--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Aunt Hattie, when you wrote that book, I…" description: "\"“Aunt Hattie, when you wrote that book, I imagine you were thinking of something radical: the abolition of slavery itself. You were only one small woma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/roxana-robinson-48434_abolition-of-slavery_aunt-hattie-when-you-wrote-that-book-i-i_1705232.jpg" --- # Aunt Hattie, when you wrote that book, I imagine you were… ![“Aunt Hattie, when you wrote that book, I imagine you were thinking of something radical: the abolition of slavery itself. You were only one small woman, and you were looking up at an enormous edifice, towering and monolithic, but what you wrote made the whole structure start to tremble and…” quote by Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/roxana-robinson-48434_abolition-of-slavery_aunt-hattie-when-you-wrote-that-book-i-i_1705232.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/roxana-robinson-48434_abolition-of-slavery_aunt-hattie-when-you-wrote-that-book-i-i_1705232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/roxana-robinson-48434_abolition-of-slavery_aunt-hattie-when-you-wrote-that-book-i-i_1705232.jpg) > ““Aunt Hattie, when you wrote that book, I imagine you were thinking of something radical: the abolition of slavery itself. You were only one small woman, and you were looking up at an enormous edifice, towering and monolithic, but what you wrote made the whole structure start to tremble and shudder, and finally, it all came down, thundering and crashing. It wasn't just because of your book, of course, but your book made it impossible for people to think of slavery in the old way.”” [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A single powerful work can destabilize entrenched oppressive systems, inspiring collective upheaval and change. **In simple terms:** One book can shake a system. Key Takeaway Use writing to challenge injustice. Themes literature activism social change power voice Mood inspirational defiant Type catalyst provocative When to use this quote - education - activist campaigns - policy reform - community organizing - media discourse Key Concepts slavery abolition radical ideas cultural shift influence Questions to Reflect On - What stories have reshaped your worldview? - How can writers amplify marginalized voices? A Different Perspective Not all audiences will accept radical ideas; backlash may occur. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abolition of slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolition-of-slavery/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ## Related quotes > [On this International Day for the Abolition of Slavery let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/on-this-international-day-for-the-abolition-of-slavery-let-us/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [The abolition of slavery was driven by the King James Bible. It gave slaves a common language and purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melvyn-bragg/the-abolition-of-slavery-was-driven-by-the-king-james-bible-it-gave/) [Melvyn Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melvyn-bragg/) > [All good men wish the entire abolition of slavery, as soon as it can take place with safety to the public, and for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-ellsworth/all-good-men-wish-the-entire-abolition-of-slavery-as-soon-as-it-can/) [Oliver Ellsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-ellsworth/) > [I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do to see a plan adopted for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-can-only-say-that-there-is-not-a-man-living-who-wishes-more-2/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Elimination of illiteracy is as serious an issue to our history as the abolition of slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/elimination-of-illiteracy-is-as-serious-an-issue-to-our-history-as/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature, that its very extirpation, if not performed with solicitous care, may sometimes open a source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/slavery-is-such-an-atrocious-debasement-of-human-nature-that-its-very-2/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Among the expected glories of the Constitution, next to the abolition of Slavery was that of Rum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clymer/among-the-expected-glories-of-the-constitution-next-to-the-abolition/) George Clymer > [Human beings are not property. On the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/human-beings-are-not-property-on-the-international-day-for-the/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [There is no justification for the common claim that Christianity was responsible for the abolition of slavery. The Negro slave trade - a far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-e-knight/there-is-no-justification-for-the-common-claim-that-christianity-was/) [Margaret E. Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-e-knight/) > [“The abolition of slavery, apart from preservation of the Union, was the most important result of our Civil War. But the transition was badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-silverman/the-abolition-of-slavery-apart-from-preservation-of-the-union-was-the/) William Silverman > [I wish from my soul that the legislature of this State could see the policy of a gradual Abolition of Slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-wish-from-my-soul-that-the-legislature-of-this-state-could-see-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Many thought that the abolition of slavery, the end of Jim Crow, and the legislative progress of the Civil Rights Era, among other watershed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/many-thought-that-the-abolition-of-slavery-the-end-of-jim-crow-and/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [“In 1866, Congress enforced the abolition of slavery by passing a Civil Rights Act, prohibiting actions that it deemed perpetuated the characteristics of slavery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rothstein/in-1866-congress-enforced-the-abolition-of-slavery-by-passing-a-civil/) [Richard Rothstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rothstein/) > [I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name,--if ten honest men only,--ay, if one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-know-this-well-that-if-one-thousand-if-one-hundred-if-ten-men-whom/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ The day is not distant when we must bear and adopt \[the abolition of slavery\], or worse will follow. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-day-is-not-distant-when-we-must-bear-and-adopt-the-abolition-of/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Roxana Robinson > [“Rage was an essential part of slavery. Rage will allow us to forget our own humanity. Without rage, we will recognize another person as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxana-robinson/rage-was-an-essential-part-of-slavery-rage-will-allow-us-to-forget/) [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) > [“She's my retirement gift, the platinum watch for being a mother." " This fortunate position - the one you couldn't apply for - is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxana-robinson/she-s-my-retirement-gift-the-platinum-watch-for-being-a-mother-this/) [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) > [“It was like hearing customs from an undiscoverd race: what men thought was unimaginable…She wondered if all human activity were like this, everything, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxana-robinson/it-was-like-hearing-customs-from-an-undiscoverd-race-what-men-thought/) [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) > [“A writer is like a tuning fork: We respond when we’re struck by something. The thing is to pay attention, to be ready for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxana-robinson/a-writer-is-like-a-tuning-fork-we-respond-when-we-re-struck-by/) [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) > [“The crimes you paid for as a parent: excruciating, to be blamed for something you'd never dreamt of doing, or huring someone you'd give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxana-robinson/the-crimes-you-paid-for-as-a-parent-excruciating-to-be-blamed-for/) [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) > [“He couldn't fit the two things together. It gave him a jagged, unfinished feeling, like the first pinprick of heartbreak, a tiny pointed lance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxana-robinson/he-couldn-t-fit-the-two-things-together-it-gave-him-a-jagged/) [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) > [“Grief was an actual weight, he thought. It felt like a physical burden. You carried it with you all day, unsheddable. Your shoulders, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxana-robinson/grief-was-an-actual-weight-he-thought-it-felt-like-a-physical-burden/) [Roxana Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) [Explore all 8 Roxana Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxana-robinson/) ## More Abolition of slavery quotes > [On this International Day for the Abolition of Slavery let us reaffirm the inherent dignity of all men, women and children. And let us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/on-this-international-day-for-the-abolition-of-slavery-let-us/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [Colonization was the idea that once slavery ended African-Americans should be encouraged - or required, in some people's view - required to leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/colonization-was-the-idea-that-once-slavery-ended-african-americans/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [If you didn't have the amalgam of Blacks and African-type sensibility and European sensibility, you wouldn't have jazz. Even in the negative and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/if-you-didn-t-have-the-amalgam-of-blacks-and-african-type-sensibility/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I know this well, that if one thousand, if one hundred, if ten men whom I could name,--if ten honest men only,--ay, if one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-know-this-well-that-if-one-thousand-if-one-hundred-if-ten-men-whom/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Britain beat us to the abolition of slavery; the Isle of Man, New Zealand, and Finland all decided to give women the vote well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/britain-beat-us-to-the-abolition-of-slavery-the-isle-of-man-new/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [“There were those few, and there will be more, who really liked people, loved people—all people. They were the human torches setting aflame the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/there-were-those-few-and-there-will-be-more-who-really-liked-people/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [“In 1866, Congress enforced the abolition of slavery by passing a Civil Rights Act, prohibiting actions that it deemed perpetuated the characteristics of slavery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rothstein/in-1866-congress-enforced-the-abolition-of-slavery-by-passing-a-civil/) [Richard Rothstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rothstein/) > [Many thought that the abolition of slavery, the end of Jim Crow, and the legislative progress of the Civil Rights Era, among other watershed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/opal-tometi/many-thought-that-the-abolition-of-slavery-the-end-of-jim-crow-and/) [Opal Tometi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/opal-tometi/) > [I wish from my soul that the legislature of this State could see the policy of a gradual Abolition of Slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/i-wish-from-my-soul-that-the-legislature-of-this-state-could-see-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [If Lincoln's primary goal in the War was not the abolition of slavery but simply to preserve the Union, the question arises: Why did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/if-lincoln-s-primary-goal-in-the-war-was-not-the-abolition-of-slavery/) [G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/) > [“Jesus treats patriarchy the way he treats much else of the law and custom of his time: ambiguously, suggestively, and sometimes subversively, but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-stackhouse-jr/jesus-treats-patriarchy-the-way-he-treats-much-else-of-the-law-and/) [John G. Stackhouse Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-stackhouse-jr/) > [“The scriptures present a God who delights in genocide, rape, slavery, and the execution of nonconformists, and for millennia those writings were used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-scriptures-present-a-god-who-delights-in-genocide-rape-slavery/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature, that its very extirpation, if not performed with solicitous care, may sometimes open a source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/slavery-is-such-an-atrocious-debasement-of-human-nature-that-its-very/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Many Southern Plantation owners were working towards the day when they could convert their investment to more profitable industrial production as had been done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-edward-griffin/many-southern-plantation-owners-were-working-towards-the-day-when/) [G. Edward Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-edward-griffin/) > [Justice needs money; it always has . . . whether for abolition of slavery and early women's rights movements or the civil rights and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/justice-needs-money-it-always-has-whether-for-abolition-of-slavery/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) [Browse all 47 Abolition of slavery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abolition-of-slavery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Aunt Hattie, when you wrote that book, I imagine you were thinking of something radical: the abolition of slavery itself. You were only one small woman, and you were looking up at an enormous edifice, towering and monolithic, but what you wrote made the whole structure start to tremble and shudder, and finally, it all came down, thundering and crashing. 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