Madam C.J. Walker

I am not ashamed of my humble beginning. I am proud of it.

I want to develop my people and give them an opportunity to rise.

I am going to make a fortune, and I am going to help my people.

The greatest pleasure I have is to inspire others to help themselves.

I have made my money by working hard and by using my brains.

I want to see the Negro women of this country become independent and self-supporting.

My success has not been attained by any special favor of Providence, but by my own efforts.

I am not afraid to work. I have always been a worker.

I want to bless my race by giving them employment.

I am a living example of what can be accomplished by an American Negro woman who had the courage to follow her own convictions.

I have created thousands of jobs for women who otherwise would have been domestic servants or common laborers.

I want to be a monument to the possibilities of Negro women.

I am no longer a dependent, but a giver.

I want to live to be 100 and help my race as long as I live.

I believe in the beauty of all women, and I want to help them realize it.

My object in life is not simply to make money for myself, but to use my money and influence for the uplift of my race.

I never had a dollar to start with, but I had plenty of grit.

I am not afraid of anything. I have always been a fighter.

I want to prove to the world that Negro women can do anything.

We should not be satisfied with merely making a living. We should strive to make a difference.