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
The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence. Leave nothing for to-morrow which can be done to-day.
Interpretation
Diligence is essential in any profession; do not procrastinate tasks.
Abraham Lincoln emphasizes the importance of diligence in all professions, suggesting that one should tackle tasks promptly rather than putting them off. This principle of maintaining a strong work ethic and addressing responsibilities today fosters a productive and effective approach to work and life.
In practice
In a motivational speech for students about the importance of time management.
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.
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.
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
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.
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.
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.
Doing an injury puts you below your enemy; revenging one make you but even with him; forgiving it sets you above him.
Oneβs objective should be to get it right, get it quick, get it out and get it over. Your problem wonβt improve with age.
When learned men begin to use their reason, then I generally discover that they haven't got any.
Every human being should be taught that his first duty is to take care of himself, and that to be self-respecting he must be self-supporting. To live on the labor of others, either by force which enslaves, or by cunning which robs, or by borrowing or begging, is wholly dishonorable. Every man should be taught some useful art.
Ideas are useless unless used. The proof of their value is in their implementation. Until then, they are in limbo.
I remember once going to see him [Ramanujan] when he was lying ill at Putney. I had ridden in taxi-cab No. 1729, and remarked that the number seemed to me rather a dull one, and that I hoped it was not an unfavourable omen. "No," he replied, "it is a very interesting number; it is the smallest number expressible as a sum of two cubes in two different ways."
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