There is something in human nature which always makes people reward
merit, no matter under what color of skin merit is found. I have
found, too, that it is the visible, the tangible, that goes a long
way in softening prejudices. The actual sight of a good house that
a Negro has built is ten times more potent than pages of discussion
about a house that he ought to build, or perhaps could build. The
individual who can do something that the world wants done will, in
the end, make his way regardless of his race.
--_Booker T. Washington_