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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote illustrates the difference between perception and reality.
Abraham Lincoln's quote highlights that simply labeling something differently does not change its intrinsic nature. In this case, even if one were to call a tail a 'leg,' it does not change the fact that a dog has only four legs. It serves as a metaphor for understanding truth and reality beyond superficial declarations or societal labels.
Themes
TruthRealityPerceptionLabelsPhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about how societal labels can mislead, this quote can emphasize the importance of recognizing truth.
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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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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The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep's throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.
Abraham LincolnRead
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