Abraham Lincoln, America's 16th President, is often hailed for his wisdom, leadership, and eloquent speeches. His words, drawn from a deep well of empathy and experience, continue to inspire generations. In this article, we explore 10 different facets of Lincoln's enduring wisdom through some of his most profound quotes. Whether it’s leadership, perseverance, or freedom, these quotes offer timeless insights. Each section contains 12 quotes, reflecting on various themes and shedding light on Lincoln's profound impact on society. His words remind us of the power of resilience, integrity, and the human spirit.
Lincoln on Leadership Quotes
"Whatever you are, be a good one."
"I am a slow walker, but I never walk back."
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."
"The best way to predict your future is to create it."
"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow."
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."
"Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it."
"I walk slowly, but I never walk backward."
"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."
"Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most."
"I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down."
Lincoln on Perseverance Quotes
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
"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."
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle."
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
"I do the very best I know how, the very best I can."
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true."
"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later."
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."
"The possibility of failure should not deter the resolution of a noble purpose."
"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."
Lincoln on Freedom Quotes
"Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves."
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."
"America will never be destroyed from the outside."
"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy."
"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
"No man is good enough to govern another man without the other’s consent."
"If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong."
"Those who write their own stories live in exile."
"My great concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right."
"I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong."
"We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing."
"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
Lincoln on Equality Quotes
"All men are created equal."
"Important principles may and must be inflexible."
"Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
"No man is good enough to govern another man without the other’s consent."
"Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can."
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
"Stand with anyone that is right, stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis."
"All I have learned, I learned from books."
"Achievement has no color."
Lincoln on Success Quotes
"I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end."
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
"Whatever you are, be a good one."
"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow."
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
"If you have never failed you have never lived."
"I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day."
"My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it."
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?"
Lincoln on Integrity Quotes
"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 up to what light I have."
"I have a congenital aversion to failure."
"Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it."
"A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have."
"You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was."
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
"He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help."
"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
"You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence."
"Let's have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it."
"You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist."
Lincoln on Failure Quotes
"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."
"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."
"I am not concerned that you have fallen — I am concerned that you arise."
"You cannot fail unless you quit, and you are not beaten as long as you will keep fighting."
"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."
"Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
"I would rather be a little nobody, then to be an evil somebody."
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts."
"You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence."
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."
Lincoln on Democracy Quotes
"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."
"The ballot is stronger than the bullet."
"Elections belong to the people.
"I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day."
"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."
"I am a slow walker, but I never walk back."
"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."
"I distrust the wisdom if not the sincerity of friends who would hold my hands while my enemies stab me."
"Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can."
"My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure."
"To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men."
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right."
Lincoln on Wisdom Quotes
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
"Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?"
"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."
"I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life."
"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
"Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it."
"When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."
"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
"You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was."
"The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly."
Lincoln on Justice Quotes
"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."
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right."
"I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."
"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion."
"No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent."
"I am a firm believer in the people."
"Stand with anyone that is right, stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other."
"Whatever you are, be a good one."
"I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end."
"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."
"It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him."
Final words
Abraham Lincoln’s wisdom transcends time, resonating with the challenges and triumphs of the human experience. His words carry profound truths that are as relevant today as they were in his era. By examining these 120 quotes, we gain insight into Lincoln’s values and how they apply to various aspects of life. They remind us of the importance of doing good, leading with integrity, and striving for equality. Lincoln's legacy serves as a guiding light, pushing us towards introspection and action. Let these words inspire you to create a world more aligned with justice, mindfulness, and sincere leadership—principles that Lincoln held dear and visualized for the future. Let his insights be a reminder to each of us of the potential of human endeavor, motivated by empathy and guided by unwavering principle.
