Cease to be a drudge seek to be an artist.

— 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

Forgiving is not about forgetting, it's letting go of the hurt

— Mary McLeod Bethune

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

— 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

I have had more than half a century of such happiness. A great deal of worry and sorrow too but never a worry or a sorrow that was not offset by a purple iris a lark a bluebird or a dewy morning glory.

— Mary McLeod Bethune

I never stop to plan. I take things step-by-step.

— Mary McLeod Bethune

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

— Mary McLeod Bethune

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

— Mary McLeod Bethune

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