I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Abraham LincolnRead
Among the friends of Union, there is great diversity of sentiment and of policy in regard to slavery and the African race among us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lincoln acknowledges differing views on slavery and race among his supporters.
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln reflects on the varied opinions and policies held by those who support the Union during the Civil War. He highlights the complexity of the issue of slavery and race, suggesting that even within a shared goal, there exists a significant diversity of thought and sentiment regarding these pressing moral and social issues.
Themes
SlaveryRaceDiversityUnionPolicy
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about historical perspectives on race, this quote by Lincoln can illustrate the complexity of views.
More from Abraham Lincoln
All quotes βSir, 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.
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Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
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How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg.
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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 country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier.
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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.
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I think if a physician wrote on a death certificate that old age was the cause of death, he'd be thrown out of the union. There is always some final event, some failure of an organ, some last attack of pneumonia, that finishes off a life. No one dies of old age.
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I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents.
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I want to die a slave to principles. Not to men.
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I have taken care of everything in the course of my life, only not for death, and now I have to die completely unprepared.
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