Benjamin E. Mays Quotations

The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, but rather in our living below our capacities.

Many well-meaning intelligent people have argued since the May 17, 1954, decision of the United States Supreme Court outlawing segregation in the public schools that communication between the races has broken down.

It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.

Honest communication is built on truth and integrity and upon respect of the one for the other.

Every man and woman is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive and if he or she does not do it, it will never be done.

It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.

It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture.

It isn't a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.

If what is communicated is false, it can hardly be called communication.

For nearly a century, the South made itself believe that Negroes and white people were really communicating. So convinced of this were the white Southerners that they almost made the nation believe that they, and only they, knew the mind of the Southern Negro.

I believe everyone is born into the world to do something unique and distinctive.

Failure isn't in not reaching your goal but in having no goal to reach.

The creation of the spiritual was no accident. It was a creation born of necessity, so that the slave might more adequately adjust himself to the conditions of the New World.

Man is what his dreams are.

. . . the circumference of life cannot be rightly drawn until the center is set.

The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach

In this perilous world, if a black boy wanted to live a halfway normal life and die a natural death he had to learn early the art of how to get along with white folks.

You have the ability, now apply yourself.

The tragedy of this life is not failure, but low aim.

A child must learn early to believe that she is somebody worthwhile, and that she can do many praiseworthy things.

[H]owever hard the road, however difficult today, tomorrow things will be better. Tomorrow may not be better, but we must believe that it will be.

It isn't more light we need, it isn't more truth, and it isn't more scientific data. It is more Christ, more courage, more spiritual insight to act on the light we have.

We, today, stand on the shoulders of our predecessors who have gone before us. We, as their successors, must catch the torch of freedom and liberty passed on to us by our ancestors. We cannot lose in this battle.

He who starts behind in the great race of life must forever remain behind or run faster than the man in front.

Whatever you do, do it so well that people looking on will feel that the task was reserved especially for you by God Himself.

The tragedy of life is not found in failure but complacency. Not in you doing too much, but doing too little. Not in you living above your means, but below your capacity. It's not failure but aiming too low, that is life's greatest tragedy.

Whatever you do,strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead and no man yet to be born could do it any better.

The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn't a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream...It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim is sin.

It is not your environment, it is you- the quality of your mind, the integrity of your soul and the determination of your will that will decide your future and shape your life.