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
If ever this free people, if this Government itself is ever utterly demoralized, it will come from this incessant human wriggle and struggle for office, which is but a way to live without work.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lincoln warns that a government's corruption and moral decay may stem from people seeking power for personal gain rather than contributing meaningfully to society.
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln reflects on the potential dangers to a democratic society when individuals prioritize their ambition and personal gain over genuine service to the public. He suggests that when people seek office solely for power, without commitment to work or integrity, it can lead to a moral decline in both the government and its citizens, ultimately damaging the fabric of democracy itself.
Themes
DemocracyGovernmentCorruptionIntegrityServiceAmbition
In practice
Example use cases
During a political debate, to illustrate the importance of integrity in leadership.
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
Democracy only has substance if there's the rule of law. That is, if people believe that the votes are going to be counted, and they are counted. If they believe that there's a judiciary out there that will make sense of things if there's some challenge. If there isn't rule of law, people will be afraid to vote the way they want to vote.
Timothy D. SnyderRead
The soviet people want full-blooded and unconditional democracy.
Mikhail GorbachevRead
Republicans don't like people to talk about depressions. You can hardly blame them for that. You remember the old saying: Don't talk about rope in the house where somebody has been hanged.
Harry S. TrumanRead
The key to U.N. reform is giving Americans a clearer picture of what the U.N. is and what it isn't, what it can be and what it can't be.
Samantha PowerRead
People in debt become hopeless and hopeless people don't vote. They always say that that everyone should vote but I think that if the poor in Britain or the United States turned out and voted for people that represented their interests there would be a real democratic revolution.
Tony BennRead
It is dressed into speeches about patriotism, love of country...but the profits...skyrocket.
Smedley ButlerRead