---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From this time I was most narrowly…"
description: "\"“From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/frederick-douglass-859_book_from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watch_2060354.jpg"
---

#  From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a…

![“From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give an account of myself. All this, however, was too late. The first step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the…” quote by Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/frederick-douglass-859_book_from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watch_2060354.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/frederick-douglass-859_book_from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watch_2060354.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/frederick-douglass-859_book_from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watch_2060354.jpg)

> ““From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give an account of myself. All this, however, was too late. The first step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell. The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return.””

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Strategic networking and leveraging small opportunities enable self-education under oppression.

**In simple terms:** Making friends and using small chances help learn.

Key Takeaway

Build supportive networks and seize brief moments to learn.

Themes

education resilience strategy social networks

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- prison life
- secret study
- street encounters
- daily chores

Key Concepts

self‑directed learning network building resourcefulness agency

Questions to Reflect On

- What small opportunities can you create for learning today?
- How can you turn everyday tasks into learning moments?

A Different Perspective

Oppressive environments limit access to resources and safety.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [Learning to read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning-to-read/) [Making friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-friends/) [Mentorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentorship/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/)

## Related quotes

> [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/)

[Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/)

> [“Learning to read – really read, that is, to spend hours alone lost in a book – requires example and solitude, and is best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cook/learning-to-read-really-read-that-is-to-spend-hours-alone-lost-in-a/)

Andrew Cook

> [Reading aloud with children is known to be the single most important activity for building the knowledge and skills they will eventually require for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-jager-adams/reading-aloud-with-children-is-known-to-be-the-single-most-important/)

Marilyn Jager Adams

> [Learning to read is probably the most difficult and revolutionary thing that happens to the human brain and if you don't believe that, watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/learning-to-read-is-probably-the-most-difficult-and-revolutionary/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [Some people there are who, being grown; forget the horrible task of learning to read. It is perhaps the greatest single effort that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/some-people-there-are-who-being-grown-forget-the-horrible-task-of/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [It is the large aggregate of small things perpetually occurring that robs me of all my time. The expense of learning to read might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/it-is-the-large-aggregate-of-small-things-perpetually-occurring-that/)

[Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/)

> [The plea for the predominance of learning to read in early school life because of the great importance attaching to literature seems to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-plea-for-the-predominance-of-learning-to-read-in-early-school/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [When we unnecessarily elongate the process of "learning to read," we postpone "reading to learn learning itself - by years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-unnecessarily-elongate-the-process-of-learning-to-read-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Learning to read in one language helps us read a second language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-d-krashen/learning-to-read-in-one-language-helps-us-read-a-second-language/)

[Stephen D. Krashen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-d-krashen/)

> [Learning to read the Bible in the light of the times in which it was written is critical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hamilton/learning-to-read-the-bible-in-the-light-of-the-times-in-which-it-was/)

[Adam Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hamilton/)

> [ Neither were you \[born yesterday\], unless of course I am wrong, in which case welcome to the world, little baby, and congratulations on learning… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/neither-were-you-born-yesterday-unless-of-course-i-am-wrong-in-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My kid is seven years old and is learning to read and conjugate, but I don't agree with that kind of education because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-tijoux/my-kid-is-seven-years-old-and-is-learning-to-read-and-conjugate-but-i/)

[Ana Tijoux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-tijoux/)

> [Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-charles/learning-to-read-music-in-braille-and-play-by-ear-helped-me-develop-a/)

[Ray Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-charles/)

> [“I remembered how it had been first learning to read, how the squiggles of print finally organized themselves slowly and painfully into words, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-joy-arnold/i-remembered-how-it-had-been-first-learning-to-read-how-the-squiggles/)

[Elizabeth Joy Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-joy-arnold/)

> [“learning to read awoke a touching thirst for knowledge. ‘Send me a list of books published on comets, stars, water, the earth, and sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-smith/learning-to-read-awoke-a-touching-thirst-for-knowledge-send-me-a-list/)

[S.A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-smith/)

## More by Frederick Douglass

> [“A treacherous President stood in the way; and it can be easily seen how reluctant good men might be to admit an apostasy which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-treacherous-president-stood-in-the-way-and-it-can-be-easily-seen/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“But I should be false in the earliest sentiments of my soul, if I suppressed the opinion. I prefer to be true to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/but-i-should-be-false-in-the-earliest-sentiments-of-my-soul-if-i/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [A man who will enslave his own blood, may not be safely relied on for magnamity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-man-who-will-enslave-his-own-blood-may-not-be-safely-relied-on-for/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the south is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes, - a justifier of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-assert-most-unhesitatingly-that-the-religion-of-the-south-is-a-mere/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I assert most unhesitatingly, that the religion of the South is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes—a justifier of the most appalling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-assert-most-unhesitatingly-that-the-religion-of-the-south-is-a-mere-2/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-limits-of-tyrants-are-prescribed-by-the-endurance-of-those-whom/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/power-concedes-nothing-without-a-demand-it-never-did-and-it-never-will/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“We have all met a class of men, very remarkable for their activity, and who yet make but little headway in life; men who,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/we-have-all-met-a-class-of-men-very-remarkable-for-their-activity-and/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“The fatal poison of irresponsible power was already in her hands, and soon commenced its infernal work. That cheerful eye, under the influence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-fatal-poison-of-irresponsible-power-was-already-in-her-hands-and/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [A battle lost or won is easily described, understood, and appreciated, but the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-battle-lost-or-won-is-easily-described-understood-and-appreciated/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/knowledge-makes-a-man-unfit-to-be-a-slave/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-was-broken-in-body-soul-and-spirit-my-natural-elasticity-was/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, that whenever my condition was improved, instead of increasing my contentment; it only increased my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my-2/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/at-a-time-like-this-scorching-irony-not-convincing-argument-is-needed/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

[Explore all 348 Frederick Douglass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I was sure to be suspected of having a book, and was at once called to give an account of myself. All this, however, was too late. The first step had been taken. Mistress, in teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch, and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell. The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent of errands, I always took my book with me, and by going one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frederick Douglass"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watched-if-i-was-in-a-separate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watched-if-i-was-in-a-separate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/frederick-douglass-859_book_from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watch_2060354.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/frederick-douglass-859_book_from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watch_2060354.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b6/frederick-douglass-859_book_from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watch_2060354.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“From this time I was most narrowly watched. If I was in a separate room any considerable length of time, I…” — Frederick Douglass",
                "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": "Frederick Douglass",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“From this time I was most...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watched-if-i-was-in-a-separate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/from-this-time-i-was-most-narrowly-watched-if-i-was-in-a-separate/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```