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
True patriotism is better than the wrong kind of piety.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Genuine love for one's country surpasses false or misguided religious fervor.
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln emphasizes the importance of true patriotism, which he views as a noble and guiding force, over a misguided sense of piety that may lead individuals to act unethically or harmfully in the name of religion. He suggests that a genuine connection to one's nation and its values is more virtuous than adhering to a superficial or misaligned moral compass rooted in misguided beliefs.
Themes
PatriotismPietyAbraham LincolnValuesMorality
In practice
Example use cases
During a public speech about national unity, one might reference this quote to stress the importance of genuine love for the country over blind faith.
More from Abraham Lincoln
All quotes βSir, 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
The two greatest things that all men aim at in any free government are liberty and permanency. We have had liberty enough - too much perhaps in some respects - but at all events, liberty to our hearts content.
Thomas DRead
The most awful tyranny is that of the proximate Utopia where the last sins are currently being eliminated and where, tomorrow, there will be no more sins because all the sinners will have been wiped out.
Thomas MertonRead
People must not be forced to adopt me as their favourite author, even for their own good.
George Bernard ShawRead
Most of us come to the church by a means the church does not allow.
Flannery O'ConnorRead
We are the children of our landscape; it dictates behavior and even thought in the measure to which we are responsive to it.
Lawrence DurrellRead
No company can be expected to build a nuclear reactor, an oil well, a coal mine, or anything else that's one hundred percent safe under all circumstances. The costs would be prohibitive. It's unreasonable to expect corporations to totally guard against small chances of every potential accident.
Robert ReichRead