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 slow to learn and slow to forget that which I have learned. My mind is like a piece of steel, very hard to scratch any thing on it and almost impossible after you get it there to rub it out.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of learning slowly and retaining knowledge once it is acquired.
Abraham Lincoln reflects on his learning process, suggesting that while he may take time to grasp concepts, the knowledge he does acquire becomes firmly embedded in his mind. The metaphor of a 'piece of steel' illustrates his strong memory and resilience against forgetting, highlighting the value of deliberate and persistent learning.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational seminar about the importance of lifelong learning.
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.
Forgiveness, that noblest of all self-denial, is a virtue which he alone who can practise in himself can willingly believe in another.
Realization is to get rid of the delusion that you have not realized.
Time, the cradle of hope.... Wisdom walks before it, opportunity with it, and repentance behind it: he that has made it his friend will have little to fear from his enemies, but he that has made it his enemy will have little to hope from his friends.
Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who's going to have a great idea.
The lack of wealth is easily repaired but the poverty of the soul is irreplaceable.
We're professional worriers. You're constantly imagining things that could go wrong and then writing about them.
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