We have to do with the past only as we can make it useful to the present and the future.
Frederick DouglassHeaven's blessing must attend all, and freedom must soon be given to the pining millions under a ruthless bondage.
Frederick DouglassA great man, tender of heart, strong of nerve, boundless patience and broadest sympathy, with no motive apart from his country.
Frederick DouglassFor it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling in the nation must be quickened, the conscience of the nation must be roused, the propriety of the nation must be startled, the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed: and its crimes against God and man must be denounced.
Frederick DouglassE have men sold to build churches, women sold to support the gospel, and babes sold to purchase Bibles for the poor heathen, all for the glory of God and the good of souls. The slave auctioneer's bell and the church-going bell chime in with each other, and the bitter cries of the heart-broken slave are drowned in the religious shouts of his pious master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave trade go hand in hand.
Frederick Douglass