quote · Legacy record
If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.
If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.
Approximate author period: c. 1912 AD · modern
Meaning not yet available
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Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Carter G. Woodson
Attribution: attributed - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Approximate author period: c. 1912 AD · modern
Approximate historical context for attribution to Carter G. Woodson, based on documented life years 1875 to 1950; lifetime midpoint used only for grouping. The biographical Quick Facts record birth on 19 December 1875 and death on 3 April 1950. These life dates supply historical context, not the date of each attributed statement. Source: National Park Service: Carter G. Woodson, https://www.nps.gov/people/carter-g-woodson.htm (checked 2026-10-09). This does not establish the composition date or authenticate the attribution of these words. Source: https://www.nps.gov/people/carter-g-woodson.htm (accessed 2026-10-09).
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided quotation collection
Supplied reference C; CSV row 13927; supplied attribution, independently unverified
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.