Booker T. Washington

Educated men and women, especially those who are in college, very often get the idea that religion is fit only for the common people. No young man or woman can make a greater error than this.

Booker T. Washington

From his example in this respect I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred.

Booker T. Washington

From some things that I have said one may get the idea that some of the slaves did not want freedom. This is not true. I have never seen one who did not want to be free, or one who would return to slavery.

Booker T. Washington

Great men cultivate love and only little men cherish a spirit of hatred; assistance given to the weak makes the one who gives it strong; oppression of the unfortunate makes one weak.

Booker T. Washington

I believe that 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, and as nearly as possible reaching the high-water mark of pure and useful living.

Booker T. Washington

I have learned that it is pretty hard to keep anything from the newspapers that the newspapers think the public wants to know.

Booker T. Washington

I pity from the bottom of my heart any individual who is so unfortunate as to get into the habit of holding race prejudice, for nothing else makes one so blind and narrow.

Booker T. Washington

If I have done anything in life worth attention, I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother.

Booker T. Washington

If no other consideration had convinced me of the value of the Christian life, the Christ like work which the Church of all denominations in America has done during the last 35 years for the elevation of the black man would have made me a Christian.

Booker T. Washington

In a word, the Negro youth starts out with the presumption against him.

Booker T. Washington