Today’s Teacher: Harriet Tubman (c.1822 – 1913)
The Teaching
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
— Harriet Tubman
Who Was Harriet Tubman?
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland around 1822. As a child, she was beaten, whipped, and subjected to brutal violence that left her with lifelong seizures and visions. She was considered property, not human. She had every reason to believe she was powerless.
Instead, she became one of the most powerful forces for freedom in American history.
At age 27, she escaped slavery by following the Underground Railroad north to freedom. She could have stayed safe. She could have been grateful for her own freedom and lived quietly.
She did the opposite. She returned to the South—risking capture, torture, and death—nineteen times to lead approximately 70 enslaved people to freedom. She carried a gun and was prepared to use it, telling those who wanted to turn back: “You’ll be free or die.” She never lost a passenger.
During the Civil War, she worked as a nurse, cook, and spy for the Union Army. She led an armed raid that freed over 700 enslaved people—the first woman to lead a military operation in American history.
After the war, she fought for women’s suffrage and established a home for elderly African Americans. She lived to be about 91 years old, spending her final years in the home she founded.
Harriet Tubman had less power, privilege, and opportunity than almost anyone in American history. Yet she changed the world because she believed she had “within her the strength, the patience, and the passion” to do impossible things.
And she was right.
Understanding the Wisdom
“Every Great Dream Begins with a Dreamer”
Most people don’t dream greatly because they don’t see themselves as dreamers.
They think “dreamer” is a special category—for the privileged, the educated, the powerful, the chosen. They look at their circumstances and think: “People like me don’t get to dream. We just survive.”
Harriet Tubman was born enslaved. If anyone had an excuse not to dream, it was her.
Yet she dreamed of freedom—not just for herself, but for her people. She dreamed of a world where no one was property. She dreamed of liberation, justice, dignity.
Her insight: Dreaming isn’t reserved for the privileged. Every person—regardless of circumstances—is a dreamer. You don’t need permission. You don’t need credentials. You don’t need ideal conditions.
You just need to dream.
“You Have Within You”
This is the revolutionary part: The resources you need aren’t somewhere out there. They’re within you.
Most people wait:
- For better circumstances
- For more resources
- For someone to rescue them
- For permission or approval
- For the “right time”
Tubman says: Stop waiting. You already have what you need.
Not externally—she had nothing external:
- No money
- No education
- No legal rights
- No connections
- No safety
But internally, she had everything:
- Strength to endure hardship
- Patience to plan carefully
- Passion to fuel sustained action
And that was enough to change the world.
The Three Essential Resources
Tubman identifies three internal resources that enable impossible things:
1. Strength Not just physical strength (though she had that). But:
- Courage to face fear and act anyway
- Resilience to endure setback and continue
- Will to persist when everything is against you
- Power to choose action over paralysis
2. Patience Not passive waiting. Active patience:
- Strategic patience (waiting for the right moment)
- Careful patience (planning thoroughly before acting)
- Sustained patience (maintaining effort over years)
- Disciplined patience (not giving up when progress is slow)
3. Passion The fuel that sustains everything else:
- Deep care about what you’re doing
- Connection to purpose larger than yourself
- Fire that burns through doubt and exhaustion
- Love that makes sacrifice bearable
Tubman’s insight: If you have these three—strength, patience, passion—you have enough. External resources help. But these internal resources are sufficient for changing the world.
“To Reach for the Stars to Change the World”
Notice the dual aim:
Reach for the stars: Personal ambition, growth, achievement. Your own liberation and becoming.
Change the world: Contribution beyond yourself. Impact on others. Making things better.
Tubman lived both:
- She reached for her own stars (escaped slavery, gained freedom)
- She changed the world (freed others, fought for justice)
The teaching: Your dream can be both. In fact, the greatest dreams usually are:
- Personal transformation AND social contribution
- Your liberation AND others’ liberation
- Your growth AND collective progress
- Reaching your potential AND helping others reach theirs
You don’t have to choose between personal dreams and world-changing impact. The greatest dreamers do both.
How to Practice This Wisdom Today
1. Morning Dreamer Declaration (10 minutes)
Start your day by claiming your identity as a dreamer with internal resources.
Sit quietly. Place your hand on your heart.
Say aloud (or write):
“I am a dreamer. Every great dream begins with someone like me. I have within me the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.”
Then identify:
What is my great dream? Not the safe, practical goal. The great dream—the thing that seems too big, too ambitious, too much for someone “like you.”
Write it down. Don’t edit it. Don’t make it realistic. Let yourself dream greatly.
Then acknowledge what you have within you:
- Strength: What challenges have I already overcome? What hard things have I done? What courage do I have access to?
- Patience: Where have I demonstrated patience before? How can I be patient with this dream?
- Passion: What do I care about deeply? What makes me willing to sacrifice? What fuels me?
Set intention: “Today, I will take one action toward my great dream, using the strength, patience, and passion within me.”
2. The Internal Resource Inventory (Throughout the Day)
Today, when you face obstacles or doubt, practice accessing Tubman’s three internal resources.
When you encounter difficulty:
Instead of: “I can’t do this. I don’t have what I need.”
Practice Tubman’s approach:
1. Access strength:
- “I have strength within me”
- “I’ve overcome challenges before”
- “I can face this with courage”
- Take one courageous action, even if small
2. Access patience:
- “I don’t need everything to happen today”
- “I can work steadily toward this”
- “Progress is gradual; I can be patient”
- Take one patient, strategic step
3. Access passion:
- “I care deeply about this”
- “This matters enough to sustain me”
- “My passion is fuel for action”
- Connect to why this matters to you
Example:
Obstacle: Facing rejection on your dream project
Old response: “I don’t have what it takes. This is too hard. I should give up.”
Tubman’s response:
- Strength: “This rejection is hard, but I’ve faced rejection before and continued. I have the strength to try again.”
- Patience: “Success won’t happen overnight. This is one setback among many steps. I can be patient.”
- Passion: “I care too much about this to let one rejection stop me. My passion will carry me through.”
Action: Revise and submit elsewhere, or take next logical step.
3. The World-Changing Action (Midday Practice)
At midday, take one small action that both serves your dream and contributes to something beyond yourself.
Tubman’s dual aim: Personal liberation AND freeing others.
Your practice:
Choose one action today that:
- Moves you toward your personal dream
- AND helps someone else or contributes to something larger
Examples:
Your dream: Build a business doing work you love World-changing action: Mentor someone younger trying to start out
Your dream: Become a writer World-changing action: Write something that addresses an issue you care about, not just for your own expression
Your dream: Career change to more meaningful work World-changing action: Share your learning process to help others considering similar transitions
Your dream: Creative project World-changing action: Make it accessible to people who need it, not just impressive to industry
The pattern: Use your journey toward your dreams to contribute to others. Don’t wait until you “make it” to help. Help along the way.
Tubman didn’t wait until she was fully free to help others gain freedom. She freed herself AND freed others simultaneously.
4. Evening Dream Progress Review (15 minutes)
Before bed, reflect on your great dream and the resources within you.
Journal:
- My great dream is: (State it clearly, boldly)
- Today, I moved toward it by: (Even small actions count)
- I accessed my internal resources:
- Strength: Where did I show courage today?
- Patience: Where did I demonstrate strategic patience?
- Passion: What kept me going despite difficulty?
- I contributed beyond myself by: (How did you help or give?)
- What’s stopping me from dreaming even greater?
- Fear? Doubt? Comparing to others? Feeling unworthy? Thinking it’s unrealistic?
- What would Tubman say to these obstacles?
- Tomorrow, I will take this action toward my dream: (Specific, small, doable—using strength, patience, and passion within you)
Tubman’s reminder: She was enslaved. She had nothing. She freed herself and 70 others and changed history. You have more resources than she did. What’s your excuse?
A Modern Application: The “Impossible” Career Change
Let’s apply Tubman’s wisdom to a common modern dream: making a major career change that seems impossible given your circumstances.
The situation: You’re 45, have a family, have been in your industry for 20 years. You have a mortgage, kids in school, responsibilities. You dream of doing completely different work—something meaningful, something you’re passionate about—but it seems impossible. You have too many obligations, too little time, too few resources. The dream feels irresponsible.
The conventional resignation:
What most people do:
- Give up on the dream
- Tell themselves to be “realistic”
- Stay in work that deadens them
- Believe “people like me don’t get to do that”
- Wait until retirement (maybe)
- Die having never pursued the dream
Why: “I don’t have what it takes. I don’t have the money, time, credentials, connections, or freedom. The dream is for people with different circumstances.”
The Tubman approach:
Step 1 – Own your identity as dreamer:
“I am a dreamer. This isn’t foolish or irresponsible. Every great accomplishment began with someone dreaming greatly. I give myself permission to dream of this career change.”
Step 2 – Identify what you have within you:
Strength:
- I’ve built a 20-year career (that took strength)
- I’ve supported a family through challenges (that took courage)
- I’ve learned complex skills before (I can learn again)
- I have more life experience and wisdom than when I started current career
Patience:
- I don’t need to change careers overnight
- I can plan strategically over 1-3 years
- I can take steps while maintaining current job
- I can be patient with the process
Passion:
- I care deeply about this new direction
- This matters enough to sustain me through difficulty
- My passion will fuel the necessary sacrifices
- I’m connected to why this matters
Step 3 – Create strategy using internal resources:
Using strength:
- Face fear of change and take first step anyway
- Have difficult conversations with family about dream
- Start learning required skills despite being “old” for this
- Take financial risks carefully but courageously
Using patience:
- Year 1: Learn, explore, build skills while keeping current job
- Year 2: Build side projects, network, test viability
- Year 3: Transition when ready, not before
- Accept that this takes time
Using passion:
- Let passion fuel evening learning after long workdays
- Let purpose sustain through setbacks
- Let care for the work overcome fear of judgment
- Let love of the dream make sacrifice bearable
Step 4 – Take action despite “impossible” circumstances:
- Monday: Research one person doing the work you dream of
- Tuesday: Take one online class in relevant skill
- Wednesday: Join one community of people in that field
- Thursday: Work on one small project in new direction
- Friday: Apply to one opportunity (even if you’re “not ready”)
Small actions, sustained by strength, patience, and passion, accumulate into transformation.
Step 5 – Contribute along the way:
Don’t wait until you’ve “made it” to help others. Document your journey. Help others considering similar transitions. Use your current position to serve the values of your dream career.
The outcome:
Three years later:
- You’re doing the work you dreamed of (or a version of it)
- Your family is fine (they adjusted; you found a way)
- You had less money than ideal but enough
- You proved to yourself that “impossible” meant “difficult”
- You changed your world
- You inspired others (your kids, your peers) to dream
Tubman would say: I escaped slavery and freed 70 others while being hunted. You can change careers. You have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion. Stop making excuses. Start taking action.
The Deeper Philosophy
Liberation Theology in Action
Tubman embodied what would later be called liberation theology: the oppressed have agency, power, and the right to free themselves.
She didn’t wait:
- For others to free her
- For laws to change
- For society to become just
- For perfect conditions
She freed herself. Then she freed others.
Her insight: Liberation is something you do, not something you wait to receive. Power is something you claim, not something you’re granted.
Applied to your life: Whatever you feel enslaved by (unfulfilling work, toxic relationships, limiting beliefs, circumstances)—you can free yourself. You don’t need permission. You don’t need ideal conditions. You have within you what you need.
The Collective and Personal
Tubman never saw personal freedom as separate from collective freedom.
She could have:
- Escaped and lived quietly in the North
- Enjoyed her own freedom without risk
- Thought “I got mine; good luck to everyone else”
Instead: She saw her freedom as connected to others’ freedom. She couldn’t be fully free while others remained enslaved. Her liberation required their liberation.
This is profound: Your dreams don’t have to be purely selfish or purely altruistic. The greatest dreams serve both:
- You grow AND others benefit
- You reach your potential AND help others reach theirs
- You transform your life AND contribute to transforming the world
Tubman’s model: Reach for your stars AND change the world. They’re not contradictory. They’re complementary.
Courage Over Comfort
Tubman made a choice that defined her life: courage over comfort.
Nineteen times, she could have stayed safe in the North. Nineteen times, she chose courage over comfort.
Your version is less dramatic but follows the same principle:
Every day, you choose:
- Comfort (stay with what’s familiar, safe, approved)
- Or courage (pursue the dream, risk failure, face fear)
Most people choose comfort. They justify it as being “realistic” or “responsible.”
Dreamers choose courage. Not recklessly. With strength, patience, and passion. But they choose it.
Tubman’s question: What would you do if you prioritized courage over comfort? What dreams would you pursue?
Your Practice for Today
Here’s your challenge based on Tubman’s teaching:
Today, act like the dreamer you are, using the resources you already have within you.
The Practice:
Morning (10 minutes):
- Claim your identity: “I am a dreamer. I have within me the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.”
- Name your great dream: What seems too big, too ambitious, too much? Write it down.
- Acknowledge your resources:
- What strength do I have?
- What patience can I access?
- What passion fuels me?
Throughout the day:
When you face obstacles:
- Access strength: “I have the courage for this”
- Access patience: “I can work steadily toward this”
- Access passion: “I care enough to sustain this”
Take one action toward your dream despite “impossible” circumstances.
Midday:
Take one world-changing action: Something that serves both your dream AND contributes beyond yourself.
Evening (15 minutes):
Reflect:
- What’s my great dream?
- How did I move toward it today?
- How did I use strength, patience, and passion?
- How did I contribute beyond myself?
- What will I do tomorrow?
Tubman’s promise: You have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion. Not someday. Right now. Use them.
Essential Reading: Dive Deeper into Harriet Tubman
If this teaching resonates with you, explore these books:
Primary Sources and Biographies:
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton
- Comprehensive, well-researched biography
- Based on extensive historical sources
- Accessible and engaging
- Definitive modern biography
Bound for the Promised Land by Kate Clifford Larson
- Another excellent biography
- Different perspective and emphasis
- Thorough and compelling
- Award-winning
Harriet Tubman: The Moses of Her People by Sarah H. Bradford
- Original biography published 1869, revised 1886
- Written during Tubman’s lifetime with her input
- Historical document
- Shows how she was understood by contemporaries
On Courage and Action:
- Courage to show up despite vulnerability
- Research on courage and shame
- Modern framework for Tubman’s courage
- Practical and inspiring
The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday
- Using obstacles as fuel for achievement
- Stoic philosophy applied to modern challenges
- Tubman embodied this approach
- Practical strategies
On Dreams and Purpose:
The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna
- Following must (passion) over should (obligation)
- Visual, accessible, inspiring
- Tubman always chose “must”
- Beautiful short book
Let Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer
- Finding your calling and purpose
- Listening to what your life is telling you
- Gentle, wise, profound
- Perfect complement to Tubman
On Liberation and Justice:
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- Modern mass incarceration as new form of slavery
- Continues Tubman’s work
- Essential reading on justice
- Powerful and important
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
- Racialized trauma and body
- Healing from slavery’s legacy
- Somatic approach to justice
- Profound and practical
- Modern stories of fighting for justice
- Lawyer defending the condemned
- Tubman’s spirit in action today
- Inspiring and heartbreaking
Closing Reflection
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery. She was beaten, brutalized, and treated as property. She had no money, no education, no legal rights, no power.
By every external measure, she had nothing.
But she had within her the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.
And she did.
She freed herself. She freed 70 others. She led military operations. She fought for justice until her death at 91.
Not because her circumstances were favorable. Because she refused to let circumstances determine what was possible.
Today, you will face obstacles. You will doubt yourself. You will think your dream is too big, your circumstances too limiting, your resources too few.
Tubman’s question: Do you have strength? Do you have patience? Do you have passion?
If you have those three things—and you do—then you have what you need.
Not everything you need. But enough to start. Enough to take one step. Enough to change your world.
Your circumstances are almost certainly better than hers were:
- You’re not enslaved
- You have more education
- You have more freedom
- You have more resources
So what’s your excuse?
Tubman didn’t wait for ideal conditions. She acted with what she had within her.
You can do the same.
What is your great dream?
What strength, patience, and passion do you have within you?
What one action will you take today toward reaching for the stars and changing the world?
Reflection Questions
Take a moment to journal or contemplate:
- What is my great dream that I’ve been dismissing as impossible or impractical?
- What strength, patience, and passion do I actually have within me that I’m not recognizing?
- What obstacles am I using as excuses that are far smaller than what Tubman faced?
- How can my dream serve both my personal growth and contribute to something beyond myself?
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Essential Reading: 📚 Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom – Definitive modern biography 📖 Bound for the Promised Land – Another excellent biography 🎯 Daring Greatly – Modern courage and vulnerability 💫 Let Your Life Speak – Finding your calling and purpose
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