Frederick Douglass Quotes

Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.

Frederick Douglass

Justice Ignorance Society Safe Any Class Conspiracy Degrade Denied Enforced Feel Made Neither Nor Oppress Organized Persons Poverty Prevails Property Rob Them Where Will

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.

Frederick Douglass

Nature Light Fire Storm Earthquake Gentle Need Shower Thunder Whirlwind

People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get.

Frederick Douglass

Work World People Must Certainly Get Might

The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.

Frederick Douglass

Life Nation Only Truthful Secure Honest Virtuous While

One and God make a majority.

Frederick Douglass

God Make Majority

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

Frederick Douglass

Parenting Men Children Broken Build Easier Repair Strong Than

The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.

Frederick Douglass

Limits Endurance Tyrants Those Whom Oppress Prescribed

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.

Frederick Douglass

Change Struggle Progress

To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.

Frederick Douglass

Free Wrong Well Speech Double Free Speech Rights Speaker Suppress Those Violates

I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.

Frederick Douglass

Religion Legs Answer Until Years Prayed Received Twenty

Man's greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.

Frederick Douglass

Man Greatness Done Things Ability Application Consists His Needed Powers Proper

The soul that is within me no man can degrade.

Frederick Douglass

Strength Me Man Soul Degrade Within

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 own abhorrence.

Frederick Douglass

Myself True My Own Others Abhorrence Be True Even False Hazard Own Prefer Rather Ridicule Than

When men sow the wind it is rational to expect that they will reap the whirlwind.

Frederick Douglass

Men Wind Will Reap Expect Rational Sow Whirlwind

Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

Frederick Douglass

Power Never Will Nothing Without Demand Did

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.

Frederick Douglass

Freedom Men Who Want Agitation Crops Depreciate Favor Ground Plowing Profess Those Up Without

A little learning, indeed, may be a dangerous thing, but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.

Frederick Douglass

Learning People Dangerous Calamity Any Dangerous Thing Indeed Little May Thing Want

The thing worse than rebellion is the thing that causes rebellion.

Frederick Douglass

Rebellion Worse Than Thing Causes

A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.

Frederick Douglass

Me Man Gentleman Will Insult

A man's character always takes its hue, more or less, from the form and color of things about him.

Frederick Douglass

Man Character Always More About Color Form Him Hue Less More Or Less Takes Things

America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future.

Frederick Douglass

Future Past America Present Binds False Herself

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed.

Frederick Douglass

Time Like Argument Irony Convincing Needed Scorching

Fugitive slaves were rare then, and as a fugitive slave lecturer, I had the advantage of being the first one out.

Frederick Douglass

Being First Rare Slave Advantage First One Fugitive Had Lecturer Out Slaves Then Were

I didn't know I was a slave until I found out I couldn't do the things I wanted.

Frederick Douglass

Know Things Slave Out Until Found Wanted

I recognize the Republican party as the sheet anchor of the colored man's political hopes and the ark of his safety.

Frederick Douglass

Man Political Safety Anchor Ark Colored His Hopes Party Recognize Republican Republican Party Sheet

Slaves are generally expected to sing as well as to work.

Frederick Douglass

Work Well Sing Slaves Expected Generally

The white man's happiness cannot be purchased by the black man's misery.

Frederick Douglass

Happiness Man Black White Cannot Misery Purchased

What to the Slave is the 4th of July.

Frederick Douglass

Slave July

We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.

Frederick Douglass

Future Past Only Present Make Useful

I could, as a free man, look across the bay toward the Eastern Shore where I was born a slave.

Frederick Douglass

Man Look Free Born Across Bay Could Eastern Free Man Shore Slave Toward Where I Was Born

Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.

Frederick Douglass

Freedom Men Who Want Agitation Crops Favor Ground Plowing Profess Those Up Without

There is not a man beneath the canopy of Heaven who does not know that slavery is wrong for him.

Frederick Douglass

Man Who Heaven Know Beneath Does Him Slavery Wrong

That which is inhuman cannot be divine.

Frederick Douglass

Cannot Divine Which Inhuman

Experience demonstrates that there may be a wages of slavery only a little less galling and crushing in its effects than chattel slavery, and that this slavery of wages must go down with the other.

Frederick Douglass

Experience May Go Slavery Crushing Down Effects Less Little Must Only Other Wages Than

Frederick Douglass Quotes

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