But perhaps the most remarkable fact about this truly remarkable man is that, despite his hundreds of inventions, Carver received only three patents in his life. He resolutely refused to sell or otherwise profit from his inventions, instead making them available immediately in the public market place. When asked why he refused to protect his ideas, he replied, "God gave them to me. How can I sell them to someone else?" Another time he commented, "One reason I never patent my products is that it would take so much time, I would get nothing else done."
In these remarks, we see the true character of George Washington Carver – a character bathed in a spirit of generosity and concern for the welfare of others. Carver understood himself to be a steward of great gifts, given to him for the benefit of humanity at large. He never gave a thought for how his exceptional talents could profit himself. He even turned down a job offer from Edison, earning over $100,000 per year, because he believed he could do more good at the Tuskegee Institute.
In a world ruled by bottom lines and top sales figures, it is difficult to fathom the unselfishness that permeated Carver’s soul. Yet generations later, we amaze each other with tales of his accomplishments. We marvel at what he did, but even more at who he was. We understand him to have captured a truth that contradicts all we’ve been led to believe. He is a man who exemplified the joys and rewards of service – which are, we all know in our hearts, the only joys and rewards that will last.
"It is not the style of clothes one wears neither the kind of automobile one drives, nor the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. These mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success." - George Washington Carver
On the net:
To read more about George Washington Carver’s selfless life, see
About.com.
Leading Business News Editor Note:
The people we've chosen to write about have/had their quota of human failings and foibles just like the rest of us... But they share one transcendent quality: All of them in some way, at some time, acted courageously. We appreciate columnist,
Billy Florence, focusing on Mr. Carver's accomplishments because this better equips us to lead
