1- “If this conversation concerns what is factual and what is not, then it must be said that there is no justice nor righteousness in their slavery.” -Bass, ’12 Years a Slave’.
2- “There is an ill, Mr. Epps. A fearful ill resting upon this nation. And there will be a day of reckoning yet.”-Bass, ’12 Years a Slave’.
3- “Laws change. Universal truths are constant. What is true and right is true and right for all. White and black alike.” [talking to Epps] -Bass, ’12 Years a Slave’.
4- “Listen, Epps, these niggers are human beings. If they are allowed to climb no higher than brute animals, you and men like you will have to answer for it.”-Bass, ’12 Years a Slave’.
5- ““I will write your letter, sir. And if it brings you your freedom, it will be more than a pleasure. It will have been my duty.”-Bass, ’12 Years a Slave’.
6- “I am Solomon Northup. I am a free man; a resident of Saratoga, New York. The residence also of my wife and children who are equally free. I have papers. You have no right whatsoever to detain me… and I promise you, upon my liberation, I will have satisfaction for this wrong.” –Solomon Northup, ’12 Years a Slave’.
7-“I did as instructed. If there’s something wrong, it’s wrong with the instructions!” –Solomon Northup, ’12 Years a Slave’.
8- “I don’t want to survive. I want to live.”-Solomon Northup, ’12 Years a Slave’.
9- “I apologize for my appearance. But I have had a difficult time these past several years.” [upon meeting his family again after 12 years] –Solomon Northup, ’12 Years a Slave’.
10-“I will not fall into despair! I will keep myself hardy until freedom is opportune!” –Solomon Northup, ’12 Years a Slave’.
11- “A plague! It’s damn Biblical. Two season God sent a plague to smite me. I am near ruination. What I done that God hate me so? Do I not preach his word?” – Edwin Epps, ’12 Years a Slave’.
12- “I understand I’ve got a larned nigger that writes letters and tries to get white fellows to mail them.” – Edwin Epps, ’12 Years a Slave’.
13- “Whatever your circumstances, you are an exceptional nigger, Platt.”– Ford, ’12 Years a Slave’.
14-“Survival is not about certain death, it is about keeping your head down.” – Clemens, ’12 Years a Slave’.
15- “If you want to survive, do and say as little as possible. Tell no one who you really are and tell no one that you can read and write. Unless you want to be a dead nigger.”– Clemens, ’12 Years a Slave’.
16- “In his own time, the Good Lord will manage them all. The curse of the pharonas was a poor example of what waits for the plantation class.” – Mistress Shaw, ’12 Years a Slave’.
17- “- Mistress Epps: You will remove that black bitch from this property, or I’ll take myself back to Cheneyville.
– Edwin Epps: Back to the hogs’s trough where I found you? Do not set yourself against Patsy, my dear. Because I will rid myself of you well before I do away with her.” – ’12 Years a Slave’.
18- “- Bass: You say that with pride.
– Edwin Epps: I say it as fact.” [talking about the slaves] – ’12 Years a Slave’.
19- “- Solomon Northup: Master Ford, you must know: I am not a slave.
– Ford: I cannot hear that.
– Solomon Northup: Before I came to you, I was a free man.” – ’12 Years a Slave’.
20- “- Bass: What amused me just then was your concern for my wellbeing in this heat when, quite frankly, the condition of your laborers…
– Edwin Epps: The condition of my laborers?
– Bass: It is horrid.
– Edwin Epps: They ain’t hired help. They’re my property.” – ’12 Years a Slave’.
21- “- Edwin Epps: You comparing me to a nigger, Bass?
– Bass: I’m only asking, in the eyes of God, what is the difference?” – ’12 Years a Slave’.
22- “- Ford: How much for the little girl? You have no need for her. One so young will bring you no profit.
– Freeman: I will not sell the girl. There’s heaps and piles of money to be made off her.” [Ford is attempting to buy a slave]- ’12 Years a Slave’.
23-“- Bass: What right have you to your niggers?
– Edwin Epps: I bought ’em. I paid for ’em.” – ’12 Years a Slave’.
24- “- Solomon Northup: You devil! Sooner or later, somewhere in the course of eternal justice thou shalt answer for this sin!
– Edwin Epps: There is no sin! A man does how he pleases with his property.” – ’12 Years a Slave’.
25- “And that servant which knew his Lord’s will… which knew his Lord’s will and prepared not himself… prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes…” D’ye hear that? “Stripes.” That n*gger that don’t take care, that don’t obey his lord – that’s his master – d’ye see? – that ‘ere n*gger shall be beaten with many stripes. Now, “many” signifies a great many. Forty, a hundred, a hundred and fifty lashes… That’s Scripter!” – Edwin Epps, ’12 Years a Slave’.
26- “My name is John Tibeats, William Ford’s chief carpenter. You will refer to me as Master. Mister Chapin is the overseer on this plantation. He is responsible for all of Ford’s property. You too will refer to him as Master. This plantation covers many hundreds of acres, and you will traverse the Texas road between the forest site and the sawmill in double time. Any clever n*gger on that path that gets a little light-footed, I will remind him that on one side men and bloodhounds patrol the border and on the other the bayou provides a hard living, with alligators and little to eat or drink that won’t kill you. No slave has escaped here with his life. You’re here to work n*ggers, so let’s commence.” – John Tibeats, ’12 Years a Slave’.
27- “[singing] Run n*gger run, run so fast/Stoved his head in a hornets nest/Run n*gger run well the pattyroller’ll get you/ Run n*gger run well you better get away.” – John Tibeats, ’12 Years a Slave’.
28- “- Burch: Well, my boy, how yah feel now?
-Solomon Northup: I am Solomon Northup. I am a free man; a resident of Saratoga, New York. The residence also of my wife and children who are equally free. I have papers. You have no right whatsoever to detain me…
-Burch: Yah not any…
-Solomon Northup: And I promise you – I promise – upon my liberation I will have satisfaction for this wrong.
-Burch: Resolve this. Produce your papers. [Solomon searches and finds no papers]
-Burch: Yah no free man. And yah ain’t from Saratoga. Yah from Georgia. Yah ain’t a free man. Yah nuthin’ but a Georgia runaway. Yah a runaway n*gger from Georgia.” –’12 Years a Slave’.
29- ” -Solomon Northup: We need a sympathetic ear. If we have an opportunity to explain our situation…
-Clemens: Who in your estimation is that sympathetic ear?
-Solomon Northup: The two men I journeyed with. I’m certain they’re making inquires at this very moment.
-Clemens: I would be just as certain they are counting the money paid for delivering you to this place.
-Solomon Northup: They were not kidnappers. They were artists. Fellow performers.
-Clemens: You know that? You know for certain who they were? [Solomon cannot answer]
-Clemens: How I reckon the situation: whatever past we had… well, that’s done now. The reality to come is us being transported southward. New Orleans if I were to venture. After we arrive, we’ll be put to market. Beyond that… Well, once in a slave state I suppose there’s only one outcome.” –’12 Years a Slave’.
30- “-Robert: I say we fight.
-Solomon Northup: The crew is fairly small. If it were well planned, I believe they could be strong armed.
-Clemens: Three can’t stand against a whole crew. The rest here are n*ggers, born and bred slaves. N*ggers ain’t got the stomach for a fight, not a damn one.
-Robert: All I know, we get where we traveling we’ll wish we’d died trying.
-Clemens: Survival is not about certain death, it is about keeping your head down.
-Solomon Northup: Days ago I was with my family, in my home. Now you tell me all is lost. “Tell no one who I really am” if I want to survive. I don’t want to survive, I want to live.” –’12 Years a Slave’.
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