--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let us return to Benjamin Rush, who…" description: "\"“Let us return to Benjamin Rush, who foresaw the revolutionary implications of Benjamin [Lay]'s philosophy. Writing after the abolitionist movement had..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marc_character_let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-fores_3198327.jpg" --- # Let us return to Benjamin Rush, who foresaw the… ![“Let us return to Benjamin Rush, who foresaw the revolutionary implications of Benjamin [Lay]'s philosophy. Writing after the abolitionist movement had burst into existence during the "age of revolution," Rush was acutely conscious that Benjamin had been a lonely fighter against slavery for forty…” quote by The Fearless Benjamin Lay Marcus Rediker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marc_character_let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-fores_3198327.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marc_character_let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-fores_3198327.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marc_character_let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-fores_3198327.jpg) > ““Let us return to Benjamin Rush, who foresaw the revolutionary implications of Benjamin \[Lay\]'s philosophy. Writing after the abolitionist movement had burst into existence during the "age of revolution," Rush was acutely conscious that Benjamin had been a lonely fighter against slavery for forty long years, suffering endless persecution, ridicule, and repression, without a movement to support and sustain him. Rush saw that his very survival took rare strength, confidence, certitude, and character. He sought to turn the experience into an object lesson for activists of his own time. The "benefactors of mankind," he continued, must not "despair, if they do not see the fruits of their benevolent proportions, or undertakings, during their lives." Wherever the "seed of truth or virtue" is planted, it will "preserve and carry with it the principle of life." Some seeds bear fruit quickly, Rush explained, but the "most valuable of them, like the venerable oak, are centuries in the growing." Like the fearless Benjamin Lay, these giant oaks do not wither. "They exist and bloom for ever.”” The Fearless Benjamin Lay Marcus Rediker ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Benjamin Lay’s perseverance inspired activists; truth seeds need time to grow, but they endure and eventually bear fruit. **In simple terms:** Persistence yields lasting impact. Key Takeaway Cultivate enduring values. Themes Perseverance Truth Activism Patience Legacy Mood Inspirational Reflective Type Character:1 Conviction:1 Persistence:1 Revolutionary:1 Self confidence:1 Tenacity:1 Abolitionist Movement:1 Benjamin Rush:0 Revolutionary Implications:0 Implications Benjamin:0 Foresaw Revolutionary:0 When to use this quote - Activist training - educational curricula - public speeches - community organizing - historical research Key Concepts Social movements Moral conviction Historical inspiration Long‑term planning Resilience Questions to Reflect On - What “seed” are you planting? - How can you sustain it over centuries? A Different Perspective Patience may clash with urgent demands for change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Revolutionary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolutionary/) [Self confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-confidence/) [Tenacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenacity/) ## Related quotes > [There's a radical - and wonderful - new idea here... that all children could and should be inventors of their own theories, critics of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meier/there-s-a-radical-and-wonderful-new-idea-here-that-all-children-could/) [Deborah Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meier/) > [Whether or not LSD research and therapy will return to society, the discoveries that psychedelics made possible have revolutionary implications for our understanding of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislav-grof/whether-or-not-lsd-research-and-therapy-will-return-to-society-the/) [Stanislav Grof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislav-grof/) > [“Sometimes...I lose myself in looking back upon the ocean which I have passed, and now and then find myself surprised by a tear in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-murphy/sometimes-i-lose-myself-in-looking-back-upon-the-ocean-which-i-have/) Jim Murphy > [“Jefferson then distilled and enunciated these “essentials” in several personal works he shared with friends, his “Syllabus,” and two extracts from the Bible: “The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-k-green/jefferson-then-distilled-and-enunciated-these-essentials-in-several/) [Steven K. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-k-green/) > [“Throughout most of his life, Washington’s physical vigor had been one of his most priceless assets. A notch below six feet four and slightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-ellis/throughout-most-of-his-life-washington-s-physical-vigor-had-been-one/) [Joseph J. Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-ellis/) > [ A mutual friend, Benjamin Rush, brought \[Tomas Jefferson and John Adams\] together in 1812, and they went on to exchange letters for the rest… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/a-mutual-friend-benjamin-rush-brought-tomas-jefferson-and-john-adams/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ “\[Philip's death was\] beyond comparison the most afflicting of my life… He was truly a fine youth. But why should I repine? It was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-chernow/philip-s-death-was-beyond-comparison-the-most-afflicting-of-my-life/) [Ron Chernow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-chernow/) > [“Pundits and politicians have rightly questioned whether conservatism can successfully appeal to secular Americans. It is not a certainty, however, that conservatism will remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hawley/pundits-and-politicians-have-rightly-questioned-whether-conservatism/) [George Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hawley/) > [The Republican Party was founded in 1854 as an abolitionist movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-guillory/the-republican-party-was-founded-in-1854-as-an-abolitionist-movement/) [Elbert Guillory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-guillory/) > [The success of the abolitionist movement lay in its making real for people in Britain and America the slave ship's pervasive and utterly instrumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-rediker/the-success-of-the-abolitionist-movement-lay-in-its-making-real-for/) Marcus Rediker > [It’s time for a 21st-century abolitionist movement in the U.S and around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-d-kristof/it-s-time-for-a-21st-century-abolitionist-movement-in-the-u-s-and/) [Nicholas D. Kristof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-d-kristof/) > [Somehow it has been forgotten that the Republican party was founded in 1854 as an abolitionist movement, with one simple creed: that slavery is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-guillory/somehow-it-has-been-forgotten-that-the-republican-party-was-founded/) [Elbert Guillory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-guillory/) > [Enslaving each other was what human beings had done for ages. And the abolitionist movement was greeted with incredulity. Conservative spokesmen ridiculed the abolitionists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/enslaving-each-other-was-what-human-beings-had-done-for-ages-and-the/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [“Most striking, however, was the position taken in the 1840s by William Lloyd Garrison and his wing of the abolitionist movement. The Garrisonians had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-e-fehrenbacher/most-striking-however-was-the-position-taken-in-the-1840s-by-william/) Don E. Fehrenbacher > [“…in recent history the Democrat Party has created the illusion that their agenda and their policies are what’s best for black people. Somehow it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-guillory/in-recent-history-the-democrat-party-has-created-the-illusion-that/) [Elbert Guillory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-guillory/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [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'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Let us return to Benjamin Rush, who foresaw the revolutionary implications of Benjamin [Lay]'s philosophy. Writing after the abolitionist movement had burst into existence during the \"age of revolution,\" Rush was acutely conscious that Benjamin had been a lonely fighter against slavery for forty long years, suffering endless persecution, ridicule, and repression, without a movement to support and sustain him. Rush saw that his very survival took rare strength, confidence, certitude, and character. He sought to turn the experience into an object lesson for activists of his own time. The \"benefactors of mankind,\" he continued, must not \"despair, if they do not see the fruits of their benevolent proportions, or undertakings, during their lives.\" Wherever the \"seed of truth or virtue\" is planted, it will \"preserve and carry with it the principle of life.\" Some seeds bear fruit quickly, Rush explained, but the \"most valuable of them, like the venerable oak, are centuries in the growing.\" Like the fearless Benjamin Lay, these giant oaks do not wither. \"They exist and bloom for ever.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "The Fearless Benjamin Lay Marcus Rediker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marcus-rediker/let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-foresaw-the-revolutionary/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marcus-rediker/let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-foresaw-the-revolutionary/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marc_character_let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-fores_3198327.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marc_character_let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-fores_3198327.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/39e/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marc_character_let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-fores_3198327.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Let us return to Benjamin Rush, who foresaw the revolutionary implications of Benjamin [Lay]'s philosophy…” — The Fearless Benjamin Lay Marcus Rediker", "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": "The Fearless Benjamin Lay Marcus Rediker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marcus-rediker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Let us return to Benjamin Rush,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marcus-rediker/let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-foresaw-the-revolutionary/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-fearless-benjamin-lay-marcus-rediker/let-us-return-to-benjamin-rush-who-foresaw-the-revolutionary/#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 } } ] } ```