# Without Struggle There Is No Progress by Frederick Douglass
> “If there is no struggle there is no progress.”
> **— Frederick Douglass**, *West India Emancipation speech, August 3, 1857*
## Sources and Context
- **Direct or authoritative text:** [West India Emancipation speech, August 3, 1857](https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/teachers/lessonplans/Abolition%20and%20Anti%20Slavery%20Texts%20in%20Hopedale%20-%20Primary%20Sources.pdf) — National Park Service primary-source packet reproducing the 1857 speech and its surrounding argument about agitation, resistance, and progress.
- **Why it belongs here:** The passage describes improvement, revelation, learning, or increased capability through opposition, error, difficulty, or adversity. It does not imply that unlimited injury is beneficial.
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- **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]]
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## Related Topics
- [[wiki/Antifragility|Antifragility]]
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“If there is no struggle there is no progress.”
— Frederick Douglass, West India Emancipation speech, August 3, 1857
https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-frederick-douglass-struggle-progress
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