Booker T. Washington: “A narrow life, a selfish life, is almost sure to be not only unprofitable but unhappy.”

The hurtful influences of the institution were not by any means confined to the Negro.

Until that question was asked it had never occurred to me that there was no period of my life that was devoted to play.

Ever since I have been old enough to think for myself, I have entertained the idea that, notwithstanding the cruel wrongs inflicted upon us, the black man got nearly as much out of slavery as the white man did.

As soon as it was learned that he was not an American Negro, all the signs of indignation disappeared.