--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The soul that is within me no man can…" description: "\"The soul that is within me no man can degrade.\" — Frederick Douglass" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/frederick-douglass-859_degrade_the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-de_2966292.png" --- # The soul that is within me no man can degrade. ![“The soul that is within me no man can degrade.” quote by Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/frederick-douglass-859_degrade_the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-de_2966292.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/frederick-douglass-859_degrade_the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-de_2966292.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/frederick-douglass-859_degrade_the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-de_2966292.png) > “The soul that is within me no man can degrade.” [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. Self‑worth cannot be diminished by external judgment; inner dignity remains intact. **In simple terms:** Inner worth is untouchable. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑respect regardless of others. Themes self‑esteem resilience identity Mood defiant empowering Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal setbacks - public criticism - social oppression - mental health Key Concepts human dignity inner strength Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect your inner dignity? - What external forces threaten your self‑esteem? A Different Perspective Self‑worth can be challenged by systemic oppression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Degrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrade/) [Man Degrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-degrade-2819567/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-man/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) ## Related quotes > [How ironical that it is by means of speech that man can degrade himself below the level of dumb creation -- for a chatterbox…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/how-ironical-that-it-is-by-means-of-speech-that-man-can-degrade/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Man cannot degrade woman without himself falling into degradation; he cannot elevate her without at the same time elevating himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-walker/man-cannot-degrade-woman-without-himself-falling-into-degradation-he/) [Alexander Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-walker/) > [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/) > [All authority is quite degrading. It degrades those who exercise it, and it degrades those over whom it is exercised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/all-authority-is-quite-degrading-it-degrades-those-who-exercise-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“and stature commanding and exact—in intellect richly endowed—in natural eloquence a prodigy—in soul manifestly "created but a little lower than the angels"—yet a slave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/and-stature-commanding-and-exact-in-intellect-richly-endowed-in/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [You degrade us and then ask why we are degraded. You shut our mouths and ask why we don't speak. You close your colleges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/you-degrade-us-and-then-ask-why-we-are-degraded-you-shut-our-mouths/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, . . . neither persons nor property will be safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/where-justice-is-denied-where-poverty-is-enforced-neither-persons-nor/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“The soul of a man such as you can never leave the west.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-soul-of-a-man-such-as-you-can-never-leave-the-west/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The living soul of man, once conscious of its power, cannot be quelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-living-soul-of-man-once-conscious-of-its-power-cannot-be-quelled/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) > [“I saw the soul of the man who knew my everything, as much as I knew his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ericson/i-saw-the-soul-of-the-man-who-knew-my-everything-as-much-as-i-knew-his/) [Renee Ericson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ericson/) > [The soul of man is divided into three parts, intelligence, reason, and passion. Intelligence and passion are possessed by other animals, but reason by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pythagoras/the-soul-of-man-is-divided-into-three-parts-intelligence-reason-and/) [Pythagoras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pythagoras/) > [The soul of man is infinite in what it covets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/the-soul-of-man-is-infinite-in-what-it-covets/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [The Soul of man is made an article of merchandise by his fellow man and can such a land be happy? No! Happiness does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-cornell/the-soul-of-man-is-made-an-article-of-merchandise-by-his-fellow-man/) [Ezra Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-cornell/) > [The soul of man is not a thing which comes and goes, is builded and decays like the elemental frame in which it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/the-soul-of-man-is-not-a-thing-which-comes-and-goes-is-builded-and/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [The soul of this man is his clothes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-soul-of-this-man-is-his-clothes/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## 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 Degrade quotes > [Money degrades all the gods of man and converts them into commodities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/money-degrades-all-the-gods-of-man-and-converts-them-into-commodities/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [So far as discipline is concerned, freedom means not its absence but the use of higher and more rational forms as contrasted with those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/so-far-as-discipline-is-concerned-freedom-means-not-its-absence-but/) [Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/) > [What more degrades woman today than that she so often seeks marriage as a support? Why is the holy sacrament of love, the sanctity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-c-ames/what-more-degrades-woman-today-than-that-she-so-often-seeks-marriage/) [Mary C. Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-c-ames/) > [Any time you can degrade or take away the top leadership of an organization, it's a positive step forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/any-time-you-can-degrade-or-take-away-the-top-leadership-of-an/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [For God to be kept out of the classroom or out of America's public debate by nervous school administrators or overcautious politicians serves no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/for-god-to-be-kept-out-of-the-classroom-or-out-of-america-s-public/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [Psychoanalysis is a technique we practice at our cost; psychoanalysis degrades our risks, our dangers, our depths; it strips us of our impurities, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/psychoanalysis-is-a-technique-we-practice-at-our-cost-psychoanalysis/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [... one pets what one degrades; and one has to support what one has enfeebled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/one-pets-what-one-degrades-and-one-has-to-support-what-one-has/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) > [You degrade us and then ask why we are degraded. You shut our mouths and ask why we don't speak. You close your colleges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/you-degrade-us-and-then-ask-why-we-are-degraded-you-shut-our-mouths/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“And she looked upon the mirror that was given as a gift. She hated everything about it, from the circular size of it, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/and-she-looked-upon-the-mirror-that-was-given-as-a-gift-she-hated/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [If you've got the platform and the ability to make a difference, then this goes beyond 'should' and reaches the level of 'must.' You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-ve-got-the-platform-and-the-ability-to-make-a-difference-then/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [So much of the habitat destruction and pollution is based on the simple principle that we somehow have been given free license over other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/so-much-of-the-habitat-destruction-and-pollution-is-based-on-the/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [The decision to give an indicative date for a return is a mistake. It degrades the process. It degrades human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-trimble/the-decision-to-give-an-indicative-date-for-a-return-is-a-mistake-it/) [David Trimble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-trimble/) > [There will be little drudgery in this better ordered world. Natural power harnessed in machines will be the general drudge. What drudgery is inevitable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/there-will-be-little-drudgery-in-this-better-ordered-world-natural/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Of the two, I prefer those who render vice lovable to those who degrade virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/of-the-two-i-prefer-those-who-render-vice-lovable-to-those-who/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [If someone does me injury I must desire that this injury shall not degrade me. I must desire this out of love for him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/if-someone-does-me-injury-i-must-desire-that-this-injury-shall-not/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) [Browse all 200 Degrade quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrade/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The soul that is within me no man can degrade.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frederick Douglass" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-degrade/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Degrade" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-degrade/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/frederick-douglass-859_degrade_the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-de_2966292.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/frederick-douglass-859_degrade_the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-de_2966292.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/frederick-douglass-859_degrade_the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-de_2966292.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The soul that is within me no man can degrade.” — 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": "The soul that is within me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-degrade/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/the-soul-that-is-within-me-no-man-can-degrade/#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 } } ] } ```