Harriet Tubman quotes
1822 – 1913 · United States, 19th–early 20th century · abolitionist, Underground Railroad conductor, nurse and Civil War operative
About Harriet Tubman
Born c.1822 in Maryland and died 1913 in Auburn, New York, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 and returned repeatedly to lead many others to freedom. She later served as a nurse, scout, and spy for the Union during the Civil War. Her life is central to the lived history of emancipation and the American abolitionist movement.
Works: Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman (1869) — her recollections as recorded by Sarah H. Bradford
Quotes
“When I found I had crossed that line, I looked at my hands to see if I was the same person. There was such a glory over everything; the sun came like gold through the trees, and over the fields, and I felt like I was in Heaven.”
Source: Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, 1886 · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The wording is recorded in Sarah H. Bradford's 1886 biography as Tubman's own recollection of her escape.
- What remains uncertain
- The quotation is transmitted via Bradford's book rather than a contemporaneous autograph by Tubman; minor wording variants appear in later retellings.
The line captures the shocking moment freedom becomes real: Tubman checks her own hands to confirm she is the same person, then sees the landscape transfigured. Sarah H. Bradford published this recollection in 1886, giving a vivid account of escape, identity, and awe.