Abraham Lincoln Quotes

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln is renowned for his leadership during the American Civil War and his efforts to abolish slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation. His leadership and vision have made him one of the most admired and influential presidents in American history.

Every one desires to live long, but no one would b... -Abraham Lincoln

Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old.

If ever I feel the soul within me elevate and expand to those dimensions not wholly unworthy of its Almighty Architect, it is when I contemplate the cause of my country, deserted by all the world beside, and I standing up boldly and lone and hurling defiance at her victorious oppressors.

True patriotism is better than the wrong kind of p... -Abraham Lincoln

True patriotism is better than the wrong kind of piety.

Discovering the context

This quote contrasts true patriotism with misguided or misplaced religious devotion (piety). It suggests that genuine patriotism is more valuable and beneficial than blindly following religious beliefs without critical thinking.

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see... -Abraham Lincoln

Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

I don't like that man. I must get to know him bett... -Abraham Lincoln

I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.

The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.

Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.

The assertion that 'all men are created equal' was of no practical use in effecting our separation from Great Britain and it was placed in the Declaration not for that, but for future use.

Common looking people are the best in the world: t... -Abraham Lincoln

Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then... -Abraham Lincoln

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.

Standing as I do, with my hand upon this staff, and under the folds of the American flag, I ask you to stand by me so long as I stand by it.

A private soldier has as much right to justice as ... -Abraham Lincoln

A private soldier has as much right to justice as a major-general.

The people themselves, and not their servants, can... -Abraham Lincoln

The people themselves, and not their servants, can safely reverse their own deliberate decisions.

With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.

The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of... -Abraham Lincoln

The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every calling, is diligence.

'A living dog is better than a dead lion.' Judge Douglas, if not a dead lion for this work, is at least a caged and toothless one. How can he oppose the advances of slavery? He don't care anything about it.

I believe it is universally understood and acknowledged that all men will ever act correctly, unless they have a motive to do otherwise.

The ballot is stronger than the bullet.

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The quote suggests that the power of voting and participating in the democratic process is more influential and effective than resorting to violence or armed conflict, emphasizing the importance of peaceful means of political expression and change.

I go for all sharing the privileges of the government, who assist in bearing its burdens. Consequently, I go for admitting all whites to the right of suffrage, who pay taxes or bear arms (by no means excluding females).

Books serve to show a man that those original thou... -Abraham Lincoln

Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all.

The legal right of the Southern people to reclaim their fugitives I have constantly admitted. The legal right of Congress to interfere with their institution in the states, I have constantly denied.

Gold is good in its place; but loving, brave, patr... -Abraham Lincoln

Gold is good in its place; but loving, brave, patriotic men are better than gold.

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This quote implies that while gold or material wealth may have its value, individuals who possess qualities such as love, bravery, and patriotism are more valuable and admirable than mere riches.

I am humble Abraham Lincoln. I have been solicited by my friends to become a candidate for the Legislature. My politics are short and sweet, like the old woman's dance.

The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.

Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my fr... -Abraham Lincoln

Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?

I do the very best I know how - the very best I ca... -Abraham Lincoln

I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.

If a man had more than one life, I think a little hanging would not hurt this one; but after he is once dead, we cannot bring him back, no matter how sorry we may be; so the boy shall be pardoned.

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.

I understand a ship to be made for the carrying and preservation of the cargo, and so long as the ship can be saved, with the cargo, it should never be abandoned. This Union likewise should never be abandoned unless it fails and the possibility of its preservation shall cease to exist, without throwing passengers and cargo overboard.

This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes

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