Harriet Tubman's Most Inspirational Quotes: A Powerful Collection of Courage and Freedom

"God's time is always near. He gave me my strength and he set the North Star in the heavens; He meant I should be free."

- Harriet Tubman

"Now I've been free, I know what a 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

"Twasn't me, 'twas the Lord! I always told Him, 'I trust to you. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I expect You to lead me,' an' He always did."

- Harriet Tubman

"I said to de Lord, 'I'm goin' to hold steady on to you, an' I know you'll see me through.'"

- Harriet Tubman

"I grew up like a neglected weed - ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it."

- Harriet Tubman

"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 de real thing, and I don't want to see it on no stage or in no theater."

- Harriet Tubman

"I think there's many a slaveholder'll get to Heaven. They don't know better. They acts up to the light they have."

- Harriet Tubman

"'Pears like I prayed all the time, 'bout my work, everywhere, I prayed an' groaned to the Lord."

- Harriet Tubman

"Why, der language down dar in de far South is jus' as different from ours in Maryland, as you can think. Dey laughed when dey heard me talk, an' I could not understand 'dem, no how."

- Harriet Tubman

"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

"Quakers almost as good as colored. They call themselves friends and you can trust them every time."

- Harriet Tubman

"You'll be free or die!"

- Harriet Tubman

"In my dreams and visions, I seemed to see a line, and on the other side of that line were green fields, and lovely flowers, and beautiful white ladies, who stretched out their arms to me over the line, but I couldn't reach them no-how. I always fell before I got to the line."

- Harriet Tubman

"I think slavery is the next thing to hell. 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

"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

"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

"I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person."

- Harriet Tubman

"If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more."

- Harriet Tubman

"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

"I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free. There was such glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees and I felt like I was in heaven."

- Harriet Tubman

"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, for no man should take me alive. I should fight for my liberty as my strength lasted, and when the time came for me to go, the Lord would let them take me."

- Harriet Tubman

"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

"I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land; and 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

"I said to the Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to you, and I know you will see me through."

- Harriet Tubman

"I had crossed the line. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land."

- Harriet Tubman

"I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees, and I felt like I was in heaven."

- Harriet Tubman

"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

"As I lay so sick on my bed, from Christmas till March, I was always praying for poor ole master. 'Pears like I didn't do nothing but pray for ole master. 'Oh, Lord, convert ole master;' 'Oh, dear Lord, change dat man's heart, and make him a Christian.'"

- Harriet Tubman

"I can't die but once."

- Harriet Tubman

"'Pears like my heart go flutter, flutter, and then they may say, 'Peace, Peace,' as much as they likes - I know it's goin' to be war!"

- Harriet Tubman

"I had two sisters carried away in a chain-gang - one of them left two children. We were always uneasy."

- Harriet Tubman

"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, so as 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

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars, to change the world."

- Harriet Tubman

"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

"In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can’t seem to get there no-how. I can't seem to get over that line."

- Harriet Tubman

"I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was on of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other; for no man should take me alive."

- Harriet Tubman

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer."

- Harriet Tubman

"I had crossed de line of which I had so long been dreaming. I was free; but dere was no one to welcome me to de land of freedom, I was a stranger in a strange land, and my home after all was down in de old cabin quarter, wid de ole folks, and my brudders and sisters. But to dis solemn resolution I came; I was free, and dey should be free also; I would make a home for dem in de North, and de Lord helping me, I would bring dem all dere."

- Harriet Tubman

"I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything. The sun came up like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in heaven."

- Harriet Tubman

"Never wound a snake; kill it."

- Harriet Tubman

"I never ran my train off the track, and I never lost a passenger."

- Harriet Tubman

"Lord, I'm going to hold steady on to You and You've got to see me through."

- Harriet Tubman

"Twant me, 'twas the Lord. I always told him, 'I trust to 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

"Slavery is the next thing to hell."

- Harriet Tubman

"I started with this idea in my head, "There's two things I've got a right to, death or liberty.""

- Harriet Tubman

"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

"I am at peace with God and all mankind."

- Harriet Tubman