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
We must free the slaves or be ourselves subdued.
Interpretation
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.
In practice
This quote would be powerful in a speech advocating for social justice.
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.
I thought that the chief thing to be done in order to equal boys was to be learned and courageous. So I decided to study Greek and learn to manage a horse.
I would rather die a thousand deaths than surrender.
I had a series of childhood illnesses... scarlet fever.... pneumonia.... Polio. I walked with braces until I was at least nine years old. My life wasn't like the average person who grew up and decided to enter the world of sports.
Let no one think of me that I am humble or weak or passive; let them understand I am of a different kind: dangerous to my enemies, loyal to my friends. To such a life glory belongs.
My mother is a fighter. After she battled polio and learned to walk again, the doctors told her she would be a cripple her entire life. Instead of accepting defeat, she refused this fate and went on to become the West African Women's Singles tennis champion in college.
You see, in this world, there's two kinds of people, my friend - those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.
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