At the bottom of education, at the bottom of politics, even at the bottom of religion, there must be for our race economic independence.

There is no escape - man drags man down, or man lifts man up.

You must understand the troubles of that man farthest down before you can help him.

I never liked the atmosphere of Washington . I early saw that it was impossible to build up a race of which the leaders were spending most of their time, thought and energy in trying to get into office, or in trying to stay there after they were in.

You can't hold a man down without staying down with him.

I believe that my race will succeed in proportion as it learns to do a common thing in an uncommon manner; learns to do a thing so thoroughly that no one can improve upon what it has done; learns to make its services of indispensable value.

The world cares very little about what a man or woman knows; it is what the man or woman is able to do that counts.