Frederick Douglass: “In his own cause he can beat a Boston lawyer, but he is dumb when…”

On the recordJanuary 1, 1855

In his own cause he can beat a Boston lawyer, but he is dumb when asked to plead the cause of others.

Said by

Frederick Douglass

Source

From his autobiography, Douglass uses a vivid analogy to describe how individuals are eloquent in their own defense but silent for others.

More from Frederick Douglass

Jan 1, 1881

To-day the negro, starting from nothing, pays taxes upon six millions in Georgia, and forty millions in Louisiana.

Jan 1, 1881

We are no longer four millions of slaves, but six millions of freemen.

Jan 1, 1881

Nothing but the shot-gun or the bull-dozer’s whip can keep them from voting their convictions.

Jan 1, 1881

Another ground of hope for our race is in the progress of education.

Frederick Douglass: “In his own cause he can beat a Boston lawyer, but he is dumb when asked to plead the cause of others.”