“The one principle which has controlled my conduct while a cadet, and which is apparent throughout my narrative, is briefly this: to find, if possible, for every insult or other offence a reason or motive which is consistent with the character of a gentleman. Whenever I have been insulted, or any thing has been done or said to me which might have that construction, I have endeavored to find some excuse, some reason for it, which was not founded on prejudice or on baseness of character or any other ungentlemanly attribute; or, in other words, I wanted to prove that it was not done because of my color. If I could find such a reason—and I have found them—I have been disposed not only to overlook the offence, but to forgive and forget it.”
Quote by Henry Ossian Flipper
Work
The Colored Cadet at West Point: Autobiography of Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, U. S. A., First Graduate of Color from the U. S. Military Academy
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: Kadambari
“Hardly any part of anyone's conduct concerns only himself.”
Source: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong
“...we ought not meanwhile to make use of doubt in the conduct of life.”
Source: Principles of Philosophy
Source: The Will to Believe, Human Immortality and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy
“Ego will always conduct itself to make sure that it does not appear bad.”
Source: Understanding Your Blessings in Christ: Ephesians
Source: unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters