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 am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Lincoln expresses a deep moral conviction against slavery, suggesting that if slavery can be justified, then no act can be considered wrong.
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln articulates his profound opposition to slavery, emphasizing that his anti-slavery stance is a fundamental aspect of his moral beliefs. He reflects on the absolute nature of his conviction, arguing that the existence of slavery undermines the very essence of right and wrong. Despite his strong personal feelings, he acknowledges the limitations of his presidential power, indicating a sense of responsibility and restraint in acting upon his moral judgments when it comes to governance.
Themes
SlaveryMoralConvictionPresidencyResponsibility
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about human rights, one might quote Lincoln to emphasize the importance of standing against injustice.
More from Abraham Lincoln
All quotes →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.
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.
Abraham LincolnRead
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
Similar quotes
My books are not 'political.' I don't make political demands. They actually describe life. But when we look at human life, politics creeps in everywhere.
Olga TokarczukRead
Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
Matsuo BashoRead
At male strip shows, it is still the women that we watch, the audience of women and their eager faces. They are more obscene than if they were dancing naked themselves.
Jean BaudrillardRead
You need an infinite stretch of time ahead of you to start to think, infinite energy to make the smallest decision. The world is getting denser. The immense number of useless projects is bewildering. Too many things have to be put in to balance up an uncertain scale. You can't disappear anymore. You die in a state of total indecision.
Jean BaudrillardRead
The justification and the purpose of freedom of speech is not to indulge those who want to speak their minds. It is to prevent error and discover truth. There may be other ways of detecting error and discovering truth than that of free discussion, but so far we have not found them.
Henry Steele CommagerRead
Prostitution, although hounded, imprisoned, and chained, is nevertheless the greatest triumph of Puritanism.
Emma GoldmanRead