Here are 30 Inspiring Quotes from Abraham Lincoln. These quotes reflect Abraham Lincoln’s wisdom, leadership, and moral convictions during his life and presidency along with their sources and dates where available:
- “Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Attributed to Lincoln, commonly referenced in collections of Lincoln’s quotes
- “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” – Attributed to Lincoln, from various letters and speeches
- “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” – Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863)
- “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” – Attributed to Lincoln, frequently quoted in Lincoln’s biographies
- “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” – Letter to H.L. Pierce (April 6, 1859)
- “I will prepare and someday my chance will come.” – Attributed to Lincoln, from various writings
- “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” – Attributed to Lincoln, commonly referenced in collections of Lincoln’s quotes.
- “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” – Attributed to Lincoln, referenced in various speeches.
- “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” – Attributed to Lincoln, referenced in various speeches.
- “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” – Attributed to Lincoln, frequently quoted in Lincoln’s biographies.
- “I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.” – Attributed to Lincoln, though the authenticity is debated.
- “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” – Attributed to Lincoln, often cited in Lincoln’s biographies.
- “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” – Attributed to Lincoln, though the origin is debated.
- “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” – Speech in Springfield, Illinois (May 19, 1856)
- “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.” – Speech on the Dred Scott Decision (June 26, 1857)
- “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” – Attributed to Lincoln, though the origin is debated
- “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Attributed to Lincoln, though the origin is debated
- “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” – Attributed to Lincoln, though the origin is debated
- “I do the very best I know how, the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.” – Letter to J.C. Conkling (August 26, 1863)
- “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” – Attributed to Lincoln, though the origin is debated
- “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have.” – Speech to New Jersey Senate (February 21, 1861)
- “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” – Attributed to Lincoln, often quoted in Lincoln biographies
- “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” – Attributed to Lincoln, frequently referenced in biographies
- “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.” – Cooper Union Address (February 27, 1860)
- “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” – Letter to Samuel Galloway (August 24, 1859)
- “Whatever you are, be a good one.” – Attributed to Lincoln, frequently cited in Lincoln biographies
- “No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” – Speech in Peoria, Illinois (October 16, 1854)
- “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.” – Attributed to Lincoln, commonly referenced in Lincoln’s writings
- “That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.” – Letter to Fanny McCullough (December 23, 1862)
- “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Attributed to Lincoln, frequently cited in leadership discussions