On the recordJanuary 1, 1855
The life which he has, may be lost, and the liberty which he seeks, may not be gained.
Said by
Frederick Douglass
Source
gutenberg.orgFrederick Douglass: “The life which he has, may be lost, and the liberty which he seeks, may not be gained.”
Editor's note · Context
Douglass articulates the stark, life-or-death gamble faced by enslaved people attempting escape, where the potential loss of life outweighs the uncertain gain of liberty.
Share
More from Frederick Douglass
Jan 1, 1881
Nothing but the shot-gun or the bull-dozer’s whip can keep them from voting their convictions.
Jan 1, 1881
None now denies the ability of the colored race to acquire knowledge of anything which can be communicated to the human understanding by letters.
Jan 1, 1881
In any fair condition of things the men who till the soil will become proprietors of the soil.
Jan 1, 1881
They cannot be coaxed or driven to vote with their enemies against their friends.