No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Dignity comes from both manual labor and artistic creation; progress starts with humble work.
- In plain terms
- Both farming and poetry are dignified; start low.
- What can you take from it?
- Value all work, especially foundational tasks.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can societies honor both physical and creative labor?
- What role does humility play in success?
Another view
May undervalue specialized intellectual pursuits.
More from Booker T. Washington
In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.
Permalink to quote #16 No man who continues to add something to the material, intellectual, and moral well-being of the place in which he lives is long left without proper reward.
Permalink to quote #18 Cast down your bucket where you are.
Permalink to quote #15
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