Mary McLeod Bethune Quotes

The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.

We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.

If we accept and acquiesce in the face of discrimination, we accept the responsibility ourselves. We should, therefore, protest openly everything … that smacks of discrimination or slander.

Our children must never lose their zeal for
building a better world.

Forgiving is not about forgetting, it’s letting go of the hurt

Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.

The drums of Africa still beat in my heart. They will not let me rest while there is a single Negro boy or girl without a chance to prove his worth.

Knowledge is the prime need of the hour.

The true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood.

Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.

I thought, maybe the difference between white folks and colored is just this matter of reading and writing. I made up my mind I would know my letters.

Cease to be a drudge, seek to be an artist.

I never stop to plan. I take things step by step.

If we have the courage and tenacity of our forebears, who stood firmly like a rock against the lash of slavery, we shall find a way to do for our day what they did for theirs.

Enter to learn; depart to serve.

I leave you love. I leave you hope. I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I leave you respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I leave you racial dignity.

Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.