Underground Railroad Quotes

“Every great day has a story and a song!”
― Faith Reese Martin, White Doe in the Mist: The Mystery of the Lost Colony

“Harriet Tubman, born into slavery, her head injured by an overseer when she was fifteen, made her way to freedom alone as a young woman, then become the most famous conductor on the Underground Railroad. She made nineteen dangerous trips back and forth, often disguised, escorting more than three hundred slaves to freedom, always carrying a pistol, telling the fugitives, "You'll be free or die." She expressed her philosophy: "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. . .”
― Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States: 1492 - Present

“You must remember also that He would never make any mistake in creating you. No matter what harsh and hateful words have been said to you, no matter the wrong actions against you, those opinions are not valid. The only valid opinion in which we can place true merit is that of God, and ultimately, your own.--Olivia Worthington of River Oaks Plantation”
― Lisa M. Prysock, Protecting Miss Jenna

“In trying for a better life, they'll sail on a ship to reach a so-called rock in Plymouth, they'll brave winter in mountain passes to get to the warmth of California, and they'll underground railroad it to the North. It is amazing what persecution and opportunity makes one do.”
― Jeffrey G. Duarte

“Readers will be swept up by the drama and fast pace of this powerful debut novel.” Reading Today Online, International Reading Association”
― Sharon Lovejoy, Running Out of Night

“They both knew the stakes were high and they were trapped in the inevitable, but there were far greater questions racing through their minds that night.”
― Lisa M. Prysock, Protecting Miss Jenna

“The train’s doors closed with a matron’s shush.”
― Kevin Ansbro, The Fish That Climbed a Tree

“The Underground Railroad has several stations in the [Welsh] Mountains, and secrecy was not just a buzzword, as breaking the code of silence could mean death. The justice meted out in the Mountains was sure and swift, making it different from that in the surrounding community. The laws were meant to protect the security of the community, and not just the individual person.”
― Anita Wills, Black Minqua The Life and Times of Henry Green

“Democratic and radical impulses defined the Revolutionary generation that founded America. The egalitarian ideals of abolitionist activists, especially [Underground Railroad] agents, were perceived as a tribute to the country's founding generation. Promoters of the liberty lines echoed the sentiments of American's founders: impassioned opposition to tyranny and oppression....To that end, radicals advocated civil disobedience, especially in regard to fugitive slaves. Thus the [Underground Railroad] was a full-fledged grassroots resistance movement, representing the true national goals of democracy and liberty.”
― Catherine Clinton, Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom

“One day, all of my people will be free. Until then, I'll do whatever I must. My life is in your hands. Use me how you will.”
― N.D. Jones, Harriet's Escape: Harriet Tubman Reimagined

“Maybe that ain't the way it is for those who kill themselves. I think it ain't about wantin' to die but the bone-deep misery of not bein' able to live peacefully. Safely. Of dreamin' and prayin' for a better life but wakin' up to the same ole pain. Livin' is hard, that's for sure. But I think choosin' to die might be harder.”
― N.D. Jones, Harriet's Escape: Harriet Tubman Reimagined

“All I want to do is reunite my family. Free them from bond-age. But each time I do, another family is left in pieces. But my brothers would've been sold away if I hadn't come. Forever lost like our sisters. But I've never gone on a mission without the good Lord's consent. This is where I'm supposed to be. It hurts, yes, it does, but the Lord has shown me the way. And it led me back here to my brothers.”
― N.D. Jones, Harriet's Escape: Harriet Tubman Reimagined

“All I want to do is reunite my family. Free them from bondage. But each time I do, another family is left in pieces. But my brothers would've been sold away if I hadn't come. Forever lost like our sisters. But I've never gone on a mission without the good Lord's consent. This is where I'm supposed to be. It hurts, yes, it does, but the Lord has shown me the way. And it led me back here to my brothers.”
― N.D. Jones, Harriet's Escape: Harriet Tubman Reimagined

“Leavin' is hard. Nothin' else in Heaven or on Earth would've made me leave Mary and my boys. I got a little girl now, too. She's another Harriet in the family. It's a special name. But nobody wears it better than you. You're a charm from above. Thank you for comin' back for us.”
― N.D. Jones, Harriet's Escape: Harriet Tubman Reimagined

“You forever doin' for others. Let me do this one thing for you. Sleep, Harriet. Every battle worth wagin' will be here when you wake.”
― N.D. Jones, Harriet's Escape: Harriet Tubman Reimagined