There’s no one quite like Abraham Lincoln. He was the 16th president of the United States, and he is still considered one of the most influential leaders in American history. Lincoln was known for his wisdom and his ability to think outside the box.
He was also a great orator, which helped him win the Civil War and keep the country together. In this article, we will explore some of Lincoln’s best quotes and see what wisdom they hold for us today!
About Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was one of the most influential figures in American history. He was born in 1809 in Kentucky, and he eventually moved to Illinois, where he began his political career.
Lincoln rose to prominence as an opponent of slavery, and he was elected as the 16th president of the United States on 4th March 1861. During his tenure, Lincoln oversaw the country during some of its darkest hours, including the Civil War. He was assassinated in 1865, but his legacy endures to this day.
Lincoln was a champion of democracy and equality, and his accomplishments changed the course of American history. He remains an inspirational figure for people all over the world, and his life story is truly incredible.
Here are the best Abraham Lincoln Quotes
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot and killed Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, while attending a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. It was a very sad day in American history.
Lincoln was a great man and an even greater president. He fought for democracy and equality, and he helped to keep the United States together during some very tough times. His quotes are still relevant today, and they offer us a lot of wisdom and insight.
1. “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” — Abraham Lincoln
In today’s society, it’s easy to get caught up in appearances and forget what’s important. We often judge people based on their reputation rather than taking the time to get to know them as a person. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Just because someone has a good reputation doesn’t mean they’re a good person.
And just because someone has a bad reputation doesn’t mean they’re a bad person. It’s important to remember that we are all human beings with flaws and virtues, and it’s only by getting to know someone that we can begin to understand them.
2. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
3. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
4. “Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
5. “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” — Abraham Lincoln
6. “Human action can be modified to some extent, but human nature cannot be changed.” — Abraham Lincoln
7. “Love is the chain to lock a child to its parent.” — Abraham Lincoln
8. “There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes.” — Abraham Lincoln
9. “You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry.” — Abraham Lincoln
10. “Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.” — Abraham Lincoln
11. “He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.” — Abraham Lincoln
The above quote speaks to the importance of having empathy for those we seek to help. Too often, people offer criticism without taking the time to truly understand the situation.
However, as Lincoln recognized, true compassion comes from those who are willing to put themselves in another person’s shoes and see the world through their eyes. Only then can we offer the kind of help that is truly needed. By offering our hearts as well as our hands, we can make a real difference in the lives of others.
12. “Tact: the ability to describe others as they see themselves.” — Abraham Lincoln
13. “A farce or comedy is best played; a tragedy is best read at home.” — Abraham Lincoln
14. “Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.” — Abraham Lincoln
15. “For people who like that kind of a book that is the kind of book they will like.” — Abraham Lincoln
16. “I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot.” — Abraham Lincoln
17. “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.” — Abraham Lincoln
18. “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” — Abraham Lincoln
19. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” — Abraham Lincoln
20. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” — Abraham Lincoln
Have you ever spoken up in a situation only to regret it later? It can be tempting to join in on a conversation or offer our opinion on a topic, even when we’re not entirely sure what we’re talking about. After all, it’s better to be part of the conversation than to sit silent and be seen as uninterested or uninformed.
However, as Abraham Lincoln has quoted, It’s better to stay quiet and maintain some mystery than to open our mouths and insert our feet. In other words, it’s better to be thought of as a Fool than act like one.
21. “Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.” — Abraham Lincoln
22. “Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will regret it all your life.” — Abraham Lincoln
23. “And in the end it is not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” — Abraham Lincoln
24. “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” — Abraham Lincoln
25. “Every man’s happiness is his own responsibility.” — Abraham Lincoln
26. “If I am killed, I can die but once; but to live in constant dread of it, is to die over and over again.” — Abraham Lincoln
27. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln
28. “I would rather be a little nobody, then to be an evil somebody.” — Abraham Lincoln
29. “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 that day.” — Abraham Lincoln
30. “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other thing.” — Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was one of the most successful presidents in American history, and it’s no coincidence that he was also a man who possessed an unshakable resolve. Lincoln faced many challenges during his lifetime, both personal and political, but he never wavered in his commitment to achieving his goals.
In difficult times, it can be easy to give up and accept defeat, but as Lincoln knew, it is often those who maintain their resolution who ultimately find success. No matter what obstacles you face in life, always remember that your determination is the most important factor in achieving your goals.
31. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
32. “I have a congenital aversion to failure.” — Abraham Lincoln
33.“I happen temporarily to occupy this big White House. I am living witness that any one of your children may look to come here as my father’s child has.” — Abraham Lincoln
34. “The greatest fine art of the future will be the making of a comfortable living from a small piece of land.” — Abraham Lincoln
35. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
36. “And 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.” — Abraham Lincoln
37. “Human nature will not change. In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we shall have as weak and as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as good.” — Abraham Lincoln
38. “What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.” — Abraham Lincoln
39. “Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others.” — Abraham Lincoln
40. “I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.” — Abraham Lincoln
The quote by Abraham Lincoln is often misunderstood. People take it to mean that he was a victim of circumstances and that he had no control over what happened to him. However, that is not what Lincoln was saying at all.
What he was trying to convey is that he was not a master of events but rather that he was controlled by them. He did not try to manipulate or control the course of history but instead, let events unfold as they would. In other words, he let go of his ego and allowed destiny to take its course. As a result, Lincoln achieved greatness not because he controlled events but because he allowed himself to be controlled by them.
41. “I know not how to aid you, save in the assurance of one of mature age, and much severe experience, that you can not fail, if you resolutely determine, that you will not.” — Abraham Lincoln
42.“What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?”— Abraham Lincoln
43. “I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me, and in the arrangement, I have the best of the bargain.”— Abraham Lincoln
44. “The demon of intemperance ever seems to have delighted in sucking the blood of genius and of generosity.” — Abraham Lincoln
45. “This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.” — Abraham Lincoln
46. “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” — Abraham Lincoln
47. “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free — honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.” — Abraham Lincoln
48. “You think slavery is right and should be extended; while we think slavery is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub. It certainly is the only substantial difference between us.” — Abraham Lincoln
49. “The one victory we can ever call complete will be that one which proclaims that there is not one slave or one drunkard on the face of God’s green earth.” — Abraham Lincoln
50. “All I ask for the negro is that if you do not like him, let him alone. If God gave him but little, that little let him enjoy.” — Abraham Lincoln
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln is asking people to stop judging and mistreating black people. He acknowledges that they have not been dealt the best hand in life but argues that everyone deserves to enjoy what little they have. This quote speaks to the issue of racism and how it has been wielded as a tool of oppression for centuries.
Lincoln’s words are still relevant today as we continue to fight for equality and justice for all. His message is one of compassion and understanding, and it is a reminder that we should not judge others based on the color of their skin. We are all human beings deserving of respect and dignity, no matter our differences.
51. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
52. “No man is good enough to govern another man, without that other’s consent. I say this is the leading principle–the sheet anchor of American republicanism.” — Abraham Lincoln
53.“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” — Abraham Lincoln
54. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
55.“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” — Abraham Lincoln
56. “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 the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.” — Abraham Lincoln
57. “In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book.” — Abraham Lincoln
58.“I can make a General in five minutes but a good horse is hard to replace.” — Abraham Lincoln
59. “I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.” — Abraham Lincoln
60. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
The above quote teaches us that we must stand up for what we believe in. Too often, we are afraid to speak out or take action because we feel like we are powerless. However, if we have faith that what we are doing is right, then we will be able to muster the strength to see it through.
This quote calls on us to have the courage to stand up for our beliefs, even when the odds seem insurmountable. When we are driven by a sense of duty and a belief in justice, we can accomplish great things.
61. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
62.“My father taught me to work, but not 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.” — Abraham Lincoln
63.“If we have no friends, we have no pleasure; and if we have them, we are sure to lose them, and be doubly pained by the loss.” — Abraham Lincoln
64.“I distrust the wisdom if not the sincerity of friends who would hold my hands while my enemies stab me.” — Abraham Lincoln
65. “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.” — Abraham Lincoln
66. “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” — Abraham Lincoln
67. “I cannot make it better known than it already is that I strongly favor colonization.” — Abraham Lincoln
68. “Whatever you are, be a good one.” — Abraham Lincoln
69. “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.” — Abraham Lincoln
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln is discussing the conflict that often arises between a person’s love of property and their sense of right and wrong. He observes that these two impulses can often lead a person to behave in ways that appear contradictory or confusing to others.
This conflict is inherent to human beings, and it is something that we all must grapple with on a daily basis. We are constantly torn between our desire to protect what we have and our need to do what is right.
Sometimes, the only way to resolve this conflict is to make a difficult choice. However, as Lincoln suggests, even when our choices seem incomprehensible to others, we should always remember that we are acting out of our deepest convictions and beliefs.
Let’s Wind up
Abraham Lincoln is one of the most celebrated presidents in American history. He was known for his brilliant speeches and quotes that still inspire people today. We hope you enjoyed reading these as much as we enjoyed finding them.
If you have any favorite Lincoln quotes or stories, please share them with us in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!