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

Benjamin E. Mays

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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Believe People White
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Leadership Mean Motivation
The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Goal Lying Weight Loss
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Battle Liberty Today
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Art Boys Halfway Normal White
You have the ability, now apply yourself.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Ability Apply Yourself
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Dream Lying Stars
It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideal, but it is a disaster to have no ideal to capture.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Capture Disaster Ideals
It isn’t a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Goal Life Reaching Stars
It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Calamity Dream Reaching Goals Stars
If what is communicated is false, it can hardly be called communication.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Call Communication Hardly
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Goals Dreams Lying Mind
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Communication Intelligent School
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

God Light Spiritual
Failure isn’t in not reaching your goal but in having no goal to reach.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Goal Reaching Swimming
A child must learn early to believe that she is somebody worthwhile, and that she can do many praiseworthy things.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Believe Children Inspirational
The tragedy of this life is not failure, but low aim.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Life Lows Tragedy
The circumference of life cannot be rightly drawn until the center is set.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Center Circumstances Drawn Set
I believe everyone is born into the world to do something unique and distinctive.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Believe Life Unique
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Born Men Strive
He who starts behind in the great race of life must forever remain behind or run faster than the man in front.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Men Race Running
Man is what his dreams are.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Desire Dream Men
Honest communication is built on truth and integrity and upon respect of the one for the other.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Communication Honest Integrity
Whatever you do, do it so well that people looking on will feel that the task was reserved especially for you by God Himself.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

People Tasks Wells
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Determination Integrity Soul
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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Men Something Unique
[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.
BENJAMIN E. MAYS

Believe May Today Tomorrow

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

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

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