It was the pursuit of knowledge under difficulties, and I look back to it now after so many years with some complacency and a little wonder that I could have been so earnest and persevering in any pursuit other than for my daily bread.
Reflecting on his early efforts to educate himself, Douglass expresses a sense of wonder at his own earnestness and perseverance in seeking knowledge beyond mere survival.
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They were sent away empty-handed, without money, without friends, and without a foot of land to stand upon.
An exceptionally poor and dependent people will be despised by the opulent and despise themselves.
None now denies the ability of the colored race to acquire knowledge of anything which can be communicated to the human understanding by letters.