Huck Finn delivered the quote above in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the beginning of chapter 31. Huck was trying to pray and repent for all of his bad actions but knew that he couldn't pray a lie because he was committing the worst sin of all, helping Jim escape. To make himself feel better, Huck decided to write a letter to Miss Watson declaring that Mr. Phelps has Jim but is willing to return him for the reward. He finished the letter and knew that he could pray, but he didn't. He remained staring at the letter and thought about how close he came to going to Hell. He also tried to think about how Jim was different from Huck, but he couldn't. Huck could only think about how he was Jim's best friend and how good Jim treated him. So stuck between what do it, Huck spoke these words and tore the letter up.

This was a very important part of the book and revealed the courage in Huck. Huck thought that helping Jim was a sin and if he continued to help Jim he would go to Hell. Torn between what Huck was told is right and what he believed was right, Huck decided to try and free Jim. Unlike many others of his time, he saw through the color of Jim's skin and at one point said, "I knowed he was white inside."