Quotes

The book was published soon after Northup was freed from slavery and is a relatively straightforward account of his twelve years of enslavement in the American South. Throughout, Northup uses a strong style of writing to narrate his own life. 

Inhumanity 

Alas! 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 love of gain.

This powerful quote from ‘Twelve Years a Slave’ encapsulates a profound and distressing truth about human nature. It reveals the harsh reality of exploitation and cruelty often motivated by selfish interests.

In the context of the memoir, Solomon Northup, a free Black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery, speaks these words. Specifically, they’re in reference to his experiences with the brutality and dehumanization that characterize slavery.

The quote also touches on the motivation behind this cruelty, attributing it to “the love of gain.” This element brings attention to the economic aspects of slavery.

There may be humane masters, as there certainly are inhuman ones—there may be slaves well-clothed, well-fed, and happy, as there surely are those half-clad, half-starved and miserable; nevertheless, the institution that tolerates such wrong and inhumanity as I have witnessed, is a cruel, unjust, and barbarous one. 

Here, Northup also discusses slavery and inhumanity. He notes that there are some “humane masters” out there, or so he thinks, but there are most definitely “inhuman ones.” The quote emphasizes that the problem lies not merely in the behavior of individual masters but in the very structure and essence of slavery itself. It’s an institution that allows for the potential for exploitation.

What difference is there in the color of the soul?

This short, well-known quote from the memoir is a philosophical query that focuses in on the fundamental equality and sameness of all human beings. The author asserts, rather poetically, that superficial differences such as skin color have no bearing on the intrinsic value, character, or nature of a person.

The quote asks readers to question racial prejudices and biases as they are seen throughout the book. It suggests that the “soul” is colorless and therefore all human beings have the same intrinsic worth.

 

Heaven/Hell 

I ask no paradise on high, With cares on earth oppressed, The only heaven for which I sigh, Is rest, eternal rest.

This is another poetic quote from the memoir. It speaks about the afterlife and life on Earth. The writer expresses a deep longing for peace and undisturbed sleep, contrasting this with the traditional image of paradise. These verses seem to reject conventional religious promises of a heavenly afterlife, emphasizing instead a more earthly and human need.

The desire for “rest, eternal rest” is not necessarily a yearning for death but could be a longing for a state of peace. It would be an escape from the struggles of life that the author is consistently enduring. 

At such times, the heart of man turns instictively towards his Maker. In prosperity, and whenever there is nothing to injure or make him afraid, he remembers Him not, and is ready to defy Him; but place him in the midst of dangers, cut him off from human aid, let the grave open before him, then it is, in the time of his tribulation, that the scoffer and unbelieving man turns to God for help, feeling there is no other hope, or refuge, or safety, save in his protecting arm.

This is another great passage from the novel. It argues that people often turn to a higher power or their “Maker” in times of distress while forgetting that same power in times of comfort. 

It asks readers to consider human fickleness and our tendency to seek spiritual connection only when in need.

Oppression 

..So we passed, handcuffed and in silence, through the streets of Washington, through the Captial of a nation, whose theory of government, we are told, rests on the foundation of man’s inalienable right to life, LIBERTY, and the pursuit of happiness! Hail! Columbia, happy land, indeed!

This passage about freedom and oppression is incredibly evocative. It is laden with irony and criticism. The quote is a powerful statement on the hypocrisy and contradiction that existed within the United States during the time of slavery.

The reference to being “handcuffed and in silence” starkly contrasts with the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which are enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.

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 flippantly from arm chairs of the pleasures of slave life; but let them toil with him in the field—sleep with him in the cabin—feed with him on husks; let them behold him scourged, hunted, trampled on, and they will come back with another story in their mouths.

This passage is criticizing those who romanticize or trivialize the brutal realities of slavery. It speaks to those who from a distance, write about “lowly life” and slave life without truly understanding or experiencing it.

The language used in this quote is rich with contempt for those who “expatiate with owlish gravity” or “discourse flippantly from armchairs.”

Life is dear to every living thing; the worm that crawls upon the ground will struggle for it.

In this quote, the writer uses a worm, a creature often considered lowly and simple. The statement emphasizes that the desire for life isn’t limited to human beings. It’s an essential part of what it means to be alive. 

The use of the word “struggle” adds a layer of depth. It’s not just that living things cling to life, but that they actively fight for it. This speaks to the resilience of life and the power of this instinct.

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