Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.
-Madame C.J. Walker
If I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.
I want you to understand that your first duty is to humanity. I want others to look at us and see that we care not just about ourselves but about others.
I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations…I have built my own factory on my own ground.
I got my start by giving myself a start.
It’s pretty hard for the Lord to guide you if you haven’t made up your mind which way to go.
Perseverance is my motto.
I want the great masses of my people to take a greater pride in their personal appearance and to give their hair proper attention.