QuoteProject
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 my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
Sojourner Truth
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the strength and resilience of women, particularly in the face of suffering and injustice.

Sojourner Truth's quote powerfully highlights the struggles faced by African American women, particularly in the context of slavery. By repeating the phrase, 'And ain't I a woman?', she asserts her identity and worth, challenging societal norms that sought to diminish her experience and humanity. Through her lament of losing her children and the pain only Jesus could understand, she conveys a deep sense of grief and strength, illustrating the intersection of gender and race while calling for recognition of women's resilience and suffering.

Themes

WomanStrengthResilienceSlaveryMotherhoodGriefIdentity

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a women's rights rally to reinforce the importance of acknowledging the struggles women face.

More from Sojourner Truth

Religion without humanity is very poor human stuff.
Sojourner TruthRead
That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman?
Sojourner TruthRead
The rich rob the poor and the poor rob one another.
Sojourner TruthRead
Good man! Genuine gentleman! God bless George Thompson, the great-hearted friend of my race.
Sojourner TruthRead
Because of them I can now live the dream. I am the seed of the free, and I know it. I intend to bear great fruit.
Sojourner TruthRead
When I left the house of bondage I left everything behind. I wasn't going to keep nothing of Egypt on me, an' so I went to the Lord an' asked him to give me a new name. And he gave me Sojourner because I was to travel up and down the land showing the people their sins and bein' a sign unto them. I told the Lord I wanted two names 'cause everybody else had two, and the Lord gave me Truth, because I was to declare the truth to the people.
Sojourner TruthRead

Similar quotes

When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental domain. The future cannot be separated from the present, and the present is painful beyond solace. ‘This is my last experiment,’ wrote a young chemist in his suicide note. ‘If there is any eternal torment worse than mine I’ll have to be shown.
Kay Redfield JamisonRead
The primary thing I should do, apart from being a good husband, brother, son, and friend, is to be a citizen activist. But I'm afraid it takes away from the writing. Not that anything depends on whether I put an essay in 'The Nation' or not. But you want to participate.
Tony KushnerRead
That happened to me, but I'm so much more than that girl that was kidnapped.
Elizabeth SmartRead
Kindness towards strangers is rare in North Korea. There is a risk to helping others. The state made accusers and informers of us all.
Lee Hyeon-SeoRead
It was incomprehensible to me that someone who had never seen me before, someone who knew absolutely nothing about me, would want to inflict pain upon me for no other reason than the color of my skin.
Daryl DavisRead
To be the equal of one's opponent-this is the first condition of an honourable duel.
Friedrich NietzscheRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.