“Do you think I am an automaton, a machine without feelings? Can I bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you and full as much heart. If God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through custom, conventionalities, nor even through mortal flesh; it is my spirit that addresses your spirit, just as if both had passed through the grave and we stood at God's feet equal as we are.”
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About this quote
The line insists that poverty or plainness does not erase a person's inner life or claim to respect. Treat it as a reminder to speak up when someone shrugs off your feelings because of your status. Say what you need plainly and expect to be treated as a whole person, not a set of shortcomings. Ask yourself: can you stop shrinking and demand the same human regard you give others?
When to use it
- When my new manager suggested I should be grateful for whatever I get, I quoted Brontë to push back and say I deserve fair treatment at work.
- Facing in-laws who treat my marriage like a charity case, I remembered this passage and told them I have a heart and will not be dismissed.
- After a breakup where the other person left because of my circumstances, I said the line to myself out loud to reclaim my worth.
- At a charity intake meeting where staff assumed I had no strong feelings, I used this quote to explain I want respect alongside help.