“ Human nature is so constituted, that it cannot honor a helpless man, although it can pity him ”
Frederick Douglass, My Bondage and My Freedom (1855). copy citation
| Author | Frederick Douglass |
|---|---|
| Source | My Bondage and My Freedom |
| Topic | honor pity |
| Date | 1855 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/202/202-h/202-h.htm |
Context
“I WAS A MAN NOW. It recalled to life my crushed self-respect and my self-confidence, and inspired me with a renewed determination to be A FREEMAN. A man, without force, is without the essential dignity of humanity. Human nature is so constituted, that it cannot honor a helpless man, although it can pity him; and even this it cannot do long, if the signs of power do not arise.
He can only understand the effect of this combat on my spirit, who has himself incurred something, hazarded something, in repelling the unjust and cruel aggressions of a tyrant.”
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