Booker T. Washington

I knew that the average Indian felt himself above the white man, and, of course, he felt himself far above the Negro, largely on account of the fact of the Negro having submitted to slavery—a thing which the Indian would never do.

The temptation often is to run each individual through a certain educational mould, regardless of the condition of the subject or the end to be accomplished.

Too often, it seems to me, in missionary and educational work among underdeveloped races, people yield to the temptation of doing that which was done a hundred years before, or is being done in other communities a thousand miles away.

As for my individual self, it appeared to me to be reasonably certain that I could succeed in political life, but I had a feeling that it would be a rather selfish kind of success—individual success at the cost of failing to do my duty in…

Even then I had a strong feeling that what our people most needed was to get a foundation in education, industry, and property, and for this I felt that they could better afford to strive than for political preferment.

The reputation that I made as a speaker during this campaign induced a number of persons to make an earnest effort to get me to enter political life, but I refused, still believing that I could find other service which would prove of more…

In a word, while their wants have been increased, their ability to supply their wants had not been increased in the same degree.

The members of this class had little ambition to create a position for themselves, but wanted the Federal officials to create one for them.

Among a large class there seemed to be a dependence upon the Government for every conceivable thing.

I saw young coloured men who were not earning more than four dollars a week spend two dollars or more for a buggy on Sunday to ride up and down Pennsylvania Avenue in, in order that they might try to convince the world that they were worth…

I found that while among them there was a large element of substantial, worthy citizens, there was also a superficiality about the life of a large class that greatly alarmed me.

They knew more about Latin and Greek when they left school, but they seemed to know less about life and its conditions as they would meet it at their homes.