--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [On John Brown:] The poor wretch is…" description: "\"[On John Brown:] The poor wretch is hanged, but from his grave a root of bitterness will spring, the fruit of which at no distant day may be disunion a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/fanny-kemble-13000_anger_on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged_1845105.jpg" --- # \[On John Brown:\] The poor wretch is hanged, but from his… ![“[On John Brown:] The poor wretch is hanged, but from his grave a root of bitterness will spring, the fruit of which at no distant day may be disunion and civil war.” quote by Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/fanny-kemble-13000_anger_on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged_1845105.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/fanny-kemble-13000_anger_on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged_1845105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/fanny-kemble-13000_anger_on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged_1845105.jpg) > “\[On John Brown:\] The poor wretch is hanged, but from his grave a root of bitterness will spring, the fruit of which at no distant day may be disunion and civil war.” [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A martyr's death can sow deep resentment, eventually leading to larger conflicts. **In simple terms:** A death can breed bitterness and future war. Key Takeaway Recognize the long-term impact of violent acts. Themes justice violence legacy conflict Mood somber thoughtful Type historical cautionary When to use this quote - civil rights movements - post‑war societies - family histories - community healing Key Concepts historical trauma social division revolution Questions to Reflect On - What can prevent bitterness turning into conflict? - How can societies heal after martyrdom? A Different Perspective Not all tragedies lead to war; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Bitterness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness/) [Bitterness Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitterness-spring-2381144/) [Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brown/) [Civil war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-war/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graves/) [Hanged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hanged/) [John brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-brown/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Root Bitterness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/root-bitterness-1135906/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wretch Hanged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wretch-hanged-2381145/) ## Related quotes > [After voluntary exertions on the part of our people to which the history of the world furnishes no parallel, is the old root of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dale-owen/after-voluntary-exertions-on-the-part-of-our-people-to-which-the/) [Robert Dale Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dale-owen/) > [Bitterness is like a weed. Remember how hard it always was to pull out thistles once they root? Remember how deep those roots grow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bitterness-is-like-a-weed-remember-how-hard-it-always-was-to-pull-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ As Day and other observers had reported, the slaves were leading very comfortable lives. After this tactic \[slave rebellions in the South\] failed, it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eustace-mullins/as-day-and-other-observers-had-reported-the-slaves-were-leading-very/) [Eustace Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eustace-mullins/) > [“On Ho Chi Minh's desk in Hanoi on the day he died lay a biography of John Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-w-loewen/on-ho-chi-minh-s-desk-in-hanoi-on-the-day-he-died-lay-a-biography-of/) [James W. Loewen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-w-loewen/) > [“lived in the family of a Mr. Brown, the father of John Brown—"whose body lies mouldering in the grave, while his soul goes marching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/lived-in-the-family-of-a-mr-brown-the-father-of-john-brown-whose-body/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [“If we had learned anything over the last decade, it was that there was no other way to defeat slavery, except with a willingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-banks/if-we-had-learned-anything-over-the-last-decade-it-was-that-there-was/) [Russell Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-banks/) > [ “He is a strange, resolute, repulsive, iron-willed, inexorable old man, \[possessing\] a firey nature and a cold temper, and a cooler head--a volcano beneath… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-phillips/he-is-a-strange-resolute-repulsive-iron-willed-inexorable-old-man/) [William A. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-phillips/) > [Of all the men who were said to be my contemporaries, it seemed to me that John Brown was the only one who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/of-all-the-men-who-were-said-to-be-my-contemporaries-it-seemed-to-me/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Beneath this slab John Brown is stowed. He watched the ads, And not the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/beneath-this-slab-john-brown-is-stowed-he-watched-the-ads-and-not-the/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [It was Frederick Douglass, John Brown, Harriet Tubman, Wendell Phillips - these were the people who made abolition real. Now, none of you guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-was-frederick-douglass-john-brown-harriet-tubman-wendell-phillips/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [The attack of John Brown upon Harper's Ferry came upon Virginia like a clap of thunder out of a clear sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/the-attack-of-john-brown-upon-harper-s-ferry-came-upon-virginia-like/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [“People who never did a heroic deed themselves are very particular as to how heroes behave...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-brown/people-who-never-did-a-heroic-deed-themselves-are-very-particular-as/) [Annie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-brown/) > [John Brown's effort was peculiar. It was not a slave insurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-haven-putnam/john-brown-s-effort-was-peculiar-it-was-not-a-slave-insurrection/) [George Haven Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-haven-putnam/) > [If I had to write down the most important people in the history of this planet, No.1 would be (abolitionist) John Brown. Why? Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/if-i-had-to-write-down-the-most-important-people-in-the-history-of/) [Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/) > [One of the songs that stayed in my head that I really considered a lot was an old folk song called 'John Brown' -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/one-of-the-songs-that-stayed-in-my-head-that-i-really-considered-a/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) ## More by Fanny Kemble > [I never desire to know anything of the detail of political measures, lest even those which I think best should lose anything of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/i-never-desire-to-know-anything-of-the-detail-of-political-measures/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [Place, time, life, death, earth, heaven are divisions and distinctions we make, like the imaginary lines we trace upon the surface of the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/place-time-life-death-earth-heaven-are-divisions-and-distinctions-we/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [Yet thousands of slaves throughout the southern states are thus handed over by the masters who own them to masters who do not; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/yet-thousands-of-slaves-throughout-the-southern-states-are-thus/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [The master's irresponsible power has no such bound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/the-master-s-irresponsible-power-has-no-such-bound/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [A good many causes tend to make good masters and mistresses quite as rare as good servants… The large and rapid fortunes by which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/a-good-many-causes-tend-to-make-good-masters-and-mistresses-quite-as/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [What shall I do with all the days and hours That must be counted ere I see thy face? How shall I charm the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/what-shall-i-do-with-all-the-days-and-hours-that-must-be-counted-ere/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [The spring is already here with her hands full of flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/the-spring-is-already-here-with-her-hands-full-of-flowers/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [Politics of all sorts, I confess, are far beyond my limited powers of comprehension. Those of this country as far as I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/politics-of-all-sorts-i-confess-are-far-beyond-my-limited-powers-of/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [The death I should prefer would be to break my neck off the back of a good horse at a full gallop on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/the-death-i-should-prefer-would-be-to-break-my-neck-off-the-back-of-a/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [I said I thought female labour of the sort exacted from these slaves, and corporal chastisement such as they endure, must be abhorrent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/i-said-i-thought-female-labour-of-the-sort-exacted-from-these-slaves/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [The white man's blood and bones have begotten this bronze race, and bequeathed to it in some degree qualities, tendencies, capabilities, such as are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/the-white-man-s-blood-and-bones-have-begotten-this-bronze-race-and/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [The most intense curiosity and excitement prevailed, and though the weather was uncertain, enormous masses of densely packed people lined the road, shouting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/the-most-intense-curiosity-and-excitement-prevailed-and-though-the/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [Maids must be wives, and mothers, to fulfil Th' entire and holiest end of woman's being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/maids-must-be-wives-and-mothers-to-fulfil-th-entire-and-holiest-end/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [Rome ... seems to me the place in the world where one can best dispense with happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/rome-seems-to-me-the-place-in-the-world-where-one-can-best-dispense/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) > [The Southern newspapers, with their advertisements of negro sales and personal descriptions of fugitive slaves, supply details of misery that it would be difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/the-southern-newspapers-with-their-advertisements-of-negro-sales-and/) [Fanny Kemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) [Explore all 52 Fanny Kemble quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "[On John Brown:] The poor wretch is hanged, but from his grave a root of bitterness will spring, the fruit of which at no distant day may be disunion and civil war.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fanny Kemble" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged-but-from-his-grave-a-root-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged-but-from-his-grave-a-root-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/fanny-kemble-13000_anger_on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged_1845105.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/fanny-kemble-13000_anger_on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged_1845105.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/fanny-kemble-13000_anger_on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged_1845105.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[On John Brown:] The poor wretch is hanged, but from his grave a root of bitterness will spring, the fruit…” — Fanny Kemble", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Fanny Kemble", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-kemble/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[On John Brown:] The poor wretch...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged-but-from-his-grave-a-root-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-kemble/on-john-brown-the-poor-wretch-is-hanged-but-from-his-grave-a-root-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```