After reading about this man and his beliefs, I wish I had the opportunity to have met him.
George Washington Carver was born into slavery but rose above the obstacles to become a scientist, an educator, and a philosopher.
At the GW Carver National Monument we read through many of his touching quotes. We were very impressed with the National Monument itself - the science classroom and lots of interactive displays. We didn't arrive in time to walk the trails outside, though.
Here was one of the quotes that I liked:
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.
As a professor at Tuskagee Institute, he had asked his students to live by (or strive for) his 8 cardinal virtues:
1-Be clean both inside and outside.
2-Who neither looks up to the rich or down on the poor.
3-Who loses, if needs be, without squealing.
4-Who wins without bragging.
5-Who is always considerate of women, children and old people.
6-Who is too brave to lie.
7-Who is too generous to cheat.
8-Who takes his share of the world and lets other people have theirs.
Sounds like virtues we should all strive to live by, eh?
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