Abraham Lincoln, often regarded as one of the most influential presidents of the United States, left a legacy not only with his leadership but also with his profound wisdom. His quotes resonate through time, touching on themes of leadership, perseverance, human rights, and integrity. In this article, we explore ten different aspects of his enduring quotes. Each subtitle presents a unique perspective on Lincoln’s words, providing insight into both historical and contemporary applications. We delve into leadership, perseverance, human coexistence, freedom, democracy, change, wisdom, humor, honesty, and unity. These quotes serve as a guide to understanding both Lincoln’s era and our modern times. Let’s explore the richness of Abraham Lincoln’s quotes and unravel his timeless wisdom.
Leadership Quotes
"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."
"The best way to predict your future is to create it."
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
"Whatever you are, be a good one."
"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
"A leader of others is a leader of himself first."
"I am a slow walker, but I never walk back."
"The people will save their government if the government itself will allow them."
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."
"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."
Perseverance Quotes
"I am not concerned that you have fallen; I am concerned that you arise."
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
"I will prepare and someday my chance will come."
"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
"Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most."
"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle."
"Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
"That some achieve great success is proof to all that others can achieve it as well."
"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses."
"I walk slowly, but I never walk backward."
"All I have learned, I learned from books."
Human Rights Quotes
"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."
"Whatever you are, be a good one."
"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
"Equal rights for all, special privileges for none."
"Give me liberty, or give me death."
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."
"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan."
"No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent."
"I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country's cause."
"It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him."
"Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived."
"Important principles may, and must, be inflexible."
Freedom Quotes
"This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it."
"If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it."
"Freedom is the last, best hope of earth."
"To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men."
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy."
"Freedom is the open window through which pours the sunlight of the human spirit and human dignity."
"I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal."
"I do not believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; it would do more harm than good."
"I hold, that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual."
"If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
"Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it."
"Avoid popularity if you would have peace."
Democracy Quotes
"Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors to bullets."
"The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next."
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."
"To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary."
"The legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done."
"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us."
"The United States can never be destroyed from the outside."
"The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator."
"You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves."
"If elected, I shall be thankful; if not, it will be all the same."
"That is the real issue. That is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent."
"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Quotes on Change
"As our case is new, we must think and act anew."
"We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
"I don't like that man. I must get to know him better."
"The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land."
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
"Every man's happiness is his own responsibility."
"The old general rule was that educated people did not perform manual labor."
"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues."
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us."
Wisdom Quotes
"Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition."
"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."
"My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read."
"Achievement has no color."
"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow."
"The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."
"Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them."
"Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality."
"I am a firm believer in the people."
"If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis."
"The great point is to bring them the real facts."
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength."
Humor Quotes
"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"
"There are no bad pictures; that's just how your face looks sometimes."
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
"Whatever you are, be a good one."
"Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new after all."
"Everybody likes a compliment."
"I can make more generals, but horses cost money."
"The best gift you can give someone is your time."
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses."
"He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas better than any man I ever met."
"Go ahead. Try to deny it."
"There's magic in the flip of a pen."
Honesty Quotes
"Truth is generally the best vindication against slander."
"I am a firm believer in people."
"Live a good life and in the end, it's not the years in a life, but the life in the years."
"Reputation is fine; character is final."
"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count."
"The truth is your true friend."
"A new birth of freedom."
"Men are not flattered by being shown that there has been a difference of purpose between them and their Creator."
"What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself."
"That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well."
"I do the best I know how, the very best I can."
"And I mean to keep doing so till the end."
Unity Quotes
"We are not enemies, but friends."
"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."
"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."
"I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me."
"Mutual respect doesn't cost anything."
"The ballot is stronger than the bullet."
"Stand with anybody that stands right."
"Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong."
"I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country's cause."
"The time comes upon every public man when he must seek the means of allaying public anxiety by positive action."
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
"With charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right."
Final words
Abraham Lincoln's words have traversed through time, holding relevance due to their deep roots in human values and universality. The power of his quotes lies in the fine balance between wisdom and pragmatism, presenting a reflective lens on society's core ideals. From leadership and perseverance to humor and democracy, his insights have touched on various aspects of life's journey. These quotes inspire modern readers to exhibit integrity and resilience in facing challenges. Through his language of unity, Lincoln encourages a vision where understanding and mutual respect pave the way for collective progress. As we internalize his messages, let us aim to embody the virtues he extolled, fostering a society enriched by empathy, action, and enduring hope.
