If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. — Booker T. Washington · Smartyfair

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.

Booker T. Washington1856–1915 · educator · 1800s-1900s USABooker T. Washington was born into slavery and went on to become a leading African American educator, author, and advisor to U.S. presidents — in 1901 he became the first Black American invited to dine at the White House, a visit that sparked national controversy at the time.68 quotes

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In plain words

Helping someone else up is what lifts you too.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: 60% sureLots of sources credit Booker T. Washington with this, and they agree with each other. The book or the speech it first came from hasn't turned up yet.
What turned up: Paraphrase of Booker T. Washington, The Story of My Life and Work (1900), ch. XV: 'the best way to lift one's self up is to help some one else'
Sources checked: quoteinvestigator.comChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 20 August 2026

Nothing made from these words yet — Storyfaire is where they get made.

More from Booker T. Washington

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.

Booker T. Washington Notwithstanding this, I think I am right in saying that the persons who accomplish most in this world, those to whom on account of their helpfulness the world looks most for service—those who are most useful in every way—are those who are constantly seeing and appreciating the bright side as well as the dark side of life.

Booker T. Washington All teachers make mistakes sometimes, and you may depend upon it that it is an excellent teacher and a person of fine character who, when he or she has made a mistake, says frankly and plainly, "I have made a mistake," or "I don't know." It takes a very good and a very bright teacher to say, "I don't know." No teacher knows everything about every subject.

Booker T. Washington To do the most that lies in you, you must go with a heart and head full of hope and faith in the world, believing that there is work for you to do, believing that you are the person to accomplish that work, and the one who is going to accomplish it.

Booker T. Washington We help you that you may help somebody else, and if you do not do this, when you go out from here, then our work here has been in vain.

Booker T. Washington Now the point I especially want to make to-night is this: all of you must bear in mind the fact that you are not only to keep yourselves clean, and pure, and sober, and true, in every respect, but you owe a constant responsibility to yourself to see that you exert a helpful influence on others also.

Booker T. Washington

More on kindness

Treat all men alike. Give them all the same law. Give them all an even chance to live and grow.

Chief Joseph No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for any one else.

Charles Dickens There is only one enduring happiness in life — to live for others.

Leo Tolstoy Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace.

Benito Juárez As to diseases, make a habit of two things — to help, or at least, to do no harm.

Hippocrates The quality of mercy is not strain'd, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven.

William Shakespeare