--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She had been the source of all his…" description: "\"“She had been the source of all his wealth; she had peopled his plantation with slaves; she had become a great grandmother in his service. She had rock..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/frederick-douglass-859_grandmother_she-had-been-the-source-of-all-his-wealt_439723.png" --- # She had been the source of all his wealth; she had peopled… ![“She had been the source of all his wealth; she had peopled his plantation with slaves; she had become a great grandmother in his service. She had rocked him in infancy, attended him in childhood, served him through life, and at his death wiped from his icy brow the cold death-sweat, and closed his…” quote by Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/frederick-douglass-859_grandmother_she-had-been-the-source-of-all-his-wealt_439723.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/frederick-douglass-859_grandmother_she-had-been-the-source-of-all-his-wealt_439723.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8d/frederick-douglass-859_grandmother_she-had-been-the-source-of-all-his-wealt_439723.png) > ““She had been the source of all his wealth; she had peopled his plantation with slaves; she had become a great grandmother in his service. She had rocked him in infancy, attended him in childhood, served him through life, and at his death wiped from his icy brow the cold death-sweat, and closed his eyes forever. She was nevertheless left a slave—a slave for life—a slave in the hands of strangers; and in their hands she saw her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren, divided, like so many sheep, without being gratified with the small privilege of a single word, as to their or her own destiny.”” [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. A woman who devoted her life to a man ends up enslaved, witnessing her descendants' suffering under foreign control. **In simple terms:** She served a master, yet remained a slave, seeing her family torn apart. Key Takeaway Recognize how systemic oppression can trap even the devoted. Themes slavery family oppression generational trauma Mood sorrowful reflective somber Type historical social commentary dramatic When to use this quote - plantation life - family lineage - historical reflection - social justice - colonial critique Key Concepts colonialism power dynamics human dignity Questions to Reflect On - How does loyalty affect one's agency? - What can be done to break cycles of oppression? A Different Perspective Her loyalty does not free her from exploitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) [Great grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-grandmother/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves/) ## Related quotes > [“their base ingratitude to my poor old grandmother. She had served my old master faithfully from youth to old age. She had been the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/their-base-ingratitude-to-my-poor-old-grandmother-she-had-served-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“If any one thing in my experience, more than another, served to deepen my conviction of the infernal character of slavery, and to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/if-any-one-thing-in-my-experience-more-than-another-served-to-deepen/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I am a descendant of slaves. My great grandmother Mary Thomas, born in 1865, was the child of a slave. That is just three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-thomas-greenfield/i-am-a-descendant-of-slaves-my-great-grandmother-mary-thomas-born-in/) [Linda Thomas-Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-thomas-greenfield/) > [I haven't got ambitions. Actually, I'm determined not to die until I get very old. I want to be a great-great-great-grandmother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/i-haven-t-got-ambitions-actually-i-m-determined-not-to-die-until-i/) [Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/) > [The saying was that Madam Walker made the money, and her daughter - my great-grandmother - spent it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lelia-bundles/the-saying-was-that-madam-walker-made-the-money-and-her-daughter-my/) [A'Lelia Bundles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lelia-bundles/) > [I see myself being a great-grandmother at my great-grandson's graduation from a school that has my name on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/i-see-myself-being-a-great-grandmother-at-my-great-grandson-s/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [“They’ll say great-great-grandmother built this, and they’ll be right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/they-ll-say-great-great-grandmother-built-this-and-they-ll-be-right/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [There's a rumor that my great-grandmother was 6'7''. I don't know if it's necessarily true, but that's a big woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-bamba/there-s-a-rumor-that-my-great-grandmother-was-6-7-i-don-t-know-if-it/) [Mohamed Bamba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-bamba/) > [Our atheism family tradition is traced to a - I don't know if it was great-great or a great-great-great grandmother who was a poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/our-atheism-family-tradition-is-traced-to-a-i-don-t-know-if-it-was/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [at last you, will say (maybe without speaking) (there are mountains inside your skull garden and chaos, ocean and hurricane; certain corners of rooms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/at-last-you-will-say-maybe-without-speaking-there-are-mountains/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [When the feminist movement was at its zenith in the late 60's and early 70's, there was a lot of moving away from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/when-the-feminist-movement-was-at-its-zenith-in-the-late-60-s-and/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/what-children-need-most-are-the-essentials-that-grandparents-provide/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [I have my great grandmother's recipe for black beans, all the way from Cuba, and I know how to make those. I'm actually pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-pino/i-have-my-great-grandmother-s-recipe-for-black-beans-all-the-way-from/) [Danny Pino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-pino/) > [“My Great Grandmother Morrison fixed a book-rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning, or so the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lawson/my-great-grandmother-morrison-fixed-a-book-rest-to-her-spinning-wheel/) [Mary Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lawson/) > [Miami Beach - that's where I grew up, in a middle-class Jewish family led by my maternal grandfather. Me, my great-grandmother - a Holocaust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-ratner/miami-beach-that-s-where-i-grew-up-in-a-middle-class-jewish-family/) [Brett Ratner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-ratner/) ## 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 Grandmother quotes > [“Did he kill Grandmother?” I whispered. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Erra’s voice said in my ear. “She is already dead. Besides, your grandmother was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/did-he-kill-grandmother-i-whispered-don-t-be-ridiculous-erra-s-voice/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [“Because he doesn’t want me talking to my grandmother.” Barabas looked at Curran. Curran shrugged. “It’s a family thing. Sometimes your father puts your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/because-he-doesn-t-want-me-talking-to-my-grandmother-barabas-looked/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [My grandmother was a minister as well, which was not that common in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/my-grandmother-was-a-minister-as-well-which-was-not-that-common-in/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [My grandmother made sure that I went to church every Sunday. And she'd come over and pick us boys up, and we would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mellencamp/my-grandmother-made-sure-that-i-went-to-church-every-sunday-and-she-d/) [John Mellencamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mellencamp/) > [Honestly, and seriously, I know I have to do a Telugu film. It was my grandmother's dream to see me in a Telugu film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swara-bhaskar/honestly-and-seriously-i-know-i-have-to-do-a-telugu-film-it-was-my/) [Swara Bhaskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swara-bhaskar/) > [“I stood with my mom in the cemetery. She felt terrible pain. My grandmother is with God. My mom has to continue living. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-elliot/i-stood-with-my-mom-in-the-cemetery-she-felt-terrible-pain-my/) [Tucker Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-elliot/) > [I guessed my mother figured if my father got right down to the task of eating he wouldn’t be so inclined to jump up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-guessed-my-mother-figured-if-my-father-got-right-down-to-the-task/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I'm a grandmother, and a mighty proud one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/i-m-a-grandmother-and-a-mighty-proud-one/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I grew up in Harlem. My grandmother was one of the best cooks around, but the first thing she did on Sunday mornings when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carmona/i-grew-up-in-harlem-my-grandmother-was-one-of-the-best-cooks-around/) [Richard Carmona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carmona/) > [I have a role now that I think becomes me. I am a grandmother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-tierney/i-have-a-role-now-that-i-think-becomes-me-i-am-a-grandmother/) [Gene Tierney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-tierney/) > [My hero among heroes is my grandmother, she's the epitome of strength and I try to mock that strength all the time. She's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/my-hero-among-heroes-is-my-grandmother-she-s-the-epitome-of-strength/) [Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/) > [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [I'm proud of my hands; they look like my grandma's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serinda-swan/i-m-proud-of-my-hands-they-look-like-my-grandma-s/) [Serinda Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serinda-swan/) [Browse all 1,839 Grandmother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She had been the source of all his wealth; she had peopled his plantation with slaves; she had become a great grandmother in his service. She had rocked him in infancy, attended him in childhood, served him through life, and at his death wiped from his icy brow the cold death-sweat, and closed his eyes forever. 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