As a child, Harriet Tubman dreamed of escaping slavery. And she did just that—more than once.
During the American Civil War, Tubman served as a spy for the Union army and helped lead hundreds of enslaved people to freedom.
She was also a powerful orator, sharing her wisdom and inspiring others with her words. Here are some of our favorite Harriet Tubman quotes.
Harriet Tubman Quotes 2024
1. ”I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty, or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.” — Harriet Tubman
2. ”For no man should take me alive; I should fight for my liberty as long as my strength lasted, and when the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me.” — Harriet Tubman
3. ”God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.” — Harriet Tubman
4. ”When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven” — Harriet Tubman
5. ”My home, after all, was down in Maryland, because my father, my mother, my brothers, and sisters, and friends were there. But I was free, and they should be free.” — Harriet Tubman
6. ”I said to the Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to you, and I know you will see me through.” — Harriet Tubman
7. ”..and I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that’s what I’ve always prayed for ever since.” — Harriet Tubman
8. ”When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything.” — Harriet Tubman
9. ”I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.” — Harriet Tubman
10. ”I have heard their groans and sighs and seen their tears, and I would give every drop of blood in my veins to free them.” — Harriet Tubman
11. ”If you hear the dogs, keep going. If you see the torches in the woods, keep going. If there’s shouting after you, keep going. Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.” — Harriet Tubman
12. ”Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to You, and You’ve got to see me through.” — Harriet Tubman
13. ”There was one of two things I had a right to liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would take the other, for no man should take me alive. I should fight for liberty as long as my strength lasted.” — Harriet Tubman
14. ”Farewell, olé Maser, don’t think hard of me, I’m going on to Canada, where all the slaves are free.” — Harriet Tubman
15. ”Read my letter to the old folks, and give my love to them, and tell my brothers to be always watching unto prayer, and when the good old ship of Zion comes along, to be ready to step aboard.” — Harriet Tubman
16. ”I think there’s many a slaveholder get to Heaven. They don’t know better. They acts up to the light they have.” — Harriet Tubman
17. ”I was conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say — I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” — Harriet Tubman
18. ”Most of those coming from the mainland are very destitute, almost naked. I am trying to find places for those able to work and provide for them as best I can, to lighten the burden on the Government as much as possible, while at the same time they learn to respect themselves by earning their own living.” — Harriet Tubman
19. ”I grew up like a neglected weed — ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it. Then I was not happy or contented…” — Harriet Tubman
20. ”Twant me, ’twas the Lord. I always told him, ‘I trust you. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me,’ and He always did.” — Harriet Tubman
21. ”Slavery is the next thing to hell.” — Harriet Tubman
22. ”If a person would send another into bondage, he would, it appears to me, be bad enough to send him into hell if he could.” — Harriet Tubman
23. ”I have heard their groans and sighs and seen their tears, and I would give every drop of blood in my veins to free them.” — Harriet Tubman
24. ”Now I’ve been free, I know what dreadful condition slavery is. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave.” — Harriet Tubman
25. ”We would rather stay in our native land if we could be as free there as we are here.” — Harriet Tubman
26. ”I would make a home for them in the North, and the Lord helping me, I would bring them all here.” — Harriet Tubman
27. ”Oh, Lord! You’ve been with me in six troubles, don’t desert me in the seventh!” — Harriet Tubman
28. ”God won’t let master Lincoln beat the South until he does the right thing.” — Harriet Tubman
29. ”Master Lincoln, he’s a great man, and I’m a poor Negro but this Negro can tell Master Lincoln how to save money and young men.” — Harriet Tubman
30. ”From Christmas, till March I worked as I could, and I prayed through all the long nights—I groaned and prayed for ole master: ‘Oh Lord, convert master!’ ‘Oh Lord, change dat man’s heart!’ ‘Pears like I prayed all the time.” — Harriet Tubman
31. ”I ain’t got no heart to go and see the sufferings of my people played on the stage. I’ve heard ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ read, and I tell you Mrs Stowe’s pen hasn’t begun to paint what slavery is as I have seen it at the far South. I’ve seen the real thing, and I don’t want to see it on no stage or in no theatre.” — Harriet Tubman
32. ”We was the fools, and the was the wise men, but we wasn’t fools enough to go down the high road in the broad daylight.” — Harriet Tubman
33. ”To be sure, deep slumbers settle down upon them as soon as they are seated, which continue undisturbed till the congregation is dismissed; but they have done their best, and who can doubt that they receive a blessing.” — Harriet Tubman
34. ”Oh no, Missus; he does it for conscience; we was taught to do so down South. He says if he denies himself for the sufferings of his Lord an’ Master, Jesus will sustain him.” — Harriet Tubman
35. ”I think there’s many a slaveholder get to Heaven. They don’t know any better. They acts up to the light they have.” — Harriet Tubman
36. ”I paid a lawyer $5 to look up the will of my mother’s first master. He looked back sixty years, and said it was time to give up. I told him to go back further.” — Harriet Tubman
37. ”Slavery is the next thing to hell.” — Harriet Tubman
38. ”I am at peace with God and all mankind.” — Harriet Tubman
39. ”I grew up like a neglected weed-ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.” — Harriet Tubman
40. ”I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger.” — Harriet Tubman
41. ”I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person.” — Harriet Tubman
42. ”I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say; I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.” — Harriet Tubman
43. ”I would have been able to free a thousand more slaves if I could only have convinced them that they were slaves.” — Harriet Tubman
44. ”I would fight for my liberty so long as my strength lasted, and if the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me.” — Harriet Tubman
45. ”Every time I saw a white man, I was afraid of being carried away.” — Harriet Tubman
Quick Links
- Jim Morrison Quotes To Change Your Perspective About Life
- Cristiano Ronaldo Quotes That Will Make You Win
- Best Simon Sinek Quotes To Win In Life
Conclusion: Harriet Tubman Quotes 2024
Harriet Tubman is an American hero whose quotes inspire us to this day. She faced incredible adversity in her life but never stopped fighting for what she believed in.
Her words remind us that we can overcome anything as long as we stay strong and keep pushing forward. What are your favorite Harriet Tubman quotes? Let us know in the comments below!
