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 don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our legacy should be defined not by our predecessors but by our own actions and character.
This quote emphasizes the importance of personal accountability and the legacy we create through our own choices rather than the achievements or status of our ancestors. Lincoln suggests that one's future and identity are shaped by individual decisions and actions rather than lineage.
Themes
LegacyIndividualityIdentityResponsibilityFuture
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech to inspire students to focus on their own paths.
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.
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.
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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.
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
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I wiped away the weeds and foam, I fetched my sea-born treasures home; But the poor, unsightly, noisome things Had left their beauty on the shore, With the sun and the sand and the wild uproar.
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The long habit of living indisposeth us for dying.
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