If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.

Summary

This quote by Frederick Douglass emphasizes the importance of struggle and agitation in achieving progress. Douglass argues that those who claim to support freedom but criticize or avoid any form of disruption or protest are merely seeking the benefits without the necessary efforts. He compares this attitude to desiring crops without cultivating the land, and rain without its accompanying thunder and lightning. Douglass asserts that progress requires a struggle, whether it be moral, physical, or both, and that power only yields when demanded. Ultimately, this quote serves as a call to action and a reminder that meaningful change is often born out of struggles and demands for justice.