Mary McLeod Bethune Quotes

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

Enter to learn; depart to serve.

I plunged into the job of creating something from nothing…. Though I hadn’t a penny left, I considered cash money as the smallest part of my resources. I had faith in a living God, faith in myself, and a desire to serve.

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

We live in a world which respects power above all things. Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more freedom. Unwisely directed, it can be a dreadful, destructive force.

A woman is free if she lives by her own standards and creates her own destiny, if she prizes her individuality and puts no boundaries on her hopes for tomorrow.

Studying goes deeper than mere reading. There are surface nuggets to be gathered but the best of the gold is underneath, and it takes time and labor to secure it.

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

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

Next to God we are indebted to women, first for life itself, and then for making it worth living.

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

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.

Knowledge is the prime need of the hour.

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.