Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) was the 16th president of the United States 1861–65 and one of the great American leaders. The American Civil War dominated his presidency.
Not much is known about the early life of Lincoln. He was born in a log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky. His family was poor, and Lincoln lost his mother at nine, completed just one year of traditional schooling, spent his youth in Indiana, and did manual labor until he was 21.
Lincoln pursued self-education by reading books on grammar and rhetoric and joined a debating society. At age 27, after years of private study of law, he obtained a license to practice and eventually became one of Illinois’s ablest lawyers. Lincoln also worked his way through the Illinois State Legislature and got elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He gained popularity for his down-to-earth wit, integrity, and opposition to the institution of slavery.
Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War held the country together through the worst moral, constitutional, and political crisis in its history. On 9-April-1865, the Confederate general Robert E Lee surrendered and ending the war. It had lasted for more than four years, and 600,000 Americans had died. Six days later, Lincoln was shot while attending a performance at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. and died the next morning. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was a strong supporter of the Confederacy.
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is celebrated for its reaffirmation of a founding principle of the United States: that all humans are born equal.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Abraham Lincoln
Every blade of grass is a study; and to produce two, where there was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure.
—Abraham Lincoln
I don’t know who my grandfather was; I’m much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.
—Abraham Lincoln
It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels he is worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: God, Values, Religion
If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance.
—Abraham Lincoln
I agree with you, Mr. Chairman, that the working men are the basis of all governments, for the plain reason that they are the more numerous, and as you added that those were the sentiments of the gentlemen present, representing not only the working class, but citizens of other callings than those of the mechanic, I am happy to concur with you in these sentiments, not only of the native born citizens, but also of the Germans and foreigners from other countries.
—Abraham Lincoln
With the catching ends the pleasures of the chase.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Success, Pleasure
I am exceedingly anxious that this Union, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the original idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be most happy indeed if I shall be an humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty, and of this, his almost chosen people, for perpetuating the object of that great struggle.
—Abraham Lincoln
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.
—Abraham Lincoln
I am superstitious. I have scarcely known a party, preceding an election, to call in help from the neighboring states, but they lost the state.
—Abraham Lincoln
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 reckon will give you a good lift.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Happiness, Worry
It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.
—Abraham Lincoln
He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.
—Abraham Lincoln
I take it that it is best for all to leave each man free to acquire property as fast as he can. Some will get wealthy. I don’t believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; it would do more harm than good.
—Abraham Lincoln
A man watches his pear tree day after day, impatient for the ripening of the fruit. Let him attempt to force the process, and he may spoil both fruit and tree. But let him patiently wait, and the ripe fruit at length falls into his lap.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Life
Nothing valuable can be lost by taking time.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Time
He said that he felt like the boy that stumped his toe, it hurt too bad to laugh, and he was too big to cry.
—Abraham Lincoln
Few can be induced to labor exclusively for posterity. Posterity has done nothing for us.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: History
I am struggling to maintain the government, not to overthrow it. I am struggling especially to prevent others from overthrowing it.
—Abraham Lincoln
Don’t worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Worry
I know there is a God, and that He hates injustice and slavery. I see the storm coming, and I know that His hand is in it. If he has a place and work for meand I think He hasI believe I am ready.
—Abraham Lincoln
The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Failures, Mistakes, Justice, Failure
Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Confidence, Attitude, Self-reliance, Happiness, Feelings
My old father used to have a saying: If you make a bad bargain, hug it all the tighter.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Money
If you look for the bad in people expecting to find it, you surely will.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: People
This extraordinary war in which we are engaged falls heavily upon all classes of people, but the most heavily upon the soldier. For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his countrys cause. The highest merit, then, is due to the soldier.
—Abraham Lincoln
It is better, then, to save the work while it is begun. You have done the labor; maintain it, keep it. If men choose to serve you, go with them; but as you have made up your organization upon principle, stand by it; for, as surely as God reigns over you, and has inspired your mind, and given you a sense of propriety, and continues to give you hope, so surely will you still cling to these ideas, and you will at last come back after your wanderings, merely to do your work over again.
—Abraham Lincoln
No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.
—Abraham Lincoln
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Determination, Success, Success & Failure, Desire, Enthusiasm, Commitment, Dedication
The President to-night has a dream:He was in a party of plain people, and, as it became known who he was, they began to comment on his appearance. One of them said:He is a very common-looking man. The President replied:The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is the reason he makes so many of them.
—Abraham Lincoln
The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships.
—Abraham Lincoln
The strongest bond of human sympathy, outside of the family relation, should be one uniting all working people, of all nations, and tongues, and kindreds. Nor should this lead us to a war upon property, or the owners of property. Property is the fruit of labor; property is desirable; is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich and, hence, is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus, by example, assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Poverty, Wealth, Role models, Example, Encouragement
I believe each individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases with himself and the fruit of his labor, so far as it in no wise interferes with any other man’s rights.
—Abraham Lincoln
Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?
—Abraham Lincoln
As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Democracy
Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then these?, any man might instantly use what another had invented; so that the inventor had no special advantage from his own invention. The patent system changed this; secured to the inventor, for a limited time, the exclusive use of his invention; and thereby added the fuel of interest to the fire of genius, in the discovery and production of new and useful things.
—Abraham Lincoln
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.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Change, Vision
In the early days of the world, the Almighty said to the first of our race In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread; and since then, if we except the light and the air of heaven, no good thing has been, or can be enjoyed by us, without having first cost labour. And inasmuch as most good things are produced by labour, it follows that all such things of right belong to those whose labour has produced them. But it has so happened in all ages of the world, that some have labored, and others have, without labour, enjoyed a large proportion of the fruits. This is wrong, and should not continue. To secure to each labourer the whole product of his labour, or as nearly as possible, is a most worthy object of any good government.
—Abraham Lincoln
I am glad to know that there is a system of labor where the laborer can strike if he wants to! I would to God that such a system prevailed all over the world.
—Abraham Lincoln
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.
—Abraham Lincoln
Topics: Criticism, Critics
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.
—Abraham Lincoln
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