Harriet Tubman Quotes

Powerful Harriet Tubman for Daily Growth

About Harriet Tubman

**Harriet Tubman** (c. 1820 – March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the Civil War, best known for her work in leading hundreds of enslaved people to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Born into slavery around 1820 on a plantation in Maryland, Tubman never learned to read or write but developed an intimate connection with nature, which guided her throughout her life. At age seven, she witnessed an overseer beating her master, and when he aimed to strike her, she picked up a two-pound iron weight and hit him on the head, an act that earned her a lifetime of brutal punishment from other enslavers. In 1849, Tubman escaped bondage through the Underground Railroad and traveled north to Pennsylvania. However, her desire for freedom was not just for herself; she went back to Maryland at least 13 times over the next decade to guide around 70 enslaved individuals to safety. She also served as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping hundreds more. During the Civil War, Tubman worked with the Union Army as a cook, nurse, and spy. In 1863, she led a raid on a Confederate-held plantation in South Carolina, which resulted in the liberation of over 700 enslaved individuals. After the war, Tubman devoted her life to helping formerly enslaved people find their footing in freedom and established the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People (now known as the Harriet Tubman Home) in Auburn, New York. Harriet Tubman's courageous acts and unwavering commitment to human dignity continue to inspire generations. Although she never wrote a book herself, her story was chronicled by writers like Sarah Bradford in Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman (1869) and Kate Claxton Mosher in The Life and the Labors of Harriet Tubman (1904).

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"I had as many chances, and I took as many chances, in a day as other people do in a whole lifetime."

Harriet Tubman's quote emphasizes her extraordinary courage and determination, suggesting that she faced and overcame challenges with the same intensity and frequency that others might encounter only sporadically over the course of their lives. This speaks to her resilience, bravery, and unwavering commitment to freedom in the face of incredible adversity. Her life's work as an abolitionist, conductor on the Underground Railroad, and spy for the Union during the American Civil War was a testament to her indomitable spirit and unyielding pursuit of justice.

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

This quote by Harriet Tubman emphasizes that every significant achievement or transformation starts from an individual's dream. It underscores the personal power we all have within us – strength to endure challenges, patience to persevere, and passion to keep striving towards our goals. Ultimately, she encourages us to reach for greatness and make a difference in the world through our dreams.

"I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger."

Harriet Tubman's quote underscores her exceptional leadership and courage during her work on the Underground Railroad. As a conductor, she skillfully guided enslaved individuals (her "passengers") towards freedom along secret routes to the North (the "track"). The phrase "I never ran my train off the track" signifies that she successfully navigated through dangerous terrain and evaded slave-catchers without getting caught or leading her passengers astray. Additionally, Tubman's assertion that "I never lost a passenger" emphasizes her unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety of those entrusted in her care during their treacherous journey to freedom.

"I had the same opportunity as any white man. I could have gone to school, but I was a slave and they took my time for their benefit."

This quote by Harriet Tubman reflects her awareness of equality and education in the context of American slavery. Despite being born into bondage, she understood that, had she been free, she could have availed herself of educational opportunities available to white men at that time. However, as a slave, those opportunities were denied to her, with her time instead being used for the benefit of her enslavers. It underscores her intellectual acumen and the irony of a system that exploited and deprived people of their right to education while simultaneously benefiting from their labor and intelligence.

"I'd rather die free than live as a slave."

This quote expresses Harriet Tubman's deep-rooted commitment to freedom, even at the cost of her own life. She refused to accept the dehumanizing institution of slavery. Her words illustrate an unwavering resolve to live with dignity rather than endure a life devoid of it. This quote serves as a powerful testament to the indomitable human spirit and the value placed on freedom by those who have been oppressed.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.

- Harriet Tubman

Dreamer, Always, Dreams

I've heard 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' read, and I tell you Mrs. Stowe's pen hasn't begun to paint what slavery is as I have seen it at the far South. I've seen de real thing, and I don't want to see it on no stage or in no theater.

- Harriet Tubman

Uncle, Tell, South, Cabin

Never wound a snake; kill it.

- Harriet Tubman

Never, Wound, Snake

I never had anything good, no sweet, no sugar; and that sugar, right by me, did look so nice, and my mistress's back was turned to me while she was fighting with her husband, so I just put my fingers in the sugar bowl to take one lump, and maybe she heard me, for she turned and saw me. The next minute, she had the rawhide down.

- Harriet Tubman

Next, Maybe, Turned, Mistress

Quakers almost as good as colored. They call themselves friends and you can trust them every time.

- Harriet Tubman

Trust, Them, Almost, Quakers

I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.

- Harriet Tubman

Freedom, Me, Line, Stranger

As I lay so sick on my bed, from Christmas till March, I was always praying for poor ole master. 'Pears like I didn't do nothing but pray for ole master. 'Oh, Lord, convert ole master;' 'Oh, dear Lord, change dat man's heart, and make him a Christian.'

- Harriet Tubman

Bed, Lord, Till, Convert

In my dreams and visions, I seemed to see a line, and on the other side of that line were green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful white ladies, who stretched out their arms to me over the line, but I couldn't reach them no-how. I always fell before I got to the line.

- Harriet Tubman

Other, Line, Before, Ladies

I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.

- Harriet Tubman

Neglected, No Experience, Weed

Now I've been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave.

- Harriet Tubman

Been, Slaves, Willing, Dreadful

I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can't say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.

- Harriet Tubman

Railroad, Say, Conductor, Train

'Pears like my heart go flutter, flutter, and then they may say, 'Peace, Peace,' as much as they likes - I know it's goin' to be war!

- Harriet Tubman

Go, Like, May, Pears

'Pears like I prayed all the time, 'bout my work, everywhere, I prayed an' groaned to the Lord.

- Harriet Tubman

Work, Like, Everywhere, Pears

I think slavery is the next thing to hell. If a person would send another into bondage, he would, it appears to me, be bad enough to send him into hell if he could.

- Harriet Tubman

Think, Next, I Think, Send

I had two sisters carried away in a chain-gang - one of them left two children. We were always uneasy.

- Harriet Tubman

Always, Away, Carried, Uneasy

Twasn't me, 'twas the Lord! I always told Him, 'I trust to you. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I expect You to lead me,' an' He always did.

- Harriet Tubman

Trust, Always, Lord, Twas

I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.

- Harriet Tubman

Death, Mind, Other, If I Could

Read my letter to the old folks, and give my love to them, and tell my brothers to be always watching unto prayer, and when the good old ship of Zion comes along, to be ready to step aboard.

- Harriet Tubman

Love, Give, Always, Letter

Most of those coming from the mainland are very destitute, almost naked. I am trying to find places for those able to work, and provide for them as best I can, so as to lighten the burden on the Government as much as possible, while at the same time they learn to respect themselves by earning their own living.

- Harriet Tubman

Own, Very, Almost, Destitute

I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees, and I felt like I was in heaven.

- Harriet Tubman

Hands, Through, Over, Heaven

I think there's many a slaveholder'll get to Heaven. They don't know better. They acts up to the light they have.

- Harriet Tubman

Think, I Think, Many, Heaven

Lord, I'm going to hold steady on to You and You've got to see me through.

- Harriet Tubman

Through, See, Going, Steady

I said to de Lord, 'I'm goin' to hold steady on to you, an' I know you'll see me through.'

- Harriet Tubman

Through, Hold, Lord, Steady

I would fight for my liberty so long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me.

- Harriet Tubman

Strength, Go, Lord, Came

Why, der language down dar in de far South is jus' as different from ours in Maryland, as you can think. Dey laughed when dey heard me talk, an' I could not understand 'dem, no how.

- Harriet Tubman

Why, Maryland, South, Heard

I can't die but once.

- Harriet Tubman

Die, Once

You'll be free or die!

- Harriet Tubman

Free, You, Die

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