--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I learned the lesson that great men…" description: "\"I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I resolved then that I would permit no man, no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/booker-t-washington-2277_cherish_i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cult_2800901.jpg" --- # I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and… ![“I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I resolved then that I would permit no man, no matter what his color, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.” quote by Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/booker-t-washington-2277_cherish_i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cult_2800901.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/booker-t-washington-2277_cherish_i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cult_2800901.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/booker-t-washington-2277_cherish_i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cult_2800901.jpg) > “I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I resolved then that I would permit no man, no matter what his color, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.” [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great men foster love; petty men cling to hatred, which degrades the soul. **In simple terms:** Love builds character; hatred corrodes. Key Takeaway Cultivate love, reject hatred. Themes morality character racial equality Mood reflective inspirational Type ethical historical When to use this quote - leadership - education - community building - personal conduct Key Concepts ethical philosophy social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform hatred into compassion? - What practices nurture love? A Different Perspective Hatred can be deeply ingrained. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) ## Related quotes > [Don't ever let them pull you down so low as to hate them. (also cited as: I will permit no man to narrow and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/don-t-ever-let-them-pull-you-down-so-low-as-to-hate-them-also-cited/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“...because all happiness is contagious, and disarms the spirit of hatred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/because-all-happiness-is-contagious-and-disarms-the-spirit-of-hatred/) [Irène Némirovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/) > [I would permit no man, no matter what his colour might be, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-would-permit-no-man-no-matter-what-his-colour-might-be-to-narrow/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“From his example in this respect, I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/from-his-example-in-this-respect-i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“From his example in this respect I learned the lesson that great man cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/from-his-example-in-this-respect-i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-man/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [No one can degrade us except ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/no-one-can-degrade-us-except-ourselves/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Great men cultivate love...only little men cherish a spirit of hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/great-men-cultivate-love-only-little-men-cherish-a-spirit-of-hatred/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [You had to stand in line to hate him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedda-hopper/you-had-to-stand-in-line-to-hate-him/) [Hedda Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedda-hopper/) > [ I don't see Jian \[Ghomeshi\] as an enemy. What \[Marie Henein\] was saying about how I hate him - I'm like, that's not accurate. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-decoutere/i-don-t-see-jian-ghomeshi-as-an-enemy-what-marie-henein-was-saying/) [Lucy DeCoutere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-decoutere/) > [I despise him for himself, and hate him for the memories he revives!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/i-despise-him-for-himself-and-hate-him-for-the-memories-he-revives/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Love can only flourish as long as it is free and spontaneous; it tends to be killed by the thought that it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/love-can-only-flourish-as-long-as-it-is-free-and-spontaneous-it-tends/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [When you really know someone, you can't hate him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/when-you-really-know-someone-you-can-t-hate-him/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Rush Limbaugh, whether you hate him or not, he's a great entertainer; he's a great broadcaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-miller/rush-limbaugh-whether-you-hate-him-or-not-he-s-a-great-entertainer-he/) [Stephanie Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-miller/) > [If we consider how greatly he has sinned against the masses in the course of the centuries, how he has squeezed and sucked the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/if-we-consider-how-greatly-he-has-sinned-against-the-masses-in-the/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [But I don't know how I really felt about Johnny Manziel, but I feel like now everyone hates him. He's quickly becoming my favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-flacco/but-i-don-t-know-how-i-really-felt-about-johnny-manziel-but-i-feel/) [Joe Flacco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-flacco/) ## More by Booker T. Washington > [“There are some things that one individual can do for another, and there are some things that one race can do for another. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/there-are-some-things-that-one-individual-can-do-for-another-and/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Think about it: we went into slavery pagans; we came out Christians. We went into slavery pieces of property; we came out American citizens.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/think-about-it-we-went-into-slavery-pagans-we-came-out-christians-we/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [I let no man drag me down so low as to make me hate him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-let-no-man-drag-me-down-so-low-as-to-make-me-hate-him/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [The wisest among my race understand that agitations of social equality is the extremist folly, and that progress in the enjoyment of all privileges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-wisest-among-my-race-understand-that-agitations-of-social/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“I began learning long ago that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-began-learning-long-ago-that-those-who-are-happiest-are-those-who/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [If you truly want to measure the success of a man, you do not measure it by a position he has achieved, but by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/if-you-truly-want-to-measure-the-success-of-a-man-you-do-not-measure/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [The time will come when the Negro in the South will be accorded all the political rights which his ability, character, and material possessions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-time-will-come-when-the-negro-in-the-south-will-be-accorded-all/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“Kada smo u kontaktu sa drugim čovekom, mi mu ili pomažemo ili smetamo. Nema trećeg: ili ga vučemo na dole, ili ga izvlačimo na…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/kada-smo-u-kontaktu-sa-drugim-ovekom-mi-mu-ili-poma-emo-ili-smetamo/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/excellence-is-to-do-a-common-thing-in-an-uncommon-way/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [We must reinforce argument with results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/we-must-reinforce-argument-with-results/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [Mere connection with what is known as a superior race will not permanently carry an individual forward unless the individual has worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/mere-connection-with-what-is-known-as-a-superior-race-will-not/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [No race that has anything to contribute to the markets of the world is long in any degree ostracized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/no-race-that-has-anything-to-contribute-to-the-markets-of-the-world/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [The highest test of the civilization of any race is in its willingness to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-highest-test-of-the-civilization-of-any-race-is-in-its/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [The Negro is not the man farthest down. The condition of the coloured farmer in the most backward parts of the Southern States of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/the-negro-is-not-the-man-farthest-down-the-condition-of-the-coloured/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) > [“it takes no more time to be polite to every one than it does to be rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/it-takes-no-more-time-to-be-polite-to-every-one-than-it-does-to-be/) [Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) [Explore all 174 Booker T. Washington quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/) ## More Cherish quotes > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [They say that the commons of England would first destroy the king's friends and afterward himself, and then bring the Duke of York to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cade/they-say-that-the-commons-of-england-would-first-destroy-the-king-s/) [Jack Cade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-cade/) > [I am simply looking for a companion with whom to spend my days, a companion who will cherish as much as I the stupidity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/i-am-simply-looking-for-a-companion-with-whom-to-spend-my-days-a/) [Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/) > [The longer you are in acting business, the more you cherish the times when you're working with people that do great work, and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bakula/the-longer-you-are-in-acting-business-the-more-you-cherish-the-times/) [Scott Bakula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bakula/) > [Being in a Woody Allen film. I cherish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-posey/being-in-a-woody-allen-film-i-cherish-it/) [Parker Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-posey/) > [Hold tenderly that which you cherish, for it is precious and a tight grip may crush it. Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/) Bob Alberti > [I cherish my clothes and I remember what seasons they're from. But someone said to me as I was having trouble with styling a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hudson/i-cherish-my-clothes-and-i-remember-what-seasons-they-re-from-but/) [Kate Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hudson/) > [You never know what's going to happen so just enjoy the moments that you have with the people you love and cherish them. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-grammer/you-never-know-what-s-going-to-happen-so-just-enjoy-the-moments-that/) [Camille Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-grammer/) > [Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/cherish-your-solitude-take-trains-by-yourself-to-places-you-have/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I keep a lot to myself, and I cherish the things that are for me and the people closest to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-oakley/i-keep-a-lot-to-myself-and-i-cherish-the-things-that-are-for-me-and/) [Tyler Oakley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-oakley/) > [We must understand that God does not "love" us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as "Christian" love is sometimes thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/we-must-understand-that-god-does-not-love-us-without-liking-us/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [ For some unknown reason, this \[antiabortion\] branch of Christianity cherishes the unborn and hates the living person. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vine-deloria-jr/for-some-unknown-reason-this-antiabortion-branch-of-christianity/) [Vine Deloria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vine-deloria-jr/) > [I want to say unequivocally that while I cherish every person who comes from anywhere, who comes here legally and seeks to pursue happiness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/i-want-to-say-unequivocally-that-while-i-cherish-every-person-who/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [“What makes you cherish is what often makes others perish”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/what-makes-you-cherish-is-what-often-makes-others-perish/) [P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/) > [The lesson learned: Never take your loved ones for granted. And if you’re ever lucky enough to find that one person in life who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lesson-learned-never-take-your-loved-ones-for-granted-and-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 1,279 Cherish quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I resolved then that I would permit no man, no matter what his color, to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Booker T. Washington" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cultivate-love-and-that-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cherish" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cultivate-love-and-that-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/booker-t-washington-2277_cherish_i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cult_2800901.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/booker-t-washington-2277_cherish_i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cult_2800901.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/booker-t-washington-2277_cherish_i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cult_2800901.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I learned the lesson that great men cultivate love, and that only little men cherish a spirit of hatred. I…” — Booker T. Washington", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Booker T. Washington", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I learned the lesson that great...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cultivate-love-and-that-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/i-learned-the-lesson-that-great-men-cultivate-love-and-that-only/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```