Who said “Write on my gravestone: ''Infidel, Traitor.''--infidel to every church that compromises…”?

Disputed

It's credited to Wendell Phillips, but no reliable source from their lifetime has been found.

What the research foundNo reliable early source found for Wendell Phillips.

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

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Authors A–Z
“Write on my gravestone: ''Infidel, Traitor.''--infidel to every church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that oppresses the people.”
— Wendell Phillips
DisputedNo reliable early source found for Wendell Phillips. · evidenceTreason

Cite this quote

APA

“Write on my gravestone: ''Infidel, Traitor.''--infidel to every church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that oppresses the people.” [Quotation attributed to Wendell Phillips]. (n.d.). Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40613-write-on-my-gravestone-infidel-traitor-infidel-to/

MLA

“Write on my gravestone: ''Infidel, Traitor.''--infidel to every church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that oppresses the people.” Attributed to Wendell Phillips. Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40613-write-on-my-gravestone-infidel-traitor-infidel-to/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

“Write on my gravestone: ''Infidel, Traitor.''--infidel to every church that compromises with wrong; traitor to every government that oppresses the people.” Attributed to Wendell Phillips. Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40613-write-on-my-gravestone-infidel-traitor-infidel-to/.

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More quotes by Wendell Phillips

“One on God's side is a majority.”
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“What the Puritans gave the world was not thought, but action.”
VerifiedSpeech at the dinner of the Pilgrim Society (21 December 1855), in Speeches, Letters and Lectures by Wendell Phillips (1884), p. 229 · evidenceDetails & citePuritans
All 19 Wendell Phillips quotes →