---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Banning the institution of slavery itself…"
description: "\"“Banning the institution of slavery itself long remained only a distant hope in much of Africa and the Middle East, even after it was a reality in the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/thomas-sowell-247_middle-east_banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itsel_1253079.jpg"
---

#  Banning the institution of slavery itself long remained…

![“Banning the institution of slavery itself long remained only a distant hope in much of Africa and the Middle East, even after it was a reality in the Western Hemisphere.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/thomas-sowell-247_middle-east_banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itsel_1253079.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/thomas-sowell-247_middle-east_banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itsel_1253079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/thomas-sowell-247_middle-east_banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itsel_1253079.jpg)

> ““Banning the institution of slavery itself long remained only a distant hope in much of Africa and the Middle East, even after it was a reality in the Western Hemisphere.””

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

## About This Quote

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

Abolition of slavery persisted as a distant hope in many regions despite its reality elsewhere, highlighting uneven progress.

**In simple terms:** Slavery ended at different times worldwide, showing uneven change.

Key Takeaway

Recognize varied timelines of social reform.

Themes

history justice inequality

Mood

analytical critical

Type

historical sociopolitical

When to use this quote

- education curricula
- policy analysis
- human rights advocacy

Key Concepts

social change colonial legacy human rights

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do some societies lag in reforms?
- How can global narratives be more inclusive?

A Different Perspective

Focusing solely on Western progress can ignore local struggles.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africa/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/)

## Related quotes

> [But what we strive to gratify, though we may call it a distant hope, is an immediate desire; the future estate for which men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-what-we-strive-to-gratify-though-we-may-call-it-a-distant-hope-is/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [It is the around-the-corner brand of hope that prompts people to action, while the distant hope acts as an opiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-the-around-the-corner-brand-of-hope-that-prompts-people-to/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [But the distant hope of being one day useful or eminent ought not to mislead us too far from that study which is equally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/but-the-distant-hope-of-being-one-day-useful-or-eminent-ought-not-to/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [I do think that some form of reparations for the descendants of American slavery would go a long way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-chatterton-williams/i-do-think-that-some-form-of-reparations-for-the-descendants-of/)

[Thomas Chatterton Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-chatterton-williams/)

> [Black people are experiencing a systemic disadvantage, and it goes back to slavery, which was not that long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/black-people-are-experiencing-a-systemic-disadvantage-and-it-goes/)

[Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/)

> [It was a glorious resurrection, from the tomb of slavery, to the heaven of slavery. My long-crushed spirit rose, cowardice departed, bold defiance took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/it-was-a-glorious-resurrection-from-the-tomb-of-slavery-to-the-heaven/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-out-of-that-hopeless-attempt-has-come-nearly-all-that-we-call/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Slavery was a long slow process of dulling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/slavery-was-a-long-slow-process-of-dulling/)

[Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/)

> [Slavery is a long slow process of dulling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/slavery-is-a-long-slow-process-of-dulling/)

[Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/)

> [“Although slavery has long been a part of human history, American chattel slavery represents a case of human trauma incomparable in scope, duration and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-degruy-leary/although-slavery-has-long-been-a-part-of-human-history-american/)

Joy Degruy Leary

> [Some few, and I am one of them, even wish to God, though at the loss of millions of lives, that the North would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/some-few-and-i-am-one-of-them-even-wish-to-god-though-at-the-loss-of/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [“It was not until the year 1808 that Great Britain abolished the slave trade. Up to that time her judges, sitting upon the bench…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/it-was-not-until-the-year-1808-that-great-britain-abolished-the-slave/)

[Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/)

> [Some few, &amp; I am one, even wish to God, though at the loss of millions of lives, that the North would proclaim a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/some-few-i-am-one-even-wish-to-god-though-at-the-loss-of-millions-of/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [ “\[N\]early all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—\[is\] the long terrible story of man trying to find something… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/n-early-all-that-we-call-human-history-money-poverty-ambition-war/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [ “\[A\]ll that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—\[is\] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/a-ll-that-we-call-human-history-money-poverty-ambition-war/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

## More by Thomas Sowell

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

[Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

## More Africa quotes

> [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Africa, being the major target of colonial plunder, therefore becomes a major source of conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-horne/africa-being-the-major-target-of-colonial-plunder-therefore-becomes-a/)

[Gerald Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-horne/)

> [I'm in 'Madagascar 2.' I'm Testy the Lion. The franchise moves to Africa, and Bernie Mac is also in the film. I loved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lister-jr/i-m-in-madagascar-2-i-m-testy-the-lion-the-franchise-moves-to-africa/)

[Tom Lister, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lister-jr/)

> [South Africa needs a second liberation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/south-africa-needs-a-second-liberation/)

[Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/)

> [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/)

[Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/)

> [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [Africa for the Africans... at home and abroad!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-garvey/africa-for-the-africans-at-home-and-abroad/)

[Marcus Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-garvey/)

> [In Africa, animals and the natural landscape allow local communities to support themselves, as there is a constant source of money from tourism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lidington/in-africa-animals-and-the-natural-landscape-allow-local-communities/)

[David Lidington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lidington/)

> [My mom is from Ghana, and my dad is from Detroit, so I would go back and forth to Africa a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-richardson/my-mom-is-from-ghana-and-my-dad-is-from-detroit-so-i-would-go-back/)

[Sam Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-richardson/)

> [I've never been invited to do an exhibition or do a talk in England, except once, about 10 years ago. I've given talks all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wildsmith/i-ve-never-been-invited-to-do-an-exhibition-or-do-a-talk-in-england/)

[Brian Wildsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wildsmith/)

> [I represent my country, but I also represent the continent of Africa when I play in Europe. That's why it's important to try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaya-toure/i-represent-my-country-but-i-also-represent-the-continent-of-africa/)

[Yaya Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yaya-toure/)

> [What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hani/what-we-need-in-south-africa-is-for-egos-to-be-suppressed-in-favour/)

[Chris Hani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hani/)

> [I was learning to track rhinoceroses in Africa and tracked right up on an animal that really I thought was going to kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/i-was-learning-to-track-rhinoceroses-in-africa-and-tracked-right-up/)

[Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/)

> [I am interested in bringing Africa to the foot of the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhard-bonnke/i-am-interested-in-bringing-africa-to-the-foot-of-the-cross/)

[Reinhard Bonnke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhard-bonnke/)

> [My mother is a huge fan of my work. I told her about 'Coraline' long before the film was made, and she got the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/my-mother-is-a-huge-fan-of-my-work-i-told-her-about-coraline-long/)

[Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/)

[Browse all 1,665 Africa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africa/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Banning the institution of slavery itself long remained only a distant hope in much of Africa and the Middle East, even after it was a reality in the Western Hemisphere.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Sowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itself-long-remained-only-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Africa"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itself-long-remained-only-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/thomas-sowell-247_middle-east_banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itsel_1253079.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/thomas-sowell-247_middle-east_banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itsel_1253079.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de9/thomas-sowell-247_middle-east_banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itsel_1253079.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Banning the institution of slavery itself long remained only a distant hope in much of Africa and the Middle…” — Thomas Sowell",
                "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": "Thomas Sowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Banning the institution of slavery itself...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itself-long-remained-only-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/banning-the-institution-of-slavery-itself-long-remained-only-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
