To those of my race who depend on bettering their condition in a foreign land or who underestimate the importance of cultivating friendly relations with the Southern white man, who is their next-door neighbor, I would say 'Cast down your bucket where you are.'

Holding a grudge does not hurt the person against whom the grudge is held, it hurts the one who holds it.

Progress, progress is the law of nature; under God it shall be our eternal guiding star.

Whenever your life touches mine, you make me stronger of weaker... there is no escape... people drag others or lift others up.

Dignify and glorify common labor. It is at the bottom of life that we must begin, not at the top.

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.

Mere connection with what is known as a superior race will not permanently carry an individual forward unless the individual has worth.