---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My narrative is at an end. I have no…"
description: "\"“My narrative is at an end. I have no comments to make upon the subject of Slavery. Those who read this book may form their own opinions of the \"peculi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/solomon-northup-12765_books_my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comm_2695041.jpg"
---

#  My narrative is at an end. I have no comments to make upon…

![“My narrative is at an end. I have no comments to make upon the subject of Slavery. Those who read this book may form their own opinions of the &quot;peculiar institution.&quot; What it may be in other States, I do not profess to know; what it is in the region of Red River, is truly and faithfully delineated…” quote by Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/solomon-northup-12765_books_my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comm_2695041.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/solomon-northup-12765_books_my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comm_2695041.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/solomon-northup-12765_books_my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comm_2695041.jpg)

> ““My narrative is at an end. I have no comments to make upon the subject of Slavery. Those who read this book may form their own opinions of the "peculiar institution." What it may be in other States, I do not profess to know; what it is in the region of Red River, is truly and faithfully delineated in these pages. This is no fiction, no exaggeration. If I have failed in anything, it has been in presenting to the reader too prominently the bright side of the picture. I doubt not hundreds have been as unfortunate as myself; that hundreds of free citizens have been kidnapped and sold into slavery, and are at this moment wearing out their lives on plantations in Texas and Louisiana. But I forbear. Chastened and subdued in spirit by the sufferings I have borne, and thankful to that good Being through whose mercy I have been restored to happiness and liberty, I hope henceforward to lead an upright though lowly life, and rest at last in the church yard where my father sleeps.””

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator admits his account ends without comment on slavery, urging readers to form their own judgments while acknowledging personal suffering and hope for redemption.

**In simple terms:** He ends his story, urging readers to judge slavery themselves, expressing personal hardship and hope.

Key Takeaway

Reflect on personal narratives and their limits.

Themes

slavery personal testimony redemption

Mood

somber reflective

Type

historical personal

When to use this quote

- education
- human rights advocacy
- historical research
- personal healing

Key Concepts

historical narrative moral reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- How does personal experience shape historical accounts?
- What responsibilities do survivors have to their audience?

A Different Perspective

May personal bias limit full truth about slavery.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bright side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bright-side/) [Right side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-side/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slavery Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-moment-2688877/) [Slavery Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery-read-2688876/) [Sold Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sold-slavery-688070/) [Subject Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subject-slavery-1287163/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't think the people of the slave states will ever consider the subject of slavery in its true light till some other argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brown/i-don-t-think-the-people-of-the-slave-states-will-ever-consider-the/)

[John Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brown/)

> [“My creed on the subject of slavery is short. Slavery per se is not sin. It is a social condition ordained from the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-morse/my-creed-on-the-subject-of-slavery-is-short-slavery-per-se-is-not-sin/)

[Samuel Morse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-morse/)

> [. . . what a burning shame it is that many of the pieces on the subject of slavery and the slave trade, contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-purvis/what-a-burning-shame-it-is-that-many-of-the-pieces-on-the-subject-of/)

[Robert Purvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-purvis/)

> [I dont think the people of the slave states will ever consider the subject of slavery in its true light till some other argument…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-brown/i-dont-think-the-people-of-the-slave-states-will-ever-consider-the/)

[John Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-brown/)

> [I do not wish to be misunderstood upon this subject of slavery in this country. I suppose it may long exist, and perhaps the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-do-not-wish-to-be-misunderstood-upon-this-subject-of-slavery-in/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [The moment this House undertakes to legislate upon this subject slavery, it dissolves the Union. Should it be my fortune to have a seat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-henry-hammond/the-moment-this-house-undertakes-to-legislate-upon-this-subject/)

[James Henry Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-henry-hammond/)

> [And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery and when I cried out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sojourner-truth/and-ain-t-i-a-woman-i-have-borne-thirteen-children-and-seen-most-all/)

[Sojourner Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sojourner-truth/)

> [Being born is like being kidnapped. And then sold into slavery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/being-born-is-like-being-kidnapped-and-then-sold-into-slavery/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [Illegal immigrants are sold into slavery. It's a massive issue with Hispanic women and children - and even men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paulina-luna/illegal-immigrants-are-sold-into-slavery-it-s-a-massive-issue-with/)

[Anna Paulina Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paulina-luna/)

> [“By contrast, the subsequent waves of Puritans in their search for profits quickly uprooted all natives and sold many of them into slavery without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/by-contrast-the-subsequent-waves-of-puritans-in-their-search-for/)

[Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/)

> [We need a foreign policy which responds to challenges like forced marriage, and which speaks to the particular needs of women and girls at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thornberry/we-need-a-foreign-policy-which-responds-to-challenges-like-forced/)

[Emily Thornberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thornberry/)

> [“I'm capable—" "Three hours after we met, you sold yourself into slavery and then died." Well, yes, it sounded bad when he put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-m-capable-three-hours-after-we-met-you-sold-yourself-into-slavery/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [“It has been estimated that at least a thousand Indians were sold into slavery during King Philip’s War, with over half the slaves coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-philbrick/it-has-been-estimated-that-at-least-a-thousand-indians-were-sold-into/)

[Nathaniel Philbrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-philbrick/)

> [“What did Joseph say to his brothers who had sold him into slavery when he saw them again? “You intended to harm me, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/what-did-joseph-say-to-his-brothers-who-had-sold-him-into-slavery/)

[Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/)

> [“We can so educate the will power that it will focus the thoughts upon the bright side of things, and upon objects which elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-can-so-educate-the-will-power-that-it-will-focus-the-thoughts-upon/)

[Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/)

## More by Solomon Northup

> [“I had not then learned the measure of “man’s inhumanity to man,” nor to what limitless extent of wickedness he will go for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-had-not-then-learned-the-measure-of-man-s-inhumanity-to-man-nor-to/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“adroitly that there was”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/adroitly-that-there-was/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [Unsoundness in a slave, as well as in a horse, detracts materially from his value. If no warranty is given, a close examination is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/unsoundness-in-a-slave-as-well-as-in-a-horse-detracts-materially-from/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“Blessed be sleep! It visiteth all alike, descending as the dews of heaven on the bond and free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/blessed-be-sleep-it-visiteth-all-alike-descending-as-the-dews-of/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [I can speak of slavery only so far as it came under my own observation - only so far as I have known and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-can-speak-of-slavery-only-so-far-as-it-came-under-my-own/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [I could not comprehend the justice of that law, or that religion, which upholds or recognizes the principle of slavery;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-could-not-comprehend-the-justice-of-that-law-or-that-religion-which/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“I don't want to survive, I want to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/i-don-t-want-to-survive-i-want-to-live/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“Men may write fictions portraying lowly life as it is, or as it is not—may expatiate with owlish gravity upon the bliss of ignorance—discourse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/men-may-write-fictions-portraying-lowly-life-as-it-is-or-as-it-is-not/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [My sufferings I can compare to nothing else than the burning agonies of hell!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-sufferings-i-can-compare-to-nothing-else-than-the-burning-agonies/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [My back is thick with scars for protesting my freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-back-is-thick-with-scars-for-protesting-my-freedom/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“It is a mistaken opinion that prevails in some quarters that the slave does not understand the term - does not comprehend the idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/it-is-a-mistaken-opinion-that-prevails-in-some-quarters-that-the/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [At such times, the heart of man turns instictively towards his Maker. In prosperity, and whenever there is nothing to injure or make him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/at-such-times-the-heart-of-man-turns-instictively-towards-his-maker/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“let them behold him scourged, hunted, trampled on, and they will come back with another story in their mouths. Let them know the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/let-them-behold-him-scourged-hunted-trampled-on-and-they-will-come/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“On the way, a great many demanded it, read it, and passed on. Those having the air and appearance of gentlemen, whose dress indicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/on-the-way-a-great-many-demanded-it-read-it-and-passed-on-those/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [“case with Cocodrie Bayou, which Solomon must have heard with a starting “p.” Here is a list”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/case-with-cocodrie-bayou-which-solomon-must-have-heard-with-a/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

[Explore all 53 Solomon Northup quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“My narrative is at an end. I have no comments to make upon the subject of Slavery. Those who read this book may form their own opinions of the \"peculiar institution.\" What it may be in other States, I do not profess to know; what it is in the region of Red River, is truly and faithfully delineated in these pages. This is no fiction, no exaggeration. If I have failed in anything, it has been in presenting to the reader too prominently the bright side of the picture. I doubt not hundreds have been as unfortunate as myself; that hundreds of free citizens have been kidnapped and sold into slavery, and are at this moment wearing out their lives on plantations in Texas and Louisiana. But I forbear. Chastened and subdued in spirit by the sufferings I have borne, and thankful to that good Being through whose mercy I have been restored to happiness and liberty, I hope henceforward to lead an upright though lowly life, and rest at last in the church yard where my father sleeps.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Solomon Northup"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comments-to-make-upon-the-subject/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comments-to-make-upon-the-subject/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/solomon-northup-12765_books_my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comm_2695041.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/solomon-northup-12765_books_my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comm_2695041.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/solomon-northup-12765_books_my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comm_2695041.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My narrative is at an end. I have no comments to make upon the subject of Slavery. Those who read this book…” — Solomon Northup",
                "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": "Solomon Northup",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“My narrative is at an end....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comments-to-make-upon-the-subject/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/my-narrative-is-at-an-end-i-have-no-comments-to-make-upon-the-subject/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
