There are quite a number of divisions into which life can be divided, but for the purposes of this evening I am going to speak of two; the bright side of life and the dark side.
Booker T. Washington
The Public Record
Booker Taliaferro Washington was an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite.
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To do the most that lies in you, you must go with a heart and head full of hope and faith in the world, believing that there is work for you to do, believing that you are the person to accomplish that work, and the one who is going to…
You will not accomplish the task which we expect of you if you go with a moody, discouraged, fault-finding disposition.
One of the things that impressed itself upon me deeply, the second year, was the unselfishness of the teachers.
We want to send each one of you out from here, not as a negative force, but as a strong, positive, helpful force in the world.
The persons who live constantly in a fault-finding atmosphere, who see only the dark side of life, become negative characters.
I determined to face the situation just as it was.
You can do this in the most efficient manner by yourselves being the highest possible example.
It is often very easy to influence others in the wrong direction, and to grow into such a moody fault-finding disposition that one not only is miserable and unhappy himself, but makes every one with whom he comes in contact miserable and…
It is a very bad habit to get into, that of being continually moody and discouraged, and of making the atmosphere uncomfortable for everybody who comes within ten feet of you.
To wear one suit of clothes continually, while at work and in the schoolroom, and at the same time keep it clean, was rather a hard problem for me to solve.
Just in proportion as you do this, you will find that you will not only influence yourself in the right direction, but that you will also influence others that way.