I received $100 per week when I started working at the Globe

In the humble and grounded words, “I received $100 per week when I started working at the Globe after graduation,” Will McDonough captures a truth as old as labor itself — that greatness is not born in comfort, but in devotion. His statement, simple in form yet profound in essence, speaks of beginnings — those early, unglamorous days when ambition is tested not by applause but by endurance. Beneath the numbers lies the soul of a man who understood that true worth is not measured by a paycheck, but by the honor of honest work and the courage to build something meaningful from small beginnings.

The origin of this quote lies in McDonough’s first steps into the world of journalism. Fresh out of Boston University, he joined The Boston Globe, one of America’s most respected newspapers. At that time, $100 a week was far from wealth — it was survival money, a symbol of modest means and great dreams. Yet to McDonough, it was not a sign of limitation, but an open door. It represented a chance — the chance to learn, to serve, and to prove himself in a profession that demanded both intellect and integrity. Long before fame or recognition, he chose to labor quietly, to write truthfully, to earn each word by sweat and conviction.

The ancients understood such beginnings well. The Roman philosopher Seneca wrote that “a gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” So too was McDonough’s journey. From that $100 a week grew a career that reshaped sports journalism. He became known not just for his words, but for his fearless pursuit of truth, his refusal to bow to powerful figures, and his belief that a journalist’s duty was not to fame, but to fairness. What began as a humble wage became the foundation for a legacy built on integrity, grit, and courage.

This truth echoes across all human endeavor: the worth of a beginning is never in its wealth, but in its purpose. Many who start small see only the struggle; the wise see the seed. For in that seed lies the whole tree of one’s destiny, hidden but alive. McDonough’s story mirrors that of countless men and women who began with little — the teacher with her first class of five, the craftsman with one tool, the soldier with one oath. It is not the size of the start that matters, but the faithfulness of the work.

Consider the example of Andrew Carnegie, who began as a telegraph messenger earning barely enough to live. Through relentless learning and determination, he rose to become one of the most influential industrialists and philanthropists in history. Yet when asked what shaped him most, he did not speak of wealth or success — he spoke of those early, hungry years, when every dollar earned carried the weight of self-discipline and hope. The same spirit lived in McDonough: the understanding that every humble paycheck is a teacher, every small task a preparation for greatness.

In McDonough’s words, one can feel not bitterness, but pride — the pride of a man who knew that value is built, not given. A hundred dollars a week may have seemed small, but the lessons it carried were vast: humility, patience, persistence. It taught him to see the dignity in labor, to find joy not in status but in service. Such beginnings cultivate gratitude — the kind that strengthens the heart and clears the mind, allowing a person to endure when others give up.

The lesson, then, is timeless: never despise small beginnings. The road to mastery always begins in obscurity, where effort is greater than reward, and faith is stronger than recognition. To work hard for little is not failure; it is the sacred training ground of destiny. Those who endure these early seasons emerge unshakable, for they have learned to value the craft over comfort and the calling over convenience.

And the practical action is this: whatever your station, honor the work before you. Do not wait for greatness to find you in grand halls; meet it in the small corners of effort. Give your best even when the world gives little in return, for in doing so you forge the unseen character that will carry you through all seasons. As Will McDonough’s life reminds us, the first paycheck is not the measure of a man’s success — the honor with which he earns it is. For from humble wages, faithfully worked, are built legacies that money can never buy.