--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Success is to be measured not so much by…" description: "\"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. --Booker T. Washington\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/booker-t-washington-2-45823_life_success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by_939397.jpg" --- # Success is to be measured not so much by the position that… ![“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. --Booker T. Washington” quote by Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/booker-t-washington-2-45823_life_success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by_939397.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/booker-t-washington-2-45823_life_success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by_939397.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/booker-t-washington-2-45823_life_success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by_939397.jpg) > “Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. --Booker T. Washington” [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success is measured by overcoming obstacles, not just status. **In simple terms:** Overcoming challenges defines success. Key Takeaway Focus on resilience over rank. Themes perseverance achievement adversity Mood hopeful determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career advancement - education pursuit - community leadership Key Concepts social mobility personal growth historical context Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles have shaped your path? - How do you celebrate resilience? A Different Perspective Ignoring systemic barriers can oversimplify success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Obstacles Overcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles-overcome/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by-the-position-that-one-has-2/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-have-learned-that-success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by-the/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life... as by the obstacles which he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by-the-position-that-one-has-3/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [Remember, success is not measured by heights attained but by obstacles overcome. We're going to pass through many obstacles in our lives: good days,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jenner/remember-success-is-not-measured-by-heights-attained-but-by-obstacles/) [Bruce Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jenner/) > [“Success is judged not by the position you reach in life but by the obstacles you have overcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandeep-jauhar/success-is-judged-not-by-the-position-you-reach-in-life-but-by-the/) Sandeep Jauhar > [“Success is not to be measured by the position someone has reached in life, but the obstacles he has overcome while trying to succeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/success-is-not-to-be-measured-by-the-position-someone-has-reached-in/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Success is measured not so much by the position that one has reached, but rather by how many obstacles one has had to overcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/success-is-measured-not-so-much-by-the-position-that-one-has-reached/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Success is not measured by where you are in life, but the obstacles you've over come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/success-is-not-measured-by-where-you-are-in-life-but-the-obstacles/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Success is not to be measured so much by the status one has attained in life but rather by the obstacles one has overcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/success-is-not-to-be-measured-so-much-by-the-status-one-has-attained/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Well, I was always a bit of a political junkie. Even as a kid I would read biographies of presidents and of civil rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/well-i-was-always-a-bit-of-a-political-junkie-even-as-a-kid-i-would/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Booker Washington was essentially the head Republican boss in the South. He was a power broker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/booker-washington-was-essentially-the-head-republican-boss-in-the/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Before Booker T. Washington, we have small business owners but we do not have a philosopher of black entrepreneurship, and that's what Washington was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-smith/before-booker-t-washington-we-have-small-business-owners-but-we-do/) [Ed Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-smith/) > [“you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. –Booker T. Washington”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/improve-life-books/you-want-to-lift-yourself-up-lift-up-someone-else-booker-t-washington/) Improve Life Books > [“each of the two great archrivals, Booker T. Washington and WE.B. Du Bois, invited”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hochschild/each-of-the-two-great-archrivals-booker-t-washington-and-we-b-du-bois/) [Adam Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hochschild/) > [Today we ought to be able to see first that Booker T. Washington faced a situation in which he was seeking desperately for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-l-r-james/today-we-ought-to-be-able-to-see-first-that-booker-t-washington-faced/) [C. L. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-l-r-james/) ## More by Booker T Washington > [Most leaders spend time trying to get others to think highly of them, when instead they should try to get their people to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/most-leaders-spend-time-trying-to-get-others-to-think-highly-of-them/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [Any man's life will be filled with constant and unexpected encouragement if he makes up his mind to do his level best each day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/any-man-s-life-will-be-filled-with-constant-and-unexpected/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/few-things-help-an-individual-more-than-to-place-responsibility-upon/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by-the-position-that-one-has-2/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/i-will-permit-no-man-to-narrow-and-degrade-my-soul-by-making-me-hate/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [Most leaders spend time trying to get others to think highly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/most-leaders-spend-time-trying-to-get-others-to-think-highly/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/in-all-things-that-are-purely-social-we-can-be-as-separate-as-the/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) > [Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life... as by the obstacles which he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington-2/success-is-to-be-measured-not-so-much-by-the-position-that-one-has-3/) [Booker T Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) [Explore all 9 Booker T Washington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington-2/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. --Booker T. 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