I have always felt proud, whenever I think of the incident, that my mother had strength of character enough not to be led into the temptation of seeming to be that which she was not—of trying to impress my schoolmates and others with the fact that she was able to buy me a “store hat” when she was not.
Reflecting on his mother's actions, Washington praises her integrity and refusal to pretend to wealth she did not possess.
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More from Booker T. Washington
We try to keep constantly in mind the fact that the worth of the school is to be judged by its graduates.
The more I come into contact with wealthy people, the more I believe that they are growing in the direction of looking upon their money simply as an instrument which God has placed in their hand for doing good with.
The great human law that in the end recognizes and rewards merit is everlasting and universal.
This problem Harvard University is solving, not by bringing itself down, but by bringing the masses up.