Jane Addams The Mother of Social Workers Virtue: FRIENDSHIP Jane Addams made friends easily by being nice to people. She cared about poor people and welcomed them to a special home in Chicago, Illinois called Hull House. Her work at this home changed people's lives. By being so concerned about them, she shared the wonderful gift that costs no money: the gift of FRIENDSHIP.
Quote 1: "Action indeed is the sole medium of expression for ethics."
Quote 2: "We slowly learn that life consists of processes as well as results, and that failure may come quite as easily from ignoring the adequacy of one's method as from selfish or ignoble aims."
Quote 3: "Civilization is a method of living and an attitude of equal respect for all people."
Quote 4: "America's future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, and how we live."
Quote 5: "The excellent becomes the permanent."
Susan B. Anthony Champion for Women’s Rights Virtue: PATIENCE Susan B. Anthony wanted to vote, but before 1920, women were not allowed to vote. Susan patiently proved that women should have the same right as men to vote. One time she did go vote and was arrested for putting her ballot in the voting box. Because of her PATIENCE and hard work over many years, women may vote when they turn eighteen, just like men.
Quote 1: "The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball -- the further I am rolled the more I gain."
Quote 2: "Failure is impossible."
Clara Barton Angel of the Battlefield Virtue: COMPASSION Clara Barton was a real-life "action figure." She didn't just talk about supporting people in need of help - she did it. During the American Civil War, she cared for wounded soldiers. In 1881, this hard working woman started the American Red Cross, an organization which helps many people today and continues Clara's work of COMPASSION.
Quote 1: "I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them."
Quote 2: "Everybody's business is nobody's business, and nobody's business is my business."
Mary McLeod Bethune A Champion of Learning Virtue: LOVE Whenever Mary McLeod Bethune worked with and helped others, she showed them LOVE. One expression of her love for children was a school she started with only $1.50 in her pocket. Lots of hard work made the school a success. She knew learning would lead to a better life for those children. By doing good deeds for others, Mary showed them that LOVE can make a difference in people's lives.
Quote 1: "Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible. "
Quote 2: "Knowledge is the prime need of the hour. "
Quote 3: "Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough. "
Quote 4: "We have a powerful potential in our youth, and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends. "
Elizabeth Blackwell First American Female Doctor Virtue: CONFIDENCE Every doctor's college said "NO, NO, NO" - no woman may become a doctor! That's the way it was in 1840 in the USA. But Elizabeth Blackwell said "YES, YES, YES." She had the intelligence and skills needed to become a doctor. Most importantly, Elizabeth had CONFIDENCE. "I can" was her winning spirit. And that very confident young woman became Dr. Blackwell, leading the way for many others.
Quote 1: "For what is done or learned by one class of women becomes, by virtue of their common womanhood, the property of all women."
Quote 2: "If society will not admit of woman's free development, then society must be remodeled."
Quote 3: "It is not easy to be a pioneer - but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world."
Quote 4: "The idea of winning a doctor's degree gradually assumed the aspect of a great moral struggle, and the moral fight possessed immense attraction for me."
Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta Champions of the Migrant Workers Virtue: PERSEVERANCE Migrant workers harvest many of the fruits and vegetables we eat. In the 1960's migrant workers were paid $1 a day. They worked many hours (often in fields sprayed with poisons) and lived in shacks without electricity or running water. Cesar and Delores made people aware of the terrible living and working conditions. They held meetings all over the country and told true stories of the migrants' poverty. Their PERSEVERANCE in this struggle helped to improve the lives of migrant workers.
Quote 1: "It is a gate of hope through which they expect to find the sunlight of a better life for themselves and their families."
Quote 2: "Our language is the reflection of ourselves. A language is an exact reflection of the character and growth of its speakers."
Quote 3: "Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures."
Quote 4: "Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity?"
Roberto Clemente An MVP - Most Valuable Player - On and Off the Field Virtue: HELPFULNESS Roberto Clemente is a baseball legend. But, he was more than just a great player. He was always helping people by sharing his time, energy, and money. Sadly, Roberto lost his life in an airplane crash when he was on his way to deliver food and medicine to earthquake victims in another country. We remember Roberto for his never-ending spirit of HELPFULNESS.
Quote 1: "Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth."
Quote 2: "I want to be remembered as a ballplayer who gave all he had to give."
Quote 3: "When I put on my uniform, I feel I am the proudest man on earth."
Quote 4: "Why does everyone talk about the past? All that counts is tomorrow's game."
Walt Disney The First Imagineer Virtue: CREATIVITY Walt Disney was a man bursting with CREATIVITY. He imagined so many wonderful ways to entertain people and he decided to share his creative ideas. Walt was a great artist, so he created cartoon characters, like Mickey Mouse, to make people laugh. He also imagined and designed Disneyland and Walt Disney World, where everyone could go and have fun. That's some awesome imagining!
Quote 1: "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. "
Quote 2: "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. "
Quote 3: "Animation offers a medium of story telling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world. "
Quote 4: "I believe in being an innovator. "
Thomas Edison The Wizard of Menlo Park Virtue: DETERMINATION Thomas Edison invented thousands of things. When his experiments didn't work the first time, or the hundredth time, or even the thousandth time, he just kept trying. "Tom" always knew he could get the job done. In fact, he had so much DETERMINATION that he tried 9,990 experiments before finding the right wire to make a light bulb glow! As he once said, "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."
Quote 1: "I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others... I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.... "
Quote 2: "Genius is one per cent inspiration and ninety-nine per cent perspiration. Accordingly, a 'genius' is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework."
Quote 3: "If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."
Albert Einstein Science Superstar Virtue: WONDER Albert Einstein was always asking questions. He was amazed at many science concepts, such as light, gravity, and time. His sense of WONDER led him to discover many new ideas about those terms. Today lots of people use his name to mean genius, saying "You're a regular Einstein." Start wondering and you can end up a genius too.
Quote 1: "Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character."
Quote 2: "Do not worry about your difficulties in Mathematics. I can assure you mine are still greater."
Quote 3: "Imagination is more important than knowledge..."
Benjamin Franklin A Man for All Ages Virtue: SERVICE Benjamin Franklin used his time, talents and money to start many important services and places we still need and use today. He began the first public library, the first postal system, the first volunteer fire company, the first hospital, the first college in Philadelphia, and the first police department. Wow! "Ben" was certainly a man of SERVICE, and he never expected anything in return.
Quote 2: "If you would have a faithful servant, and one that you like, serve yourself. "
Quote 3: "Do good to your friends to keep them, to your enemies to win them."
Quote 4: "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. "
Quote 5: "All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move."
Milton Hershey The Chocolate King Virtue: GENEROSITY Milton Hershey became very rich by selling candy. At first it was caramels, but as you may already know, it was "Hershey's Chocolate" that made him wealthy and famous. Milton and his wife, Catherine gave their money, time, and energy to open a home for boys who didn't have a mom or a dad. Today in Hershey, PA, because of his GENEROSITY, homes and schools for over 1,500 children provide the help and encouragement those boys and girls need.
Quote 1: "If I ever become rich, I am going to use my money to build schools to give every boy and girl an opportunity to get an education."
Quote 2: "The value of our good is not measured by what it does, but by the amount of good it does to the one concerned."
Quote 3: "One is only happy in proportion as he makes others feel happy and only useful as he contributes his influences for the finer callings in life."
Quote 4: "A love that has nothing to do with each other, for I feel my love for each of you is total and all-encompassing. Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It's a good life, enjoy it."
Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan The Miracle Workers Virtue: COMMITMENT When Helen Keller was a child, she became very sick and lost her hearing and her sight. Fortunately Anne Sullivan became Helen's teacher, and devoted herself to helping. Anne's total COMMITMENT to her student completely changed Helen's life. She taught Helen to spell words with her fingers, to recognize objects by touch, to read Braille, and to speak. While Helen was attending college, Anne spent many hours spelling books and lectures into Helen's hand.
Quote 1: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
Quote 2: "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow."
Quote 3: "All that we love deeply becomes a part of us."
Quote 4: "Life is either a great adventure or nothing."
Quote 5: "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Voice of Equality Virtue: STEADFASTNESS The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spent his life working to make his ideas come true. In a famous speech called "I have a dream," he said that all people, no matter the color of their skin, should be treated equally. Some people hated the Rev. Dr. because of his dream. But he focused on his goal of equality and would not change his mind. He showed STEADFASTNESS as he marched peacefully and encouraged others, even children, to help his dream come true.
Quote 1: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
Quote 2: "Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
Quote 3: "When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."
Quote 4: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Quote 5: "...And I've looked over, and I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land. So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man."
Lewis & Clark & Sacagawea Trailblazers Virtue: CURIOSITY CURIOSITY led the team of Lewis and Clark on a long and difficult trip in this nation's early history. Leading other explorers and helped by a young Shoshoni girl named Sacagawea, they traveled from the Midwest to the Pacific Ocean in Oregon. Every day of that adventure they learned new information about plants, animals, and the native peoples who lived there. They wrote many notes in their journals, so now our CURIOSITY about that fantastic journey can be satisfied.
Quote 1: "Clarke saw Sacajawea, who was with her husband 100 yards ahead, began to dance and show every mark of the most extravagant joy, turning round him and pointing to several Indians, whom he now saw advancing on horseback, sucking her fingers at the same time to indicate that they were of her native tribe . . . Clark and Lewis soon after met with the chief. . . After this the conference was to be opened, and glad of an opportunity of being able to converse more intelligibly, Sacajawea was sent for; she came into the tent, sat down, and was beginning to interpret, when in the person of Cameahwait she recognised her brother: She instantly jumped up, and ran and embraced him, throwing over him her blanket and weeping profusely: The chief was himself moved, though not in the same degree. After some conversation between them she resumed her seat, and attempted to interpret for us, but her new situation seemed to overpower her, and she was frequently interrupted by her tears."
Abraham Lincoln The Great Emancipator Virtue: HONESTY Even when he was alive, people called him "Honest Abe." Our beloved 16th president, who freed the slaves and who kept the country together, believed in HONESTY. As he faced challenges in his personal life and in his public duties, Abe told the truth. That's why the voters of his time believed in him. That's why Americans today still respect him.
Quote 1: "I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false, is guilty of falsehood; and the accidental truth of the assertion, does not justify or excuse him."
Quote 2: "...resolve to be honest at all events."
Quote 3: "Peace does not appear so distant as it did. I hope it will come soon, and come to stay; and so come as to be worth the keeping in all future time."
Quote 4: "Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world. "
George C. Marshall Peacemaker Virtue: LOYALTY Although General George. C. Marshall was a soldier, his number one LOYALTY was to the goal of peace. He helped to win World War II, and he wanted to prevent World War III. He came up with a plan to help feed and house the victims of that long war. Because the Marshall Plan helped millions of people have better lives, the General was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. By being loyal to the cause for peace, he made the world a safer place.
Quote 2: "When a thing is done, it's done. Don't look back. Look forward to your next objective."
Quote 3: "If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known."
Quote 4: "Morale is the state of mind. It is steadfastness and courage and hope. It is confidence and zeal and loyalty. It is elan, esprit de corps and determination."
John Muir Father of our National Parks Virtue: FORESIGHT In a factory accident, John Muir became blind. Miraculously, his eyesight came back. Not being able to see for a month led him to decide to spend his life seeing the beauty of nature. Then he realized that just as his own vision had been taken away, so might natural wonders be taken away if not protected. His FORESIGHT led him to convince our leaders to preserve the wilderness. They saved incredible land and water areas that are now our National Parks.
Quote 1: "The power of imagination makes us infinite."
Quote 2: "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
Quote 3: "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. "
Quote 4: "I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. "
Quote 5: "Take a course in good water and air; and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. Go quietly, alone; no harm will befall you. "
Rosa Parks Mother of the Civil Rights Movement Virtue: COURAGE The bus driver said, "Move to the back and stand." Rosa Parks said "no." She was scared when she refused to follow his order, but she had the COURAGE to do what she knew had to be done. African-Americans had very few civil rights in the U.S. until brave people like Rosa started taking action against unfair laws. Their courageous deeds to fight discrimination made our country a better place for everyone.
Quote 1: "I did not get on the bus to get arrested, I got on the bus to go home."
Quote 2: "The only tired I was, was tired of giving in. (on refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white male)"
Quote 3: "I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear."
Quote 4: "I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day, but I don't think there is anything such as complete happiness."
Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey Team Players Virtue: COOPERATION Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey loved the game of baseball. But professional baseball teams before 1947 allowed only white players on a team. Jackie, a "Negro League player," and Branch, the Brooklyn Dodgers' manager, supported the goal of black and white players on the same team in the "Major" leagues. Through their COOPERATION, despite a lot angry people who didn't like the idea, America's favorite sport was finally integrated. Today, athletes of any skin color can play together.
Quote 1: "A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives. "
Quote 2: "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me... All I ask is that you respect me as a human being. "
Quote 3: "Life is not a spectator sport. If you're going to spend your whole life in the grandstand just watching what goes on, in my opinion you're wasting your life. "
Quote 4: "I did not mind the public criticism. That sort of thing has not changed any program I thought was good. - Branch Rickey"
Quote 5: "Jackie (Robinson), we've got no army. There's virtually nobody on our side. No owners, no umpires, very few newspapermen. And I'm afraid that many fans will be hostile. We'll be in a tough position. We can win only if we can convince the world that I'm doing this because you're a great ballplayer, a fine gentleman. - Branch Rickey"
Eleanor Roosevelt First Lady of the World Virtue: KINDNESS Eleanor Roosevelt was a person who did many good deeds for others. As our country's First Lady during the 1930's Great Depression, she saw millions of poor people suffering. Knowing she could not provide food and homes for all the poor, she did her best to make their lives happier. Her simple acts of KINDNESS, such as a letter to them, or a visit, brought hope to needy folks whose lives were often hopeless.
Quote 1: "Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world."
Quote 2: "It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself."
Quote 3: "Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life."
Quote 4: "The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."
Jonas Salk Medical Pioneer Virtue: HUMILITY Even the disease's name scares everyone today: Cancer. But in the 1950's the scary disease was Polio. It paralyzed or killed children. People kept hoping someone would find a way to stop it. Dr. Salk worked every day for years to discover a vaccine to prevent polio, and he succeeded. But instead of bragging and taking lots of money for his work, he displayed HUMILITY and kept working as a doctor to find cures for other diseases, including cancer and AIDS.
Quote 1: "If humankind would accept and acknowledge this responsibility and become creatively engaged in the process of evolution, consciously as well as unconsciously, a new reality would emerge, and a new age could be born."
Quote 2: "Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality. "
Quote 3: "Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next. "
Quote 4: "The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more. "
Harry S Truman America’s Thirty-Third President Virtue: INTEGRITY One of the mottoes on President Harry S Truman's desk started with three words, "Always do right...". His INTEGRITY proved that he followed those words. Even with small matters, he behaved in the right way. When he wrote letters to his wife, the President always paid for his own stamps. Using the free government mail was not "right" because the letters were personal. He did the "right" thing even when no one was watching.
Quote 1: "The buck stops here! "
Quote 2: "A president either is constantly on top of events or, if he hesitates, events will soon be on top of him. I never felt that I could let up for a moment. "
Quote 3: "America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand. "
Quote 4: "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it. "
Quote 5: "A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties. "
Harriet Tubman Moses Virtue: RELIABILITY Harriet Tubman was free. She had escaped from slavery. To help other slaves escape, she became a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. Escaping slaves knew they could count on her. None of the 300 slaves who walked the freedom trail behind Harriet were ever captured. Wow! Her RELIABILITY rate was 100% - totally dependable for the people who needed her.
Quote 2: "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
Quote 3: "I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other."
Quote 4: "I freed a thousand slaves I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves."
Quote 5: "I looked at my hands, to see if I was the same person now that I was free. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over de fields, and I felt like I was in heaven."
George Washington Father of Our Country Virtue: RESPONSIBILITY Possibly no other person in U.S. history had greater RESPONSIBILITY than George Washington. The colonists assigned him the duty of Commander-in-Chief to win our war for independence. He did. The citizens of our new nation assigned him the duty to be our first President and lead us. He did. In everything he did, this great man showed RESPONSIBILITY as a great leader. When the job needed to be done, he did it, and he did it successfully.
Quote 2: "All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her. "
Quote 3: "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience. "
Quote 4: "I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. "
Quote 5: "Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."
Quotes are listed as found in various printed and online resources and are not verified for accuracy.
