“Nothing ever comes to me, that…” — Booker T. Washington · ToDoMatriX

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Hard work and discipline

Nothing ever comes to me, that is worth having, except as the result of hard work.

— Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), Up From Slavery (1901), Chapter XII: Raising Money

Hard work and discipline

What it means

Washington found that everything of real value in his life came through hard work. Effort is the price of anything worth having.

About the author

Booker T. Washington — American educator, author, orator and adviser (1856–1915).

Source and verification

Source: Up From Slavery (1901), Chapter XII: Raising Money
Reference: Booker T. Washington on Wikiquote
Checked: Wording and source taken from the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page, which cites the work given here (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright: Public domain: the author died in 1915.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

More on hard work and discipline

“In the morning, when thou art sluggish at rousing thee, let this thought be present; ‘I am rising to a man’s work.’”

Marcus Aurelius

“Work first and then rest. Work first, and then gaze, but do not use golden ploughshares, nor bind ledgers in enamel.”

John Ruskin

“A man may write at any time, if he will set himself doggedly.”

Samuel Johnson