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
If I like a thing, it just sticks after once reading it or hearing it.
Interpretation
People tend to remember things they enjoy or find interesting after encountering them only once.
This quote by Abraham Lincoln emphasizes the power of personal connection and appreciation in the learning process. When individuals engage with ideas or experiences that resonate with them, they tend to retain those memories and insights more effectively than through forced repetition or obligation.
In practice
In a motivational speech about the importance of following one's passions, one could use this quote to illustrate how intrinsic interest enhances retention.
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.
A principle is a principle and in no case can it be watered down because of our incapacity to live it in practice. We have to strive to achieve it, and the striving should be conscious, deliberate and hard.
An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher.
We may give advice, but not the sense to use it.
You can't get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by not quite knowing what you're doing. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself.
Good nature is worth more than knowledge, more than money, more than honor, to the persons who possess it.
I think time management as a label encourages people to view each 24-hour period as a slot in which they should pack as much as possible.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.