"If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more"
- Harriet Tubman
About this Quote
Harriet Tubman's quote speaks to the power of knowledge and understanding. She was a leader in the Underground Railroad, helping to complimentary countless slaves from chains. By her own admission, she could have released much more if she had actually been able to persuade more slaves that they were, in fact, servants. This speaks to the power of education and awareness. It is just when people understand their situation that they can do something about it to change it. Tubman's quote is a suggestion that knowledge is power, and that it is important to empower people to take control of their own lives. It is likewise a pointer of the significance of education and awareness in the fight for flexibility and justice.
"The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the most boisterous passions, the most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other. Our children see this, and learn to imitate it"