Abraham Lincoln Quotes & Abraham Lincoln Sayings

"...Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother." "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy." "Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." "I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." "I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life." "If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance." "It is said an eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him with the words, 'And this, too, shall pass away.' How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction! "Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap -- let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs; -- let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars." "Lets have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." "People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be." "The old general rule was that educated people did not perform manual labor. They managed to eat their bread, leaving the toil of producing it to the uneducated. This was not an insupportable evil to the working bees, so long as the class of drones remained very small. But now, especially in these free States, nearly all are educated--quite too nearly all, to leave the labor of the uneducated, in any wise adequate to the support of the whole. It follows from this that henceforth educated people must labor. Otherwise, education itself would become a positive and intolerable evil. No country can sustain, in idleness, more than a small percentage of its numbers. The great majority must labor at something productive." "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can excercise their constitutional right of amending it, or excercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it." "This leads to the further reflection, that no other human occupation opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated thought, as agriculture. I know of nothing so pleasant to the mind, as the discovery of anything which is at once new and valuable -- nothing which so lightens and sweetens toil, as the hopeful pursuit of such discovery. And how vast, and how varied a field is agriculture, for such discovery. The mind, already trained to thought, in the country school, or higher school, cannot fail to find there an exhaustless source of profitable enjoyment." "We must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued. The slaves were undeniably a element of strength to those who had their service, and we must decide whether that element should be with us or "against us". Emancipation, will strike at the heart of the rebellion." Said to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles. "We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." "You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today." 'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt. The Bible is not my book and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give assent to the long complicated statements of Christian dogma. A farce or comedy is best played; a tragedy is best read at home. A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have A house divided against itself cannot stand. A lawyer's time and advice are his stock in trade A statesman is he who thinks in the future generations, and a politician is he who thinks in the upcoming elections. A universal feeling, whether well or ill founded, cannot be safely disregarded. A woman is the only thing I am afraid of that I know will not hurt me All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind. All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother All true wisdom is found on T-shirts. Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing. Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world. As an individual who undertakes to live by borrowing, soon finds his original means devoured by interest, and next no one left to borrow from - so must it be with a new government As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy. As President, I have no eyes but constitutional eyes; I cannot see you. As the problems are new, we must disenthrall ourselves from the past. Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. Beware of rashness, but with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward and give us victories. Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all. Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all. But in a larger sense we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Can treaties be more faithfully enforced between aliens than laws can among friends? Suppose you go to war, you cannot fight always; and when, after much loss on both sides, and no gain on either, you cease fighting, the identical old questions as to terms of intercourse are again upon you. Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing: I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have l Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them. Corporations have been enthroned .... An era of corruption in high places will follow and the money power will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the prejudices of the people... until wealth is aggregated in a few hands ... and the Republic is destroyed. Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way. Die when I may, I want it said by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. Die when I may, I want it said of me that I plucked a weed and planted a flower where ever I thought a flower would grow. Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough. Do not destroy that immortal emblem of humanity, the Declaration of Independence. Do not worry; eat three square meals a day; say your prayers; be courteous to your creditors; keep your digestion good; exercise; go slow and easy. Maybe there are other things your special case requires to make you happy; but, my friend, these I rec Don't worry over what other people are thinking about you. They're too busy worrying over what you are thinking about them. Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. Every man over forty is responsible for his face. Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old. Every person is responsible for his own looks after 40. Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the last generation. Find out what whiskey he drinks and send all of my generals a case, if it will get the same results. - in reply to comments about General Grant's drinking problems For people who like that kind of a book that is the kind of book they will like Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived. Four score and seven years ago, our father brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...We here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of f Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...We here highly resolve that the dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal Freedom is the last, best hope of earth. Friends, I agree with you in Providence; but I believe in the Providence of the most men, the largest purse, and the longest cannon. 1854 Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. God must love the common man, he made so many of them Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. Has it [popular sovereignty] not got down as thin as the homeopathic soup that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death? Having thus chosen our course, without guile and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear and with manly hearts. He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know. He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas of any man I ever met. He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help. He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help. He reminds me of the man who murdered both his parents, and then when sentence was about to be pronounced pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan Hold on with a bulldog grip, and chew and choke as much as possible. How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg. How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg. How many legs does a dog have, if you call his tail a leg? The answer is four, because calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg. Human action can be modified to some extent, but human nature cannot be changed. Hypocrite: the man who murdered both his parents... pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan. Hypocrite: The man who murdered his parents, and then pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan. I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards. I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down... I am for the people of the whole nation doing just as they please in all matter which concern the whole nation; for those of each part doing just as they choose in all matters which concern no other part; and for each individual doing just as he chooses in all matters which concern nobody else. I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. I am not concerned that you have fallen / I am concerned that you arise. I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races - I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, I am satisfied that when the Almighty wants me to do or not do any particular thing, He finds a way of letting me know it I am struggling to maintain the government, not to overthrow it. I am struggling especially to prevent others from overthrowing it. I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false is guilty of falsehood, and the accidental truth of the assertion does not justify or excuse him. I believe that every individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases with himself and the fruits of his labor, so far as it in no way interferes with any other men's rights I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I believe, if we take habitual drunkards as a class, their heads and their hearts will bear an advantageous comparison with those of any other class. There seems ever to have been a proneness in the brilliant and warm-blooded to fall into this vice. I can make a General in five minutes but a good horse is hard to replace. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God. I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it I could as easily bail out the Potomac River with a teaspoon as attend to all the details of the army I could as easily bail out the Potomac River with a teaspoon as attend to all the details of the army. I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside me I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside me. I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end... I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me. I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends. I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend. I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. I don't know who my grandfather was; I'm much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. I don't like that man. I must get to know him better. I don't like that man. I must get to know him better. I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. I fear explanations explanatory of things explained I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice. I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day. I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day. I have come to the conclusion never again to think of marrying, and for this reason, I can never be satisfied with anyone who would be blockhead enough to have me. I have endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice, and have received a great deal of kindness not quite free from ridicule. I hope it will not be irreverent in me to say, that if it be probable that God would reveal his will to others, on a point so connected with my duty, it might be supposed he would reveal it directly to me I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side. I know that the LORD is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the LORD'S side. I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lords side. I laugh because I must not cry. That is all. That is all. I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day. I regard no man as poor who has a godly mother. I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money-power of the country will endeavor to prolong it's reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors, and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views I think very much of the people, as an old friend said he thought of woman. He said when he lost his first wife, who had been a great help to him in his business, he thought he was ruined-that he could never find another to fill her place. At length, however, he married another, who he found did quite as well as the first, and that his opinion now was that any woman would do well who was well done by. So I think of the whole people of this nation-they will ever do well if well done by. We will try to do well by them in all parts of the country, North and South, with entire confidence that all will be well with all of us. I walk slowly, but I never walk backward I will prepare and some day my chance will come. I will study and get ready, and perhaps my chance will come. I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back. If by the mere force of numbers a majority should deprive a minority of any clearly written constitutional right, it might, in a moral point of view, justify revolution If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we must live through all time, or die by suicide. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. If I am killed, I can die but once; but to live in constant dread of it, is to die over and over again If I care to listen to every criticism, let alone act on them, then this shop may as well be closed for all other businesses. I have learned to do my best, and if the end result is good then I do not care for any criticism, but if the end result is not good, then even the praise of ten angels would not make the difference. If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe. If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how -- the very best I can. And I mean to keep on doing it to the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me will not amount to anything. If the end brings me out all wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. If I were two faced, would I be wearing this one? If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one? If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, then ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. If the policy of the Government upon vital questions affecting the whole people is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court...the people will have ceased to be their own rulers. If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance. If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee... but if this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it. If we take habitual drunkards as a class, their heads and their hearts will bear an advantageous comparison with those of any other class. There seems ever to have been a proneness in the brilliant and warm-blooded to fall in to this vice. The demon of intemperance ever seems to have delighted in sucking the blood of genius and generosity. If you are resolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already. If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg. If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will. If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. You may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend Important principles may and must be inflexible. In a certain sense, and to a certain extent, he [the president] is the representative of the people. He is elected by them, as well as congress is. But can he, in the nature [of] things, know the wants of the people, as well as three hundred other men, coming from all the various localities of the nation? If so, where is the propriety of having a congress? In all that people can individually do as well for themselves, government ought not to interfere. In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free, - honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. In law it is good policy never to plead what you need not, lest you oblige yourself to prove what you cannot In regards to this great Book (The Bible), I have but to say it is the bestgift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world wascommunicated through this Book. But for it we could not know rightfrom wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here andhereafter, are found portrayed in it. In times like these men should utter nothing for which they would not be willingly responsible through time and in eternity. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues. It has ever been my experience that folks who have no vices, have very few virtues. It has long been a grave question whether any government, not too strong for the liberties of its people, can be strong enough to maintain its existence in great emergencies It is better only sometimes to be right than at all times wrong It is better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and resolve all doubt. It is my ambition and desire to so administer the affairs of the government while I remain President that if at the end I have lost every other Friend on earth I shall at least have one friend remaining and that one shall be down inside me It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: And this, too, shall pass away. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles - right and wrong. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time and will ever continue to struggle. It is the same spirit that says, "You work and toil and earn bread, and I'll eat it." It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong. It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely, as it is apt to lead to infidelity Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out. It will wear well and will be remembered long after the prism of politeness or the complexion of courtesy has faded away. Knavery and flattery are blood relations. Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. Let me not be understood as saying that there are no bad laws, nor that grievances may not arise for the redress of which no legal provisions have been made. I mean to say no such thing. But I do mean to say that although bad laws, if they exist, should be repealed as soon as possible, still, while they continue in force, for the sake of example they should be religiously observed. Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you, and in the end you are sure to succeed. Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges. Let it be written in primers, spelling books, and in almanacs. Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in the courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation. Let the people know the truth and the country is safe Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. Lets have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. Lonely men seek companionship. Lonely women sit at home and wait. They never meet. Love lasts when the relationship comes first. Many free countries have lost their liberty, and ours may lose hers; but if she shall, be it my proudest plume, not that I was the last to desert, but that I never deserted her Marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is simply purgatory. Men are not flattered by being shown that there has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them Moral principle is a looser bond than pecuniary interest Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be. Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Most of us are about as happy as we make our minds up to be. Must a government be too strong for the liberties of its people or too weak to maintain its own existence? Must a government, of necessity, be too strong for the liberties of its own people, or too weak to maintain its own existence? My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth. My earlier views at the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it. My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it. I never did like to work, and I don't deny it. I'd rather read, tell stories, crack jokes, talk, laugh - anything but work. My friends-... I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being, who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail. My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure. My old father used to have a saying: If you make a bad bargain, hug it all the tighter. My wife is as handsome as when she was a girl, and I...fell in love with her; and what is more, I have never fallen out. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict [slavery] might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict [slavery] might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today. No law is stronger than is the public sentiment where it is to be enforced. No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar. No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens. No matter how much the cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens. No policy that does not rest upon some philosophical public opinion can be permanently maintained Nobody has ever expected me to be president. In my poor, lean lank face nobody has ever seen that any cabbages were sprouting. One is a majority if he is right. Our cause, then, must be intrusted to, and conducted by, its own undoubted friends-those whose hands are free, whose hearts are in the work-who do care for the result. Two years ago the Republicans of the nation mustered over thirteen hundred thousand strong. We did this under the single impulse of resistance to a common danger, with every external circumstance against us. Of strange, discordant, and even, hostile elements, we gathered from the four winds, and formed and fought the battle through, under the constant hot fire of a disciplined, proud, and pampered enemy. Did we brave all then to falter now?-now when that same enemy is wavering, dissevered, and belligerent? The result is not doubtful. We shall not fail-if we stand firm, we shall not fail. Wise councils may accelerate or mistakes delay it, but, sooner or later, the victory is sure to come. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be. People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like. Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes. Property is the fruit of labor; property is desirable; it is a positive good in the world. Public opinion in this country is everything. Public opinion, though often formed upon a wrong basis, yet generally has a strong underlying sense of justice Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. He who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or decisions possible or impossible to execute. Republicans are for both the man and the dollar, but in case of conflict the man before the dollar Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right Slavery is founded on the selfishness of man's nature -- opposition to it on his love of justice. These principles are in eternal antagonism; and when brought into collision so fiercely as slavery extension brings them, shocks and throes and convulsions must ceaselessly follow. Something in [the] Declaration giving liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but hope to the world for all future time. Sorrow comes to all...Perfect relief is not possible, except with time. You cannot now realize that you will ever feel better and yet you are sure to be happy again. Stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong. Such will be a great lesson of peace; teaching men that what they cannot take by an election, neither can they take by a war; teaching all the folly of being the beginners of a war Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality. Suspicions which may be unjust need not be stated Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. Tell me what brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals. That I am not a member of any Christian Church, is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general, or of any denomination of Christians in particular. That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well. That some should be rich, shows that others may become rich, and, hence, is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth. The Almighty has His own purposes 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 The ballot is stronger than the bullet The ballot is stronger than the bullet. The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time. The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend. The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. The best way to predict your future is to create it! The better part of one's life consists of his friendships. The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person. The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence. Leave nothing for to-morrow which can be done to-day. The love of property and consciousness of right and wrong have conflicting places in our organization, which often makes a man's course seem crooked, his conduct a riddle. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. The mystic cords of memory stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone throughout the land The only faith that wears well and holds its color in all weathers, is that which is woven of conviction and set with the sharp mordant of experience The people know their rights, and they are never slow to assert and maintain them, when they are invaded The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. The possibility that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. The principles of Jefferson are the definitions and axioms of free society 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. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds. The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read. The time comes upon every public man when it is best for him to keep his lips closed. The United States government must not undertake to run the Churches. When an individual, in the Church or out of it, becomes dangerous to the public interest he must be checked. The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can, never suspecting that anybody wishes to hinder him. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good. Almost everything, especially of government policy, is an inseparable compound of the two, so that our best judgment of the preponderance between them is continually demanded. There is an important sense in which government is distinctive from administration. One is perpetual, the other is temporary and changeable. A man may be loyal to his government and yet oppose the particular principles and methods of administration. There is nothing true anywhere, The true is nowhere to be seen; If you say you see the true, This seeing is not the true one. These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert, to fleece the people These office-seekers are a curse to the country; no sooner was my election certain, than I became the prey of hundreds of hungry persistent applicants for office, whose highest ambition is to feed at the Government's crib Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. Things may come to those who wait...but only the things left by those who hustle. This human struggle and scramble for office, for a way to live without work, will finally test the strength of our institutions Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and, under a just God, cannot long retain it. Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. To correct the evils, great and small, which spring from want of sympathy and from positive enmity among strangers, as nations or as individuals, is one of the highest functions of civilization To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own. To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own. To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. To stand in silence when they should be protesting makes cowards out of men Too many piglets not enough tits. Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored. Truth is generally the best vindication against slander Truth is generally the best vindication against slander. Wanting to work is so rare a merit that it should be encouraged. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cords of memory will swell when again touched as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature. We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain. We know nothing of what will happen in future, but by the analogy of experience. We live in the midst of alarms; anxiety beclouds the future; we expect some new disaster with each newspaper we read. We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart. We must ask where we are and whither we are attending We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, wi We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot. We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it. Were it not for my little jokes, I could not bear the burdens of this office. What are you gonna do for a face when the baboon wants his ass back? What has once happened, will invariably happen again, when the same circumstances which combined to produce it, shall again combine in the same way What has once happened, will invariably happen again, when the same circumstances which combined to produce it, shall again combine in the same way. What is conservatism? Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried? What is conservativism? Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried? What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself. Whatever spiteful fools may say, Each jealous ranting yelper, No woman ever went astray, Without a man to help her Whatever you are, be a good one. When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say. When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion. When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion. When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion. When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion. When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say. When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees. When I'm getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say -- and two-thirds thinking about him and what he is going to say. When someone asked Abraham Lincoln, after he was elected president, what he was going to do about his enemies, he replied, "I am going to destroy them. I am going to make them my friends. When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tired on him personally. Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. Whenever there is a conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail Whenever there is a conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail. Whether or not the world would be vastly benefited by a total banishment from it of all intoxicating drinks seems not now an open question. Three-fourths of mankind confess the affirmative with their tongues, and I believe all the rest acknowledge it in their hearts. While the people retain their virtue, and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government, in the short space of four years. Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? Will springs from the two elements of moral sense and self interest With high hope for the future, no prediction is ventured. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed. With the catching end the pleasures of the chase. With the catching ends the pleasure of the chase With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die. Yet, if God wills that (this war) continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be repaid by another drawn with the sword, You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could do for themselves. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves. You have heard the story, haven't you, about the man who was tarred and feathered and carried out of town on a rail? A man in the crowd asked him how he liked it. His reply was that if it was not for the honor of the thing, he would much rather walk. You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time. [I feel] somewhat like the boy in Kentucky who stubbed his toe while running to see his sweetheart. The boy said he was too big to cry, and far too badly hurt to laugh.