30 inspiring Frederick Douglass' quotes you should know about
Frederick Douglass was an enslaved man who became a famous activist, writer, and speaker. He worked hard to stop slavery with a group called the Abolitionists before the Civil War. Even after the end of slavery, he kept working for fairness and rights for all people until he passed away in 1895. As a result, many of Frederick Douglass' quotes came out of his speeches and books.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Famous Frederick Douglass quotes
- Frederick Douglass' narrative quotes on education
- Frederick Douglass quotes about slavery
- Frederick Douglass quotes about freedom
- What is the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass quotes?
- What is Frederick Douglass' most famous quote?
- What motto did Frederick Douglass use?
- What was Frederick Douglass' most famous speech called?
- What are some quotes about being enslaved?
Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, in 1818. Slaves at that time were not allowed to go to school, but this particular man was sent as a boy to Baltimore to be trained on slavery. In Baltimore, Douglass learned to read and write and became one of his time's foremost African American leaders. Here are some Frederick Douglass quotes you can relate to.
Famous Frederick Douglass quotes
Douglass played a crucial role in the fight against slavery in the United States. Most of Frederick Douglass' famous quotes were about the abolition of slavery and reinstating the rights of Africans. Here are some of his most famous quotes.
- I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.
- Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them.
- A man's rights rest in three boxes: the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box.
- The white man's happiness cannot be purchased by the black man's misery.
- To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.
- We succeed, not alone by the laborious exertions of our faculties, be they small or great, but by the regular, thoughtful and systematic exercise of them.
- You are not judged by the height you have risen but by the depth you have climbed.
- The man who will get up will be helped up, and the man who will not get up will be allowed to stay down.
- A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it.
- A man's character always takes its hue, more or less, from the form and colour of things about him.
Frederick Douglass' narrative quotes on education
Source: Getty Images
Education is an important aspect of every great foundation. Douglass spoke of many quotes in his speeches advocating for education to end slavery and poverty. Here are some cool quotes from Frederick Douglass on education.
- It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
- People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get.
- Education means emancipation. It means light and liberty. It means the uplifting of the soul of man into the glorious light of truth, the light by which men can only be made free.
- Some know the value of education by having it. I know its value by not having it.
- Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organised conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.
- I now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty - to wit, the white man's power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement, and I prized it highly. From that moment, I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom.
Frederick Douglass quotes about slavery
Source: Getty Images
Slavery begins from the mind, and an enslaved mind can not see freedom. As an educated man with great skills, Douglass' slavery quotes articulate the horrors of slavery as well as passionately advocating for freedom and equality.
- I did not know I was a slave until I found out I couldn't do the things I wanted.
- Slaves sing most when they are most unhappy. The songs of the slave represent the sorrows of his heart, and he is relieved by them only as an aching heart is relieved by its tears.
- There is not a man beneath the canopy of Heaven who does not know that slavery is wrong for him.
- By far, the larger part of the slaves know as little of their ages as horses know of theirs, and it is the wish of most masters to keep their slaves thus ignorant.
- You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.
- It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass.
- It was considered as being bad enough to be a slave, but to be a poor man's slave was deemed a disgrace indeed.
Frederick Douglass quotes about freedom
Source: Getty Images
Douglass was vocal about his ideas about slavery to the extent of being an advocate for women's rights as well as a participant in the women's suffrage movement. His best quotes on freedom are deep, carrying all his emotions and thoughts concerning freedom.
- Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will.
- Those beautiful [sailing] vessels, robed in purest white, so delightful to the eye of freemen, were to me so many shrouded ghosts, to terrify and torment me with the thought of my wretched condition.
- A smile or a tear has no nationality; joy and sorrow speak alike to all nations, and they, above all the confusion of tongues, proclaim the brotherhood of man.
- I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false and to incur my abhorrence.
- For no man who lives at all lives unto himself. He either helps or hinders all who are in anywise connected to him.
- Those who profess to favour freedom and yet depreciate agitation are men who want crops without ploughing up the ground.
- He received all the benefits of slaveholding without its evils, while I endured all the evils of a slave and suffered all the care and anxiety of a freeman. I found it a hard bargain.
What is the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass quotes?
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass is a popular book written by Frederick Douglass in 1845 and full of quotes. It's about his life as a slave and his fight against slavery. Douglass wrote this book while he was living in Lynn, Massachusetts.
What is Frederick Douglass' most famous quote?
The legendry's most famous quote was, "One and God make a majority." It captures a deep idea about how coming together and the impact of a divine presence affect human events.
What motto did Frederick Douglass use?
Frederick Douglass' motto was, "Right is of no Sex - Truth is of no Color - God is the Father of us all, and we are all brethren." This motto reflects his belief in equality, justice, and the universality of human rights.
What was Frederick Douglass' most famous speech called?
His most famous speech is "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" This speech was delivered by Douglass on 5 July 1852 in Rochester, New York, to an audience of abolitionists. In the speech, the American celebrity questioned the irony of celebrating freedom, yet there was still slavery in the United States.
What are some quotes about being enslaved?
Quotes on being enslaved speak on slavery, why people are enslaved and what to do to regain the freedom. These quotes motivated people to fight slavery and embrace their freedom. Frederick Douglass' quotes are perfect examples of quotes about slavery.
Frederick Douglass' quotes on slavery have stayed relevant for many years. They are inspiring, articulate and interesting to read. This legend was a visionary leader who actively helped his people escape slavery and poverty and fight for their freedom.
Yen.com.gh recently published an article with deep love messages for her. Communicating using romantic messages nurtures a relationship and helps you grow and blossom together. Do not struggle to find words to communicate with your partner.
These profound love messages can work perfectly for any woman. If you are in love, check out this list to make her feel special and spice up your relationship.
Source: YEN.com.gh
