quote · Legacy record
You cannot serve people by giving them orders as to what to do. The real servant of the people must live among them, think with them, feel for them, and die for them...The servant of the people, unlike the leader, is not on a high horse trying to carry the people to some designated point to which he would like to go for his own advantage. The servant of the people is down among them, living as they live, doing what they do and enjoying what they enjoy. He may be a little better informed than some of the other members of the group; it may be that he as had some experience they have not had, but in spite of this advantage he should have more humility than those whom he serves.
You cannot serve people by giving them orders as to what to do. The real servant of the people must live among them, think with them, feel for them, and die for them...The servant of the people, unlike the leader, is not on a high horse trying to carry the people to some designated point to which he would like to go for his own advantage. The servant of the people is down among them, living as they live, doing what they do and enjoying what they enjoy. He may be a little better informed than some of the other members of the group; it may be that he as had some experience they have not had, but in spite of this advantage he should have more humility than those whom he serves.
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 295809; supplied attribution, independently unverified
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.