Excerpts from Peter Krass's Lecture "Andrew Carnegie: Ruthless Empire Builder and Pioneering Philanthropist"

Abstract

“What I came to realize about Carnegie is that he is really like a flawed Shakespearean hero… he really did consider the world a stage… and when he was on that stage he wore a variety of masks and behind each mask was a distinct character and you really could not reconcile various characters.” “He would attempt to promote himself and ideas in one direction, but practically speaking it didn’t work. You get an idea that there are these two sides to Carnegie, this idealist side and this practical man.”