“ I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence. ”
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845). copy citation
| Author | Frederick Douglass |
|---|---|
| Source | Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave |
| Topic | truth ridicule falsehood integrity |
| Date | 1845 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/23/23-h/23-h.htm |
Context
“I may be deemed superstitious, and even egotistical, in regarding this event as a special interposition of divine Providence in my favor. But I should be false to the earliest sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and incur my own abhorrence. From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that slavery would not always be able to hold me within its foul embrace; and in the darkest hours of my career in slavery, this living word of faith and spirit of hope departed not from me, but remained like ministering angels to cheer me through the gloom.”
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Meaning and analysis
