow as race prejudice. I often say to our students, in the course of my talks to them on Sunday evenings in the chapel, that the longer I live and the more experience I have of the world, the more I am convinced that, after all, the one thing that is most worth living for -- and dying for, if need be -- is the opportunity of making some one else more happy and more useful. Booker T. Washington
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One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him. Booker T. Washington
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I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. Booker T. Washington
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We all should rise, above the clouds of ignorance, narrowness, and selfishness. Booker T. Washington
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The world should not pass judgement upon the Negro, and especially the Negro youth, too quickly or too harshly. The Negro boy has obstacles, discouragements and temptations to battle with that are little known to those not situated as he is. Booker T. Washington
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With few exceptions, the Negro youth must work harder and must perform his tasks even better than a with youth in order to secure recognition. But out of the hard and unusual struggle through which he is compelled to pass, he gets a strength, a confidence, that one missed whose pathway is comparatively smooth by reason of brith and race. Booker T. Washington
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No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. Booker T. Washington
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In later years, I confess that I do not envy the white boy as I once did. I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. Booker T. Washington
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You can't hold a man down without staying down with him. Booker T. Washington
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It is important and right that all privileges of the law be ours, but it is vastly more important that we be prepared for the exercise of those privileges. Booker T. Washington
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Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way. Booker T. Washington
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There is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. Booker T. Washington
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Any man's life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day. Booker T. Washington
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Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles he has overcome trying to succeed. Booker T. Washington
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Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. Booker T. Washington
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If you can't read, it's going to be hard to realize dreams. Booker T. Washington
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Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work. Booker T. Washington
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There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up. Booker T. Washington
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At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion, there must be for our race economic independence. Booker T. Washington
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Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company. Booker T. Washington
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There is no power on earth that can neutralize the influence of a high, simple and useful life. Booker T. Washington
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Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him. Booker T. Washington
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Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon. Booker T. Washington
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I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed. Booker T. Washington
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I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him. Booker T. Washington