Mary McLeod Bethune was an American educator, stateswoman, and civil rights activist born on July 10, 1875.

The July-born womanist, Mary McLeod Bethune was one fierce woman who spent most of her life dedicated to the education and freedom of African American slaves. Mary McLeod Bethune is also known to have built one of the first schools for African American girls.

Mary McLeod Bethune Quotes On Education

Mary McLeod Bethune quotes that let you realize the importance of education.

1.”I made up my mind I would know my letters.”

― Mary McLeod Bethune.

2.”I leave you a thirst for education. I leave you a respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. “

― Mary McLeod Bethune.

3.“Studying goes deeper than mere reading. ”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

4.“Knowledge is the prime need of the hour.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

5.“The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

6.“I thought, maybe the difference between white folks and colored is just this matter of reading and writing. ”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

7.“Education is the great American adventure, the world’s most colossal democratic experiment.” — Mary McLeod Bethune.

8.”There are surface nuggets to be gathered but the best of the gold is underneath, and it takes time and labor to secure it.”

― Mary McLeod Bethune.

Mary McLeod Bethune Quotes On Discrimination

Mary McLeod Bethune quotes that give us an insight into discrimination. Read these poignant words from Mary McLeod Bethune to get a better understanding of racial discrimination.

9.“The drums of Africa still beat in my heart.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

10.“We should, therefore, protest openly everything … that smacks of discrimination or slander.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

11.“Whatever the white man has done, we have done, and often better.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

12.“You white folks have long been eating the white meat of the chicken.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

13.“World peace and brotherhood are based on a common understanding of the contributions and cultures of all races and creeds.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

15.”They will not let me rest while there is a single Negro boy or girl without a chance to prove his worth.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

16.”We Negroes are now ready for some of the white meat instead of the dark meat.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

Mary McLeod Bethune Spiritual Quotes

Mary McLeod Bethune quotes on spirituality that remind you to have positivity and belief.

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

-Mary McLeod Bethune.

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

– Mary McLeod Bethune.

19.“Enter to learn; depart to serve.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

20.“From the first, I made my learning, what little it was, useful every way I could.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

21.“There is a place in God’s sun for the youth ‘farthest down’ who has the vision, the determination, and the courage to reach it.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

Mary McLeod Bethune Quotes About Womanhood

Mary McLeod Bethune quotes that help us understand womanhood deeper and better.

22. “For I am my mother’s daughter.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

23. “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.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

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

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

25.“Whatever glory belongs to the race for a development unprecedented in history for the given length of time, a full share belongs to the womanhood of the race.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

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

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

Inspiring Mary McLeod Bethune Quotes

Mary McLeod Bethune quotes to motivate you to dream and achieve. These words of Mary McLeod Bethune will surely inspire something in you.

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

– Mary McLeod Bethune.

28.“Cease to be a drudge. Seek to be an artist.”

― Mary McLeod Bethune.

29.“Power, intelligently directed, can lead to more freedom. Unwisely directed, it can be a dreadful, destructive force.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

30.“Forgiving is not about forgetting, it’s letting go of the hurt.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

31.“Greatness is largely a social accident, and almost always socially supported.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

32.”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.”

– Mary McLeod Bethune.

Mary McLeod Bethune Famous Quotes

The best and the most famous of the Mary McLeod Bethune quotes.

33.”While he knows these ideals are open to no man completely, he wants only his equal chance to obtain them.”

– Mary McLeod Bethune.

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

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

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

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

36.“We live in a world which respects power above all things.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

37.“What does the Negro want? His answer is very simple. He wants only what all other Americans want.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

38.“I plunged into the job of creating something from nothing.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

39.”If we accept and acquiesce in the face of discrimination, we accept the responsibility ourselves.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

40.“I do feel, in my dreamings and yearnings, so undiscovered by those who are able to help me.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

41.“I leave you love. I leave you hope.”

– Mary McLeod Bethune.

42.”He wants opportunity to make real what the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights say, what the Four Freedoms establish.”

— Mary McLeod Bethune.

43.”I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another.”

– Mary McLeod Bethune.

Mary McLeod Bethune Quotes

• “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.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Next to God we are indebted to women, first for life itself, and then for making it worth living.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “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.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “We have a powerful potential in out youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “The true worth of a race must be measured by the character of its womanhood.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “I do feel, in my dreamings and yearnings, so undiscovered by those who are able to help me.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Whatever the white man has done, we have done, and often better.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “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.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “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.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Cease to be a drudge, seek to be an artist.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Knowledge is the prime need of the hour.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “The progress of the world will call for the best that all of us have to give.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “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.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “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.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “The whole world opened to me when I learned to read.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “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.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Whatever glory belongs to the race for a development unprecedented in history for the given length of time, a full share belongs to the womanhood of the race.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “For I am my mother’s daughter, and the drums of Africa still beat in my heart.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “To those of you with your years of service still ahead, the challenge is yours. Stop doubting yourselves. Have the courage to make up your minds and hold your decisions. Refuse to be BOUGHT for a nickel, or a million dollars, or a job!”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Education is the great American adventure, the world’s most colossal democratic experiment.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “World peace and brotherhood are based on a common understanding of the contributions and cultures of all races and creeds”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Our children must never lose their zeal for building a better world.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “You white folks have long been eating the white meat of the chicken. We Negroes are now ready for some of the white meat instead of the dark meat.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “What does the Negro want? His answer is very simple. He wants only what all other Americans want. He wants opportunity to make real what the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights say, what the Four Freedoms establish. While he knows these ideals are open to no man completely, he wants only his equal chance to obtain them.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “From the first, I made my learning, what little it was, useful every way I could.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “In each experience of my life, I have had to step out of one little space of the known light, into a large area of darkness. I had to stand awhile in the darkness, and then gradually God has given me light. But not to linger in. For as soon as that light has felt familiar, then the call has always come to step out ahead again into new darkness.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “I never stop to plan. I take things step-by-step.”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune

• “Forgiving is not about forgetting, it’s letting go of the hurt”
  — Mary McLeod Bethune