Abraham Lincoln Quotes

May the Almighty grant that the cause of truth, justice, and humanity, shall in no wise suffer at my hands.

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.

I do not doubt that our country will finally come through safe and undivided. But do not misunderstand me... I do not rely on the patriotism of our people... the bravery and devotion of the boys in blue... (or) the loyalty and skill of our generals... But the God of our fathers, Who raised up this country to be the refuge and asylum of the oppressed and downtrodden of all nations, will not let it perish now. I may not live to see it... I do not expect to see it, but God will bring us through safe.

He who represents himself has a fool for a client

None seemed to think the injury arose from the use of a bad thing but from the abuse of a very good thing

He who molds the public sentiment... makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to make.

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 latest generation.

I never tire of reading Tom Paine.

That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.

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.

I have an irrepressible desire to live till I can be assured that the world is a little better for my having lived in it.

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; asbad and good.

At 50, if you are on a diet on your birthday, you can't eat a piece of your birthday cake. So grab two, a piece in each hand and, lo and behold, you will be on a balanced diet! Happy birthday, old chum!

Four score 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.

With educated people, I suppose, punctuation is a matter of rule; with me it is a matter of feeling. But I must say I have a great respect for the semicolin; it's a useful little chap

The Democracy of to-day hold the liberty of one man to be absolutely nothing, when in conflict with another mans right of property. Republicans, on the contrary, are for both the man and the dollar; but in cases of conflict, the man before the dollar.

I dared not trust the case on the presumption that the court knows everything. In fact, I argued it on the presumption that the court didn't know anything.

As the problems are new, we must disenthrall ourselves from the past.

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 am used to it.

Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.

Most people are as happy as they want to be.

If I am killed, I can die by once; but to live in constant dread of it, is to die over and over again.

Don't swap horses in the middle of the stream.

It has been said that one bad general is better than two good ones, and the saying is true if taken to mean no more than that an army is better directed by a single mind, though inferior, than by two superior ones at variance and cross-purposes with each other.

Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.

Destroy your enemy by making him your friend.

I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe.

Persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should be adopted to influence the conduct of men. The opposite course would be a reversal of human nature, which is God's decree and can never be reversed.

With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.

Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration

Great men are ordinary men with extra ordinary determination.

The Cause of civil liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one, or even one hundred defeats.

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. 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.

Some single mind must be master, else there will be no agreement in anything.

A nation may be said to consist of its territory, its people, and its laws. The territory is the only part which is of certain durability.

Most governments have been based, practically, on the denial of equal rights of menours began, by affirming those rights. They said, some men are too ignorant, and vicious, to share in government. Possibly so, said we; and, by your system, you would always keep them ignorant, and vicious. We proposed to give all a chance; and we expected the weak to grow stronger, the ignorant wiser; and all better, and happier together.

My Dear McClellan, if you don't want to use the army I should like to borrow it for a while. Yours respectfully.

Now, at the end of three years struggle the nation's condition is not what either party, or any man devised, or expected. God alone can claim it.

With this honor devolves upon you also a corresponding responsibility. As the country herein trusts you, so under God it will sustain you.

The leading rule for a man of every calling is diligence; never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

I wish to see, in process of disappearing, that only thing which ever could bring this nation to civil war.

He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.

Discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want most.

The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.

I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to.

You cannot have the right to do what is wrong!

I ... ran for Legislature [in 1832] ... and was beaten-the only time I have been beaten by the people.