Harriet Tubman’s life was a testament to courage, faith, and relentless pursuit of liberty. Born into slavery, she escaped to freedom and then risked everything to lead hundreds to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Her words inspire generations to stand firm against injustice and to keep moving forward no matter the odds. Below are 97 powerful quotes from Harriet Tubman that capture her indomitable spirit and timeless wisdom.
97 Harriet Tubman Inspirational Quotes to Light the Path Forward
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. I think slavery is the next thing to hell.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. I was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
10. What did you say to me this morning? You said ‘We hadn’t got nothing to eat in the house and what did I say to you? I said ‘I’ve got a rich Father!’
11. I grew up like a neglected weed-ignorant of liberty, having no experience of it.
12. Every time I saw a white man I was afraid of being carried away.
13. Now I’ve been free, I know what a dreadful condition slavery is.
14. We would rather stay in our native land, if we could be as free there as we are here.
15. I would make a home for them in the North, and the Lord helping me, I would bring them all here.
16. For no man should take me alive; I should fight for my liberty as long as my strength lasted.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. I am at peace with God and all mankind.
20. If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.
21. I said to the Lord, I’m going to hold steady on to you, and I know you will see me through.
22. I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight, and that’s what I’ve always prayed for ever since.
23. 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.
24. Oh, Lord! You’ve been with me in six troubles, don’t desert me in the seventh!
25. 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.
26. We’re rooted here, and they can’t pull us up.
27. I ain’t got no heart to go and see the sufferings of my people played on the stage.
28. I think there’s many a slaveholder’ll get to Heaven. They don’t know no better. They acts up to the light they have.
29. 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.
30. No, sir; the Lord’s never mistaken! Anyhow I’m going to sit here till I get it.
31. I just removed my father’s trial to a higher court, and brought him off to Canada.
32. I had my jubilee three years ago. I rejoiced all I could then; I can’t rejoice no more.
33. What did you say to me this morning? You said ‘We hadn’t got nothing to eat in the house and what did I say to you? I said ‘I’ve got a rich Father!’
34. [If my services] do not place woman as man’s equal, what do?
35. I never run my train off the track and never lost a passenger.
36. 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.
37. When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person.
38. There was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom. I was a stranger in a strange land.
39. Farewell, ole Maser, don’t think hard of me, I’m going on to Canada, where all the slaves are free.
40. 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.
41. I was free; but there was no one to welcome me to the land of freedom.
42. I was a stranger in a strange land; and my home after all, was down in Maryland.
43. I trust to the Lord. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect Him to lead me.
44. 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.
45. I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person now I was free.
46. The sun came up like gold through the trees and I felt like I was in heaven.
47. I am a conductor of the Underground Railroad.
48. I freed a thousand slaves. I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves.
49. 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.
50. I was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
51. I was born a slave, but I never ran from my destiny.
52. I never lost a passenger on my Underground Railroad journeys.
53. I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight.
54. I would rather die than be a slave.
55. I had reasoned this out in my mind; there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death.
56. I never ran my train off the track.
57. I trust in the Lord to guide me.
58. I have seen hundreds of escaped slaves, but I never saw one who was willing to go back and be a slave.
59. I was willing to die for freedom.
60. I was a stranger in a strange land; but I was free.
61. I am at peace with God and all mankind.
62. I prayed to God to make me strong and able to fight.
63. I freed a thousand slaves.
64. I would give every drop of blood in my veins to free them.
65. I was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
66. I never lost a passenger.
67. I always told the Lord, ‘I trust to you. ’
68. I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect you to lead me.
69. I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person.
70. I had crossed the line. I was free.
71. I was a stranger in a strange land.
72. My home was down in Maryland.
73. I was free, and they should be free.
74. I prayed to God to make me strong.
75. I would fight for my liberty as long as my strength lasted.
76. I should fight for my liberty.
77. I would rather die than live as a slave.
78. I was willing to die for freedom.
79. I trusted God to lead me.
80. I always told Him, ‘I trust to you. ’
81. I never lost a passenger on my journeys.
82. I was the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad.
83. I freed a thousand slaves.
84. I could have freed a thousand more.
85. If only they knew they were slaves.
86. I always prayed for strength.
87. I never ran my train off the track.
88. I was willing to die for freedom.
89. I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person.
90. I was free, but there was no one to welcome me.
91. I was a stranger in a strange land.
92. I was free, and they should be free.
93. I prayed to God to make me strong.
94. I would fight for liberty as long as my strength lasted.
95. I should fight for liberty.
96. I had crossed the line.
97. I was free.
Conclusion
Harriet Tubman’s words are a beacon of hope, resilience, and unyielding courage. They remind us that freedom is worth fighting for, and that with faith and determination, no obstacle is insurmountable. Her legacy lives on through these powerful quotes that continue to inspire the fight for justice and equality across the world.
