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We must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued.
Abraham Lincoln
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the moral obligation to fight against oppression or face the consequences of submission.

Abraham Lincoln's quote reflects the profound belief in the necessity of promoting freedom and combating slavery. It conveys that the struggle for the liberation of enslaved individuals is not only a matter of justice but a direct reflection of one's own integrity and humanity; to ignore this fight is to risk becoming complicit in the very oppression that one aims to eliminate.

Themes

FreedomSlaveryJusticeCourageOppression

In practice

Example use cases

This quote would be powerful in a speech advocating for social justice.

More from Abraham Lincoln

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.
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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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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.
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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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