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
It is safe to assert that no government proper ever had a provision in its organic law for its own termination.
Interpretation
Governments are designed to perpetuate themselves and rarely include mechanisms for their dissolution.
Abraham Lincoln's quote suggests that governments are inherently structured for self-preservation and continuity. This implies that in their foundational laws, there are typically no provisions that allow for their own dissolution, highlighting the nature of authority and governance where entities prioritize their survival and stability over potential reform or closure.
In practice
During a debate on governmental reform, one might quote Lincoln to emphasize the challenges of dismantling existing power structures.
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.
Sports is to war as pornography is to sex. We get to exercise some ancient, ancient drives.
An extravagance is something that your spirit thinks is a necessity.
From a hologrammatic viewpoint, ...you are one little physical image that reflects all of humanity when projected spiritually upon the cosmic screen.
If the militarily most powerful and least threatened states need nuclear weapons for their security, how can one deny such security to countries that are truly insecure? The present nuclear policy is a recipe for proliferation. It is a policy for disaster.
The exercise of natural rights has no limits but such as will ensure their enjoyment to other members of society.
Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order for us to be tested, we must face challenges and difficulties. These can break us, and the surface of our souls may crack and crumble-that is, if our foundations of faith, our testimonies of truth are not deeply embedded within us.
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