--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this…" description: "\"“Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frederick-douglass-859_books_sincerely-and-earnestly-hoping-that-this_2174984.png" --- # Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may… ![“Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds—faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble…” quote by Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frederick-douglass-859_books_sincerely-and-earnestly-hoping-that-this_2174984.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frederick-douglass-859_books_sincerely-and-earnestly-hoping-that-this_2174984.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f4/frederick-douglass-859_books_sincerely-and-earnestly-hoping-that-this_2174984.png) > ““Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds—faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts—and solemnly pledging my self anew to the sacred cause,—I subscribe myself, FREDERICK DOUGLASS. LYNN, Mass., April 28, 1845. THE END”” [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. Douglass expresses hope that his book will illuminate slavery and inspire emancipation, invoking truth, love, and justice as guiding forces. **In simple terms:** He hopes his book will shed light on slavery and promote freedom. Key Takeaway Use truth and compassion to combat injustice. Themes abolition justice truth hope faith Mood inspirational determined Type historical activist When to use this quote - education - public speaking - community organizing Key Concepts human rights literature activism Questions to Reflect On - What role does literature play in social change? - How can personal conviction drive collective action? A Different Perspective The appeal is rooted in 19th‑century abolitionist context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Frederick douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frederick-douglas/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [They cannot degrade Frederick Douglass. The soul that is within me no man can degrade. I am not the one that is being degraded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/they-cannot-degrade-frederick-douglass-the-soul-that-is-within-me-no/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Mr. Johnson had just been reading the "Lady of the Lake," and at once suggested that my name be "Douglass." From that time until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/mr-johnson-had-just-been-reading-the-lady-of-the-lake-and-at-once/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, (born circa 1818 – February 20, 1895) was an American abolitionist, women's suffragist, editor, orator, author, statesman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/frederick-douglass-born-frederick-augustus-washington-bailey-born/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. —Frederick Douglass”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timber-hawkeye/it-is-easier-to-build-strong-children-than-to-repair-broken-men/) [Timber Hawkeye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timber-hawkeye/) > [“Find out what any people will quietly submit to, and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong that will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adbanyan/find-out-what-any-people-will-quietly-submit-to-and-you-have-found/) ADBanyan > [“A man is worked upon by what he works on,” Frederick Douglass once said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/a-man-is-worked-upon-by-what-he-works-on-frederick-douglass-once-said/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Growing up, I read all three of Frederick Douglass' autobiographies by the time I was 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tubbs/growing-up-i-read-all-three-of-frederick-douglass-autobiographies-by/) [Michael Tubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tubbs/) > [“Summing up Grant’s career, Frederick Douglass wrote: “In him the Negro found a protector, the Indian a friend, a vanquished foe a brother, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/summing-up-grant-s-career-frederick-douglass-wrote-in-him-the-negro/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [In every era going back to Lincoln with Frederick Douglass, presidents talk to those that were leading at that time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/in-every-era-going-back-to-lincoln-with-frederick-douglass-presidents/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [Frederick Douglass had to teach himself how to read before standing up to defeat slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-williams/frederick-douglass-had-to-teach-himself-how-to-read-before-standing/) [Juan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-williams/) > [...Slavery appears such a relatively mild business that one begins to wonder why Frederick Douglass and so many others ever tried to escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-d-souza/slavery-appears-such-a-relatively-mild-business-that-one-begins-to/) [Dinesh D'Souza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-d-souza/) > [“Frederick Douglass, former slave, extraordinary speaker and writer, wrote in his Rochester newspaper the North Star, January 21, 1848, of “the present disgraceful, cruel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/frederick-douglass-former-slave-extraordinary-speaker-and-writer/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“Frederick Douglass, who had entertained hopes for the Haitian post, graciously conceded defeat. “Your appointment,” he told Bassett, “is a grand achievement for yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/frederick-douglass-who-had-entertained-hopes-for-the-haitian-post/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/what-to-the-american-slave-is-your-4th-of-july-i-answer-a-day-that/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“The United States of Andrew Jackson or George Washington is not the United States of Frederick Douglass or Sitting Bull. But we present our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-united-states-of-andrew-jackson-or-george-washington-is-not-the/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) ## 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 Books 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/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [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/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [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/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [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/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds—faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts—and solemnly pledging my self anew to the sacred cause,—I subscribe myself, FREDERICK DOUGLASS. 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