In the first place, the government ought not to be invested with power to control the affections, any more than the consciences of citizens. A man has at least as good a right to choose his wife, as he has to choose his religion. His taste may not suit his neighbors; but so long as his deportment is correct, they have no right to interfere with his concerns.

— Lydia Maria Child An Appeal on Behalf of That Class of Americans Called Africans (1833)

More quotes by Lydia Maria Child

The Freedmen's Book‎ (1869)

An Appeal on Behalf of That Class of Americans Called Africans (1833)

Letters from New York (1843)

An Appeal on Behalf of That Class of Americans Called Africans (1833)

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Lydia Maria Child (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.