On the recordJanuary 1, 1855
If he steals, he takes his own; if he kills his master, he imitates only the heroes of the revolution.
Said by
Frederick Douglass
Source
gutenberg.orgIf he steals, he takes his own; if he kills his master, he imitates only the heroes of the revolution.
From his autobiography, Douglass provocatively states that a slave's actions like stealing or killing a master can be seen as reclaiming what is due or imitating revolutionary heroes.
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More from Frederick Douglass
I will not listen, myself, and I would not have you listen to the nonsense, that no people can succeed in life among a people by whom they have been despised and oppressed.
They cannot be coaxed or driven to vote with their enemies against their friends.
An exceptionally poor and dependent people will be despised by the opulent and despise themselves.