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Doing for people what they can and ought to do for themselves is a dangerous experiment.

Samuel Gompers

In the last analysis, the welfare of the workers depends upon their own initiative. Whatever is done under the guise of philanthropy or social morality which in any way lessens initiative is the greatest crime that can be committed against the toilers.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Analyse Committed Crime Depend Gret Guise Initiative Matter Social Toiler
Show me that product of human endeavor in the making of which the workingman has had no share, and I will show you something that society can well dispense with.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Make Man Product Share Show Society Something Working
Our movement is of the working people, for the working people, by the working people. . . .
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Long Movement Order People Struggle Work
Where trade unions are most firmly organized, there are the rights of the people most respected.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Firmly Most Organization People Respect Right Trade Union
The trade union movement represents the organized economic power of the workers… It is in reality the most potent and the most direct social insurance the workers can establish.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Economic Movement Organization Organized Power Reality Represent Trade Worker
To free him from the tyrannies, petty or otherwise, which served to make his existence a slavery.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Existence Free Make Otherwise Serve Slavery Tyrannies
[The labor movement is] a movement of the working people, for the working people, by the working people, governed by ourselves, with its policies determined by ourselves.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Determinedlabor Governed Lace Movement People Policies Work
So long as there is one [person] who seeks employment and cannot find it, the hours of work are too long.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Employment Find Hour Long Seek Work
No race of barbarians ever existed yet offered up children for money
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Children Economic Inequality Este Money Offer Race Vbarbarian
What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Arsenal Beautiful Book Labor Less More Nature Opportunity Revenge Schoolhouse
There are such wonderful possibilities in the life of each man and woman!
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Inspiration Life Live Man Opportunity Possible Woman Wonderful
You can’t do it unless you organize.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Labor Organized Union
There may be here and there a worker who for certain reasons unexplainable to us does not join a union of labor. That is his right. It is his legal right, no matter how morally wrong he may be. It is his legal right, and no one can or dare question his exercise of that legal right.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Certain Exercise Join Labor Reason Unexplainable Union Worker
So long as we have held fast to voluntary principles and have been actuated and inspired by the spirit of service.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Actuated Decision Inspire Long Principle Service Spirit Voluntary Wise
Show me the country that has no strikes and I’ll show you the country in which there is no liberty.
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Country Liberty Show Strike
Do I believe in arbitration? I do. But not in arbitration between the lion and the lamb, in which the lamb is in the morning found inside the lion
SAMUEL GOMPERS

Arbitration Believe Found Inside Lamb Lion Morning Umpires

Doing for people what they can and ought to do for themselves is a dangerous experiment.

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Doing for people what they can and ought to do for themselves is a dangerous experiment.

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