I Didn't Know I Was

My Theory Of Self-made Men Is, Then, Simply This; That They Are Men Of Work. Whether Or Not Such Men Have Acquired Material, Moral Or Intellectual Excellence, Honest Labor Faithfully, Steadily And Persistently Pursued, Is The Best, If Not The Only, Explanation Of Their Success... All Human Experience Proves Over And Over Again, That Any Success Which Comes Through Meanness, Trickery, Fraud And Dishonour, Is But Emptiness And Will Only Be A Torment To Its Possessor.

[...] Allowing Only Ordinary Ability And Opportunity, We May Explain Success Mainly By One Word And That Word Is Work! Work!! Work!!! Work!!!! Not Transient And Fitful Effort, But Patient, Enduring, Honest, Unremitting And Indefatigable Work Into Which The Whole Heart Is Put[...] There Is No Royal Road To Perfection.

Fugitive Slaves Were Rare Then, And As A Fugitive Slave Lecturer, I Had The Advantage Of Being The First One Out.

Immense Wealth, And Its Lavish Expenditure, Fill The Great House With All That Can Please The Eye, Or Tempt The Taste. Here, Appetite, Not Food, Is The Great Desideratum.

I Am Not Included Within The Pale Of This Glorious Anniversary! Your High Independence Only Reveals The Immeasurable Distance Between Us. The Blessings In Which You, This Day, Rejoice, Are Not Enjoyed In Common. The Rich Inheritance Of Justice, Liberty, Prosperity And Independence, Bequeathed By Your Fathers, Is Shared By You, Not By Me. The Sunlight That Brought Life And Healing To You, Has Brought Stripes And Death To Me. This Fourth July Is Yours, Not Mine.