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
No policy that does not rest upon some philosophical public opinion can be permanently maintained.
Interpretation
Policies require the support of the public's philosophical beliefs to endure.
Abraham Lincoln's quote emphasizes the importance of public opinion grounded in philosophical reasoning as a cornerstone for any enduring policy. Without a strong philosophical foundation that resonates with the populace, policies are likely to fail or be rejected, underscoring the interplay between belief and governance.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of civic engagement, one might use this quote to highlight the role of public opinion in shaping policies.
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.
Civil officials have no business meddling in private religious affairs.
From childhood's hour I have not been. As others were, I have not seen. As others saw, I could not awaken. My heart to joy at the same tone. And all I loved, I loved alone.
This is the reason we cannot complain of life: it keeps no one against his will.
Fear, prejudice, malice, and the love of approbation bribe a thousand men where gold bribes one.
The assignment of purpose to everything is called teleology. Children are native teleologists, and many never grow out of it.
...the very cannibalism of the counterrevolution will convince the nations that there is only one way in which the murderous death agonies of the old society and the bloody birth throes of the new society can be shortened, simplified and concentrated, and that way is revolutionary terror.
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