"Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad Company." This was a French maxim, late 16th century, as quoted by George Washington in his "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation," Rule # 56 (ca. 1744) http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/civility/transcript.html
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Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company.
— Booker T. Washington
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Associate yourself with people of good quality, for it is better to be alone than in bad company." in the context of ""Associate yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad Company." This was a French maxim, late 16th century, as quoted by George Washington in his "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation," Rule # 56 (ca. 1744) http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/documents/civility/transcript.html" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Booker T. Washington" (Misattributed)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American political leader, educator and author of African ancestry, most famous for his tenure as President of Tuskegee University (1880–1915).
About Booker T. Washington
Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 14, 1915) was an American political leader, educator and author of African ancestry, most famous for his tenure as President of Tuskegee University (1880–1915).
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