“Is true Freedom but to break
Fetters for our own dear sake,
And, with leathern hearts, forget
That we owe mankind a debt?”

— James Russell Lowell

St. 3
"Stanzas on Freedom" (1843)
Context: p>Is true Freedom but to break
Fetters for our own dear sake,
And, with leathern hearts, forget
That we owe mankind a debt? No! true freedom is to share
All the chains our brothers wear,
And, with heart and hand, to be
Earnest to make others free!<p

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James Russell Lowell175

American poet, critic, editor, and diplomat 1819–1891

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