Progress and Achievements of the Colored People: Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Progress and Achievements of the Colored People: Containing the Story of the Wonderful Advancement of the Colored Americans—the Most Marvelous in the History of Nations—Their Past Accomplishments, Together With Their Present-day Opportunities and a Glimpse Into the Future for Further Developments—the Dawn of a Triumphant Era. A Handbook for Self-improvement Which Leads to Greater Success
John Stuart Mill · en
In the great center of life, with its circumference everywhere and
nowhere, the incidents of life are few and mere matters of routine. But
they must be gained, and can not be gained except by the man who dares.
Beginning with nothing but his muscles, courage, and high hopes, the boy
who dares forces his way through rain and storm, sunshine and shadow;
quaffs to the dregs the cup of disappointment and refills it with
determination. From the lowest rung of the social or business ladder, he
mounts upward rung by rung, gaining here and there a fresh supply of
energy, until bursting forth from a chrysalis of helplessness into an
initiative, he assumes first place and dares still more to reach after
the mastery. He dares the professions and becomes a statesman or a
scientist influenced by a desire to benefit his fellowmen. In the
mercantile, manufacturing, and commercial world, his name is a synonym
of honesty and probity, fair dealing, justice and impartiality. The
hands and mouths of his less daring fellowmen never depart empty. The
train of evils that follow humanity, he knows are mere incidents in life
and he does what he can and may to alleviate them, and in their
alleviation he finds comfort and joy. “Do unto others as ye would that
others do unto you,” is the absorbing incident of life, the
concentration, amalgamation of all other incidents. “This do and thou
shalt live.”
=Happiness is in the train of the man who dares.= “As arrows are in the
hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man who
hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall
speak with the enemies in the gate.” The man who dares fill this quiver
with arrows needs no other happiness. All other kinds, varieties, and
species of happiness follow in its train. Most of our happiness is
“so-called,” that is we think it is happiness, but it becomes bitter
after a while and then sours. True happiness never ferments, never
corrupts. The man who dares would not dare take a course in the school
of dissipation, he is too much of a man and has the courage of his
convictions. There are certain things every man must do to be happy, and
the man who dares does them. He must dare to do right, to keep away from
bad company, to avoid the ungodly, and the devil and all his works are
rendered innocuous by his daring to discountenance them.