I think we should avoid the contemporary tendency to rank things, especially when talking about something as important as virtues. That said, Washington did make note of what he deemed key virtues in his Sunday speeches to students and faculty at Tuskegee University, the educational institution he founded.
One virtue that he encouraged among his faculty was humility. He gave the example of teachers admitting to students when they could not answer questions. A well-educated person, according to Washington, can always account for what he or she does not know and not feel ashamed of their limitations.
He reminds his students that the purpose of education is to help others. Therefore, "self-sacrifice" is another virtue.
It is important to remember that, at the crux of Washington's ideas of self-sufficiency among black people was an expectation that the community would work together to maintain itself. To accomplish this, altruism was necessary. The willingness to work hard, another virtue, was also necessary. Washington's speech on "Influencing by Example" was also calculated to discourage students from moving north. He believed that black people were "too often at their worst in city life."
Other virtues that Washington noted in his speeches include thriftiness, orderliness, reliability, honorably living according to one's word, being of service to those in need (one could combine this with altruism), responsibility, being goal-oriented, and being thorough in one's work.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
What are Booker T. Washington's top 10 virtues?
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