--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to…" description: "\"Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to the infantile disease of measles; a complaint which so commonly attacks the young of humanity in their infanc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/olive-schreiner-10332_adults_slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to_2659306.png" --- # Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to the infantile… ![“Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to the infantile disease of measles; a complaint which so commonly attacks the young of humanity in their infancy, and when gone through at that period leaves behind it so few fatal marks; but which when it normally attacks the fully developed adult becomes…” quote by Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/olive-schreiner-10332_adults_slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to_2659306.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/olive-schreiner-10332_adults_slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to_2659306.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/olive-schreiner-10332_adults_slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to_2659306.png) > “Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to the infantile disease of measles; a complaint which so commonly attacks the young of humanity in their infancy, and when gone through at that period leaves behind it so few fatal marks; but which when it normally attacks the fully developed adult becomes one of the most virulent and toxic of diseases, often permanently poisoning the constitution where it does not end in death.” [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Slavery is likened to a childhood disease that is mild early but becomes deadly in adulthood, causing lasting harm if not eradicated. **In simple terms:** Slavery is a harmful disease that worsens with age. Key Takeaway Recognize and combat slavery before it entrenches. Themes human rights oppression historical injustice social disease Mood somber urgent Type ethical historical When to use this quote - education reform - policy advocacy - community healing - historical research Key Concepts systemic exploitation psychological trauma legacy of slavery Questions to Reflect On - How does early intervention prevent long‑term damage? - What structures perpetuate modern forms of slavery? A Different Perspective Addressing slavery requires deep societal change, not just surface solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adult Virulent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adult-virulent-2414106/) [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Compared Infantile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compared-infantile-2414105/) [Complaints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaints/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Disease Measles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-measles-1158565/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Infancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infancy/) [Infantile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infantile/) [Infantile Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infantile-disease-1158566/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mark/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Measles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measles/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Poisoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poisoning/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slavery Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-best-2414104/) [Toxic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toxic/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nationalism-is-an-infantile-disease-it-is-the-measles-of-mankind/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I look upon book reviews as an infantile disease which new-born books are subject to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/i-look-upon-book-reviews-as-an-infantile-disease-which-new-born-books/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Of my infancy I can speak little, only I do remember that in the fourth year of my age I had the measles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lilly/of-my-infancy-i-can-speak-little-only-i-do-remember-that-in-the/) [William Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lilly/) > [If only people would realize that moral principles are like measles… They have to be caught. And only the people who've got them can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/if-only-people-would-realize-that-moral-principles-are-like-measles/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Having children made us look differently at all these things that we take for granted, like taking your child to get a vaccine against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/having-children-made-us-look-differently-at-all-these-things-that-we/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [Golf, like measles, should be caught young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/golf-like-measles-should-be-caught-young/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [Infectious diseases introduced with Europeans, like smallpox and measles, spread from one Indian tribe to another, far in advance of Europeans themselves, and killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/infectious-diseases-introduced-with-europeans-like-smallpox-and/) [Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/) > [“It's my experience that people are a lot more sympathetic if they can see you hurting, and for the millionth time in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/it-s-my-experience-that-people-are-a-lot-more-sympathetic-if-they-can/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Your file was empty. Nothing. Not even an immunization record.” He didn’t even pretend to look surprised. He eased back in his seat, eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/your-file-was-empty-nothing-not-even-an-immunization-record-he-didn-t/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [Throughout Asia and Europe, pearls were traditionally believed to ease a range of conditions, including eye diseases, fever, insomnia, 'female complaints', dysentery, whooping cough,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-finlay/throughout-asia-and-europe-pearls-were-traditionally-believed-to-ease/) [Victoria Finlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-finlay/) > [“One marker, which I would read a bit later on, tells the familiar story of Narcissa Whitman, "trail-blazer and martyred missionary," who followed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-kaplan/one-marker-which-i-would-read-a-bit-later-on-tells-the-familiar-story/) [Robert D. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-kaplan/) > [“When one of us (children) caught measles or whooping cough and we were isolated in bad upstairs, we wrote notes to each other perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/when-one-of-us-children-caught-measles-or-whooping-cough-and-we-were/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [In America, you can segregate the people, but the problems will travel. From slavery to equal rights, from state suppression of dissent to crime,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/in-america-you-can-segregate-the-people-but-the-problems-will-travel/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [Love Is like Measles, It Only Happens Once In A Lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-kafata/love-is-like-measles-it-only-happens-once-in-a-lifetime/) [Amos Kafata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-kafata/) > [“I cannot go to school today" Said little Peggy Ann McKay. "I have the measles and the mumps, A gash, a rash and purple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/i-cannot-go-to-school-today-said-little-peggy-ann-mckay-i-have-the/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) ## More by Olive Schreiner > [A word may become so defiled by bad use that it will take a century before it can be purifed, and brought into use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/a-word-may-become-so-defiled-by-bad-use-that-it-will-take-a-century/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [No woman who is a woman says of a human body, 'it is nothing' ... On this one point, and on this point alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/no-woman-who-is-a-woman-says-of-a-human-body-it-is-nothing-on-this/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [genius has no limit of sex or race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/genius-has-no-limit-of-sex-or-race/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [Perhaps the old monks were right when they tried to root love out; perhaps the poets are right when they try to water it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/perhaps-the-old-monks-were-right-when-they-tried-to-root-love-out/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“Marriage for love is the beautifulest external symbol of the union of souls, marriage without it is the uncleanliest traffic that defiles the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/marriage-for-love-is-the-beautifulest-external-symbol-of-the-union-of/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [Everything has two sides - the outside that is ridiculous, and the inside that is solemn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/everything-has-two-sides-the-outside-that-is-ridiculous-and-the/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [To us, from the beginning, Nature has been but a poor plastic thing, to be toyed with this way or that, as man happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/to-us-from-the-beginning-nature-has-been-but-a-poor-plastic-thing-to/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [They are called finishing-schools and the name tells accurately what they are. They finish everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/they-are-called-finishing-schools-and-the-name-tells-accurately-what/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“I think,' said Lyndall, 'that he is like a thorn-tree, which grows up very quietly, without any one's caring for it, and one day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/i-think-said-lyndall-that-he-is-like-a-thorn-tree-which-grows-up-very/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“This dirty little world full of confusion, and the blue rag, stretched overhead for a sky, is so low we could touch it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/this-dirty-little-world-full-of-confusion-and-the-blue-rag-stretched/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [Men are like the earth and we are the moon; we turn always one side to them, and they think there is no other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/men-are-like-the-earth-and-we-are-the-moon-we-turn-always-one-side-to/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [For those of us who have a ground of knowledge which we cannot transmit to outsiders, it is perhaps more profitable to act fearlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/for-those-of-us-who-have-a-ground-of-knowledge-which-we-cannot/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“Only the sea is like a human being . . .always moving, always something deep in itself is stirring it. It never rests; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/only-the-sea-is-like-a-human-being-always-moving-always-something/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [The surest sign of fitness is success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/the-surest-sign-of-fitness-is-success/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) > [“The meanest girl who dances and dresses becomes something higher when her children look up into her face and ask her questions. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/the-meanest-girl-who-dances-and-dresses-becomes-something-higher-when/) [Olive Schreiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) [Explore all 66 Olive Schreiner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Almost everywhere we find . . . the use of various coercive measures, to rid ourselves as quickly as possible of the child withinus--i.e.,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/almost-everywhere-we-find-the-use-of-various-coercive-measures-to-rid/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Education, for most people, means trying to lead the child to resemble the typical adult of his society . . . but for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/education-for-most-people-means-trying-to-lead-the-child-to-resemble/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) [K. Anders Ericsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-anders-ericsson/) > [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/) [One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [Kids, if anything, are harder to write for because they are a more discerning audience. They will not stay with you if you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/kids-if-anything-are-harder-to-write-for-because-they-are-a-more/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [It's hard to change adults, and it's hard to change it from a political position or a perceived political position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/it-s-hard-to-change-adults-and-it-s-hard-to-change-it-from-a/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [When I was a child at sixteen, I was just a child. All sixteen year-olds are just children. As much as we like them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-abagnale/when-i-was-a-child-at-sixteen-i-was-just-a-child-all-sixteen-year/) [Frank Abagnale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-abagnale/) [Browse all 3,113 Adults quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to the infantile disease of measles; a complaint which so commonly attacks the young of humanity in their infancy, and when gone through at that period leaves behind it so few fatal marks; but which when it normally attacks the fully developed adult becomes one of the most virulent and toxic of diseases, often permanently poisoning the constitution where it does not end in death.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Olive Schreiner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to-the-infantile-disease-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adults" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to-the-infantile-disease-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/olive-schreiner-10332_adults_slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to_2659306.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/olive-schreiner-10332_adults_slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to_2659306.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d1/olive-schreiner-10332_adults_slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to_2659306.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared to the infantile disease of measles; a complaint which so commonly…” — Olive Schreiner", "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": "Olive Schreiner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olive-schreiner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Slavery may, perhaps, be best compared...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to-the-infantile-disease-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olive-schreiner/slavery-may-perhaps-be-best-compared-to-the-infantile-disease-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 } } ] } ```