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
I have just read your dispatch about sore-tongued and fatigued horses, Will you pardon me for asking what the horses of your army have done since the Battle of Antietam that fatigues anything?
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lincoln questions the effectiveness of a military strategy that leaves horses fatigued without apparent reason.
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln addresses a concern about the condition of the horses in the army, using irony to point out that the horses seem overworked without having engaged in significant activity since a recent battle. This highlights Lincoln's leadership style, which often involved questioning decisions and seeking clarity in order to ensure the well-being of his troops and resources.
Themes
LeadershipMilitaryStrategyCommunicationIrony
In practice
Example use cases
In a leadership seminar discussing effective communication in the military.
More from Abraham Lincoln
All quotes →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 LincolnRead
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham LincolnRead
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.
Abraham LincolnRead
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.
Abraham LincolnRead
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 LincolnRead
Similar quotes
It is what we prevent, rather than what we do that counts most in Government.
William Lyon Mackenzie KingRead
To add value to others, one must first value others.
John C. MaxwellRead
The most significant barrier to female leadership is the actual lack of females in leadership. The best advice I can give to women is to go out and start something, ideally their own businesses. If you can't see a path for leadership within your own company, go blaze a trail of your own.
Safra A. CatzRead
Where are they now that we, the men whom they sent off to war, have returned? These are commanders who have deserted their troops, and there is no more serious crime in the law of war. The Army says they never leave their wounded. The Marines say they never leave even their dead. These men have left all the casualties and retreated behind a pious shield of public rectitude. They have left the real stuff of their reputation bleaching behind them in the sun in this country.
John F. KerryRead
When you're one of the leaders of the team, there are no days off.
Tom BradyRead
You cannot govern, you cannot administrate, with an ignoramus.
Oriana FallaciRead