Frederick Douglass

Political Science American 1818 – 1895 231 quotes

Most influential African American of the 19th century

Quotes by Frederick Douglass

The man who has suffered the most is the man who has the most to gain.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The true remedy for all the ills of life is to be found in the cultivation of the mind.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

A man's rights are not to be determined by the color of his skin, or by the country of his birth.

Speech on 'The Claims of the Negro Ethnologically Considered' 1863

The best defense of freedom is a good offense.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

I am not a man, I am a problem.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The freedom of the individual is the freedom of the state.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The American government is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Gettysburg Address (often attributed to Lincoln, but Douglass used similar phrasing) 1863

The highest function of a citizen is to participate in the government.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The ballot is stronger than the bullet.

Speech on 'The Composite Nation' 1867

The true strength of a nation is in its people.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The destiny of the colored American is the destiny of America.

Speech on 'The Composite Nation' 1867

The cause of the slave is the cause of all mankind.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The moral government of the universe is on the side of freedom.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The progress of humanity is the progress of freedom.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The future is with the brave.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The highest form of worship is to serve humanity.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience, but how he stands at times of controversy and challenge.

My Bondage and My Freedom 1855

The education of the Negro is the hope of the nation.

Speech on 'What the Black Man Wants' 1865

The right to vote is the primary right by which all other rights are protected.

Speech on 'What the Black Man Wants' 1865

The colored people of this country are not yet free.

Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln 1876