Frederick Douglass Portrait

"It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."

— Frederick Douglass

It Is Easier To Build Strong

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

— Frederick Douglass

About this quote

This saying is widely attributed to Douglass but historians have found no evidence it appears in his writings or recorded speeches. The misattribution appears to have originated in a 1994 newspaper advertisement and spread rapidly thereafter. While the sentiment resonates with Douglass's broader advocacy for education and child welfare, the specific phrasing is almost certainly not his, and the attribution should be treated as unverified.

Source

Attributed, widely reported in Douglass anthologies