Up from Slavery: An Autobiography Quotes
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Source: Up from Slavery: An Autobiography
Author: Booker T. Washington
"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."
In those days, and later as a young man, I used to try to picture in my imagination the feelings and ambitions of a white boy with absolutely no limit placed upon his aspirations and activities. I used to envy the white boy who had no obstacles placed in the way of his becoming a Congressman, Governor, Bishop, or President by reason of the accident of his birth or race. I used to picture the way that I would act under such circumstances; how I would begin at the bottom and keep rising until I reached the highest round of success.
In later years, I confess that I do not envy the white boy as I once did. I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed. Looked at from this standpoint, I almost reach the conclusion that often the Negro boy's birth and connection with an unpopular race is an advantage, so far as real life is concerned. With few exceptions, the Negro youth must work harder and must perform his task even better than a white youth in order to secure recognition. But out of the hard and unusual struggle through which he is compelled to pass, he gets a strength, a confidence, that one misses whose pathway is comparatively smooth by reason of birth and race.
Context
This line was written by Booker T. Washington in Up from Slavery: An Autobiography (1901).
Up from Slavery tells the real story of a man—Booker T. Washington—who started life as a slave and ended up a famous educator, author, and adviser to various American presidents. Wow. And what have you accomplished lately?
This quote pops up toward the beginning of his autobiography when Washington is reflecting on his boyhood days after being freed from slavery, but before getting a foothold in society. Times were tough and he was pretty envious of all those white kids who didn't have to struggle like he did. Yeah, life really is not fair.
But, later, he comes to realize that his accomplishments end up meaning a whole lot more because of all the work he's had to do to get them. He wasn't handed a college education on a silver platter—he had to fight tooth and nail to get it. And no one expected him to become a famous political leader and thinker—in fact, most folks would have guessed he'd just become a failure. The fact that Washington worked his butt off and prove what a former slave could go on to do made his successes that much sweeter.
Where you've heard it
This is a pretty famous quote about the true mean of success, so you'll probably see it on graduation cards, college brochures, and all manner of inspirational pins.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Everyone loves it when a scrappy do-it-yourself kind of person pulls himself up by his bootstraps. Just make sure there's none of those nasty one-percenters around when you drop this quote at your next dinner party.