[SOURCE: Abe Lincoln Reply to Governor Morton --February 11, 1861].
SOURCE: Abe Lincoln, Reply to Eliza Gurney - October 26, 1862].
For you good friend, to gain a true, perspective, on what these greatest of men truly believed about God, Christ and all-things Divine, you study many of the vitriolic statements by the Founding Fathers that initially SEEM to be "anti-God, anti-Christianity, etc.," and inspect them carefully, you will find virtually 100% of them are:
Personally, this NewtonStein Academy Research Group - which is quite vast and experienced - is not aware of even one single statement . . . by even one of the Founding Fathers . . . that is "against Jesus Christ!"
**Admittedly, these were unusual understandings, but then Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Pat Robertson, Billy Graham, and Jesse Jackson
This type of conversation could continue to fill a book, but suffice it to show that Thomas Jefferson - as he personally claimed - was a "true Christian" . . . the "VERY kind Jesus wanted men to be!"
Many Born-Again scholars also ignore some Founding Fathers' statements (such King James being a flaming homosexual his whole life!)
"There is a tradition among Illinois Disciples that John O"Kane, when state evangelist, discussed the state of Lincoln's soul with him on several occasions; finally he (Lincoln) was convicted (of sin - NOT crime!) and wished to be immersed (baptized).
Abe Lincoln knew that his wife, who had strong Episcopal and Presbyterian social obligations in Springfield, would be greatly embarrassed if it were known that a 'Campbellite' evangelist had baptized him.
But one night, Lincoln slipped away from the house with proper garmets for baptism, met O'Kane and was immersed in the waters of the Sangamon River. There are many evidences of Lincoln's strong Christian Biblical convictions. (Another version tells of his baptism again in Virginia while he was President, that his heart was more for God, than just to have his sins forgiven and escape hell!)
[SOURCE: James DeForest Murch, "Christians Only" - page 155].
[SOURCE: James DeForest Murch, "Christians Only" - page 151].
MOTHER TAUGHT 10 COMMANDMENTS His mother was a godly woman who sat Lincoln upon her knees day after day after day and read to him the Scriptures and encouraged him to remember it. Particularly, she encouraged him to learn the Ten Commandments. (Every parent should certainly have their children memorize the Ten Commandments.)
AMBITION
Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition, is yet to be developed.
--March 9, 1832 First Political Announcement
Towering genius distains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored.
--January 27, 1838 Lyceum Address
You are ambitious, which, within reasonable bounds, does good rather than harm.
--January 26, 1863 Letter to Joseph Hooker
ANARCHYThere is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law.--January 27, 1838 Lyceum Address
John Brown's effort was peculiar. It was not a slave insurrection. It was an attempt by white men to get up a revolt among slaves, in which the slaves refused to participate.
--February 27, 1860 Cooper Union Address
Plainly, the central idea of secession, is the essence of anarchy.--March 4, 1861 Inaugural Address
CONSTITUTION
Let us then turn this government back into the channel in which the framers of the Constitution originally placed it.--July 10, 1858 Speech at Chicago
I have borne a laborious, and, in some respects to myself, a painful part in the contest. Through all, I have neither assailed, nor wrestled with any part of the constitution.
--October 30, 1858 Speech at Springfield
Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties. And not to Democrats alone do I make this appeal, but to all who love these great and true principles.
--August 27, 1856 Speech at Kalamazoo, Michigan
I am exceedingly anxious that this Union, the Constitution, and the liberties of the people shall be perpetuated in accordance with the original idea for which that struggle was made, and I shall be most happy indeed if I shall be an humble instrument in the hands of the Almighty, and of this, his almost chosen people, for perpetuating the object of that great struggle.
--February 21, 1861 Speech to the New Jersey Senate
DANGER
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.--January 27, 1838 Lyceum Address
I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. Kentucky gone, we can not hold Missouri, nor, as I think, Maryland. These all against us, and the job on our hands is too large for us.--September 22, 1861 Letter to Orville Browning
The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.--December 1, 1862 Message to Congress
The proportions of this rebellion were not for a long time understood. I saw that it involved the greatest difficulties, and would call forth all the powers of the whole country.--June 2, 1863 Reply to Members of the Presbyterian General Assembly
In a word, I would not take any risk of being entangled upon the river, like an ox jumped half over a fence, and liable to be torn by dogs, front and rear, without a fair chance to gore one way or kick the other.--June 5, 1863 Letter to Joseph Hooker
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTOf our political revolution of '76, we all are justly proud. It has given us a degree of political freedom, far exceeding that of any other nation of the earth. In it the world has found a solution of the long mooted problem, as to the capability of man to govern himself. In it was the germ which has vegetated, and still is to grow and expand into the universal liberty of mankind.--February 22, 1842 Temperance Address
The legitimate object of government, is to do for a community of people, whatever they need to have done, but can not do, at all, or can not, so well do, for themselves -- in their separate, and individual capacities.--July 1, 1854 [?] Fragment on Government
Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government, practically just so much.--December 10, 1856 Speech at Chicago
Welcome, or unwelcome, agreeable, or disagreeable, whether this shall be an entire slave nation, is the issue before us.--ca. May 18, 1858 Fragment of a Speech
As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy.--ca. August 1, 1858 Fragment on Democracy
I think we have fairly entered upon a durable struggle as to whether this nation is to ultimately become all slave or all free, and though I fall early in the contest, it is nothing if I shall have contributed, in the least degree, to the final rightful result.--December 8, 1858 Letter to H.D. Sharpe
Understanding the spirit of our institutions to aim at the elevation of men, I am opposed to whatever tends to degrade them.--May 17, 1859 Letter to Theodore Canisius
...I do not mean to say that this government is charged with the duty of redressing or preventing all the wrongs in the world; but I do think that it is charged with the duty of preventing and redressing all wrongs which are wrongs to itself.--September 17, 1859 Speech at Cincinnati, Ohio
This is essentially a People's contest. On the side of the Union, it is a struggle for maintaining in the world, that form, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to elevate the condition of men -- to lift artificial weights from all shoulders -- to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all -- to afford all, an unfettered start, and a fair chance, in the race of life.--July 4, 1861 Message to Congress
May our children and our children's children to a thousand generations, continue to enjoy the benefits conferred upon us by a united country, and have cause yet to rejoice under those glorious institutions bequeathed us by Washington and his compeers.--October 4, 1862 Speech at Frederick, Maryland
The restoration of the Rebel States to the Union must rest upon the principle of civil and political equality of both races; and it must be sealed by general amnesty. --January 1864, Letter to James S. Wadsworth
While we must, by all available means, prevent the overthrow of the government, we should avoid planting and cultivating too many thorns in the bosom of society.--March 18, 1864 Letter to Edwin M. Stanton
In this great struggle, this form of Government and every form of human right is endangered if our enemies succeed. There is more involved in this contest than is realized by every one. --August 18, 1864 Speech to the 164th Ohio Regiment
It is not merely for to-day, but for all time to come that we should perpetuate for our children's children this great and free government, which we have enjoyed all our lives. --August 22, 1864 Speech to the One Hundred Sixty-sixth Ohio Regiment
Nowhere in the world is presented a government of so much liberty and equality. To the humblest and poorest amongst us are held out the highest privileges and positions. The present moment finds me at the White House, yet there is as good a chance for your children as there was for my father's. --August 31, 1864 Speech to 148th Ohio Regiment
Thoughtful men must feel that the fate of civilization upon this continent is involved in the issue of our contest. --December 27, 1864 Letter to John Maclean
DESPOTISMWhen it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy.--From the August 24, 1855 Letter to Joshua Speed
That is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles -- right and wrong -- throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time, and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the divine right of kings.--October 15, 1858 Debate at Alton, Illinois
DETERMINATIONIf you are resolutely determined to make a lawyer of yourself, the thing is more than half done already.--November 5, 1855 Letter to Isham Reavis
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing.--November 5, 1855 Letter to Isham Reavis
I know not how to aid you, save in the assurance of one of mature age, and much severe experience, that you can not fail, if you resolutely determine, that you will not.--July 22, 1860 Letter to George Latham
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.--July 4, 1861 Message to Congress
Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary, if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will regret it all your life.--June 28, 1862 Letter to Quintin Campbell
I expect to maintain this contest until successful, or till I die, or am conquered, or my term expires, or Congress or the country forsakes me...--June 28, 1862 Letter to William H. Seward
EDUCATIONUpon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in.--March 9, 1832 First Political Announcement
Mr. Clay's lack of a more perfect early education, however it may be regretted generally, teaches at least one profitable lesson; it teaches that in this country, one can scarcely be so poor, but that, if he will, he can acquire sufficient education to get through the world respectably.--July 6, 1852 Eulogy on Henry Clay
A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones.--September 30, 1859 Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society
The old general rule was that educated people did not perform manual labor. They managed to eat their bread, leaving the toil of producing it to the uneducated. This was not an insupportable evil to the working bees, so long as the class of drones remained very small.
But now, especially in these free States, nearly all are educated--quite too nearly all, to leave the labor of the uneducated, in any wise adequate to the support of the whole. It follows from this that henceforth educated people must labor. Otherwise, education itself would become a positive and intolerable evil.
No country can sustain, in idleness, more than a small percentage of its numbers. The great majority must labor at something productive.
--September 30, 1859 Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society
EMANCIPATIONI am a little uneasy about the abolishment of slavery in this District, not but I would be glad to see it abolished, but as to the time and manner of doing it.--March 24, 1862 Letter to Horace Greeley
What I did, I did after very full deliberation, and under a heavy and solemn sense of responsibility. I can only trust in God that I have made no mistake.--September 24, 1862 Reply to Serenade in Honor of [Preliminary] Emancipation Proclamation
And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.--January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation
And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.
--January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation
Still, to use a coarse, but an expressive figure, broken eggs can not be mended. I have issued the emancipation proclamation, and I can not retract it.
--January 8, 1863 Letter to John A. McClernand
I have very earnestly urged the slave-states to adopt emancipation; and it ought to be, and is an object with me not to overthrow, or thwart what any of them may in good faith do, to that end.
--June 23, 1863 Letter to John M. Schofield
"The emancipation proclamation applies to Arkansas. I think it is valid in law, and will be so held by the courts. I think I shall not retract or repudiate it. Those who shall have tasted actual freedom I believe can never be slaves, or quasi slaves again."
--July 31, 1863 Letter to Stephen A. Hurlburt
You dislike the emancipation proclamation; and, perhaps, would have it retracted. You say it is unconstitutional -- I think differently.
--August 26, 1863 Letter to James Conkling
But the proclamation, as law, either is valid, or is not valid. If it is not valid, it needs no retraction. If it is valid, it can not be retracted, any more than the dead can be brought to life.--August 26, 1863 Letter to James Conkling
FREEDOMOn the question of liberty, as a principle, we are not what we have been. When we were the political slaves of King George, and wanted to be free, we called the maxim that "all men are created equal" a self evident truth; but now when we have grown fat, and have lost all dread of being slaves ourselves, we have become so greedy to be masters that we call the same maxim "a self evident lie."
--August 15, 1855 Letter to George Robertson
I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal.
--July 10, 1858 Speech at Chicago, Illinois
Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere.
--September 11, 1858 Speech at Edwardsville, Illinois
This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.
--April 6, 1859 Letter to Henry Pierce
I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.
--February 22, 1861 Address in Independence Hall
I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.
--August 22, 1862 Letter to Horace Greeley
In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -- honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best, hope of earth.
--December 1, 1862 Message to Congress
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.--November 19, 1863, Abe Lincoln Gettysburg Address
The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty, and the American people, just now, are much in want of one. We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing.--April 18, 1864, Abe Lincoln Address at Baltimore
"We have, as all will agree, a free Government, where every man has a right to be equal with every other man. In this great struggle, this form of Government and every form of human right is endangered if our enemies succeed."--August 22, 1864, Abe Lincoln Speech to the One Hundred Sixty-fourth Ohio Regiment
Every advocate of slavery naturally desires to see blasted, and crushed, the liberty promised the black man by the new constitution.--November 14, 1864, Abe Lincoln Letter to Stephen A. Hurlbut
GRIEFIn the untimely loss of your noble son, our affliction here, is scarcely less than your own. So much of promised usefulness to one's country, and of bright hopes for one's self and friends, have rarely been so suddenly dashed, as in his fall.--May 25, 1861, Abe Lincoln Letter to Ephraim D. and Phoebe Ellsworth
In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and, to the young, it comes with bitterest agony, because it takes them unawares.--December 23, 1862, Abe Lincoln Letter to Fanny McCullough
I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.--Nov. 21, 1864, Abe Lincoln Letter to Lydia Bixby
HONESTYIn very truth he was, the noblest work of God -- an honest man.--February 8, 1842, Abe Lincoln Eulogy of Benjamin Ferguson
I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false, is guilty of falsehood; and the accidental truth of the assertion, does not justify or excuse him.--August 11, 1846, Abe Lincoln Letter to Allen N. Ford
Let no young man choosing the law for a calling for a moment yield to the popular belief -- resolve to be honest at all events; and if in your own judgment you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer.--July 1, 1850 [Abe Lincoln ] Notes for a Law Lecture
LAWLet every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others.--January 27, 1838, Abe Lincoln Lyceum Address
Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap -- let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs; -- let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars.--January 27, 1838, Abe Lincoln Lyceum Address
In law it is a good policy to never plead what you need not, lest you oblige yourself to prove what you can not.--February 20, 1848, Abe Lincoln Letter to Usher Linder
The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence. Leave nothing for to-morrow which can be done to-day.--July 1, 1850 [Abe Lincoln ] Notes for a Law Lecture
Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser -- in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough.--July 1, 1850 [Abe Lincoln ] Notes for a Law Lecture
Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this. Who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up strife, and put money in his pocket?--July 1, 1850 [Abe Lincoln ] Notes for a Law Lecture
Let no young man choosing the law for a calling for a moment yield to the popular belief -- resolve to be honest at all events; and if in your own judgment you cannot be an honest lawyer, resolve to be honest without being a lawyer.--July 1, 1850 [Abe Lincoln ] Notes for a Law Lecture >>For Lincoln's advice to lawyers click here.
PEACELet us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in the bonds of fraternal feeling.--November 20, 1860, Abe Lincoln Remarks at Springfield, Illinois
The man does not live who is more devoted to peace than I am. None who would do more to preserve it.--February 21, 1861, Abe Lincoln Address to the New Jersey General Assembly
I have desired as sincerely as any man -- I sometimes think more than any other man -- that our present difficulties might be settled without the shedding of blood.--April 26, 1861, Abe Lincoln Address to the Frontier Guard
Engaged, as I am, in a great war, I fear it will be difficult for the world to understand how fully I appreciate the principles of peace, inculcated in this letter, and everywhere, by the Society of Friends.--March 19, 1862, Abe Lincoln Letter to Samuel B. Tobey
Peace does not appear so distant as it did. I hope it will come soon, and come to stay; and so come as to be worth the keeping in all future time.--August 26, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to James Conkling
Much is being said about peace; and no man desires peace more ardently than I. Still I am yet unprepared to give up the Union for a peace which, so achieved, could not be of much duration.--September 12, 1864 Letter to Isaac Schermerhorn
In stating a single condition of peace, I mean simply to say that the war will cease on the part of the government, whenever it shall have ceased on the part of those who began it.--December 6, 1864, Abe Lincoln Annual Message to Congress
PERSUASIONWhen the conduct of men is designed to be influenced; persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and a true maxim, that a "drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall."--February 22, 1842, Abe Lincoln Temperance Address
POLITICAL OFFICEBeing elected to Congress, though I am very grateful to our friends, for having done it, has not pleased me as much as I expected.--October 22, 1846, Abe Lincoln Letter to Joshua Speed
The Presidency, even to the most experienced politicians, is no bed of roses; and Gen. Taylor like others, found thorns within it. No human being can fill that station and escape censure.--July 25, 1850, Abe Lincoln Eulogy on Zachary Taylor
I am glad I made the late race. It gave me a hearing on the great and durable question of the age, which I could have had in no other way; and though I now sink out of view, and shall be forgotten, I believe I have made some marks which will tell for the cause of civil liberty long after I am gone.--November 19, 1858, Abe Lincoln Letter to Anson G. Henry
Always a whig in politics, and generally on the whig electoral tickets, making active canvasses--I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again.--December 20, 1859, Abe Lincoln Autobiography
We have just carried an election on principles fairly stated to the people. Now we are told in advance, the government shall be broken up, unless we surrender to those we have beaten, before we take the offices. --January 11, 1861, Abe Lincoln Letter to James T. Hale
I have endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice; and have received a great deal of kindness, not quite free from ridicule. I am used to it.--November 2, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to James H. Hackett
I am thankful to God for this approval of the people. But while deeply grateful for this mark of their confidence in me, if I know my heart, my gratitude is free from any taint of personal triumph. I do not impugn the motives of any one opposed to me. It is no pleasure to me to triumph over any one; but I give thanks to the Almighty for this evidence of the people's resolution to stand by free government and the rights of humanity. --November 8, 1864, Abe Lincoln Response to a Serenade
REASONPassion has helped us; but can do so no more. It will in future be our enemy. Reason, cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials for our future support and defence.
--January 27, 1838, Abe Lincoln Lyceum Address Happy day, when, all appetites controlled, all poisons subdued, all matter subjected, mind, all conquering mind, shall live and move the Monarch of the World. Glorious consummation! Hail fall of Fury! Reign of Reason, all hail!--February 22, 1842 Temperance Address
RELIGIONThat I am not a member of any Christian Church, is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general, or any denomination of Christians in particular.--July 31, 1846, Abe Lincoln Handbill Replying to Charges of Infidelity
I do not think I could myself, be brought to support a man for office, whom I knew to be an open enemy of, and scoffer at, religion.--July 31, 1846, Abe Lincoln Handbill Replying to Charges of Infidelity
In their enlightened belief, nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on, and degraded, and imbruted by its fellows.--August 17, 1858, Abe Lincoln Speech at Lewistown, Illinois
To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.--February 11, 1861, Abe Lincoln Farewell Address
Intelligence, patriotism, Christianity, and a firm reliance on Him, who has never yet forsaken this favored land, are still competent to adjust, in the best way, all our present difficulty.--March 4, 1861, Abe Lincoln First Inaugural Address
The will of God prevails. In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be, wrong.--September 1862, Abe Lincoln Meditation on the Divine Will
If I had had my way, this war would never have been commenced; If I had been allowed my way this war would have ended before this, but we find it still continues; and we must believe that He permits it for some wise purpose of his own, mysterious and unknown to us; and though with our limited understandings we may not be able to comprehend it, yet we cannot but believe, that he who made the world still governs it. --October 26, 1862, Abe Lincoln Reply to Eliza Gurney
Nevertheless, amid the greatest difficulties of my Administration, when I could not see any other resort, I would place my whole reliance on God, knowing that all would go well, and that He would decide for the right.--October 24, 1863, Abe Lincoln Remarks to the Baltimore Presbyterian Synod
On principle I dislike an oath which requires a man to swear he has not done wrong. It rejects the Christian principle of forgiveness on terms of repentance. I think it is enough if the man does no wrong hereafter. --February 5, 1864, Abe Lincoln Memorandum to Secretary Stanton
If God now wills the removal of a great wrong, and wills also that we of the North as well as you of the South, shall pay fairly for our complicity in that wrong, impartial history will find therein new cause to attest and revere the justice and goodness of God.--April 4, 1864, Abe Lincoln Letter to Albert Hodges
To read in the Bible, as the word of God himself, that "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread," and to preach therefrom that, "In the sweat of other mans faces shalt thou eat bread," to my mind can scarcely be reconciled with honest sincerity.--May 30, 1864, Abe Lincoln Letter to George Ide and Others
I am very glad indeed to see you to-night, and yet I will not say I thank you for this call, but I do most sincerely thank Almighty God for the occasion on which you have called.--July 7, 1864, Abe Lincoln Response to a Serenade
Enough is known of Army operations within the last five days to claim our especial gratitude to God; while what remains undone demands our most sincere prayers to, and reliance upon, Him, without whom, all human effort is vain.--May 10, 1864, Abe Lincoln Telegram Press Release
We hoped for a happy termination of this terrible war long before this; but God knows best, and has ruled otherwise. We shall yet acknowledge His wisdom and our own error therein.--September 4, 1864, Abe Lincoln Letter to Eliza Gurney
I am much indebted to the good Christian people of the country for their constant prayers and consolations; and to no one of them, more than to yourself.--September 4, 1864, Abe Lincoln Letter to Eliza Gurney
All the good the Saviour gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it.
--September 7, 1864, Abe Lincoln Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible
Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully.--March 4, 1865, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
Men are not flattered by being shown that there has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them. To deny it, however, in this case, is to deny that there is a God governing the world.
--March 15, 1865, Abe Lincoln Letter to Thurlow Weed
RESPONSIBILITYNeither let us be slandered from our duty by false accusations against us, nor frightened from it by menaces of destruction to the Government nor of dungeons to ourselves. 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.
--February 27, 1860, Abe Lincoln Cooper Union Address
May the Almighty grant that the cause of truth, justice, and humanity, shall in no wise suffer at my hands.--May 21, 1860, Abe Lincoln Letter to Joshua Giddings
I am not at liberty to shift ground -- that is out of the question. If I thought a repetition would do any good I would make it. But my judgment is it would do positive harm. The secessionists, per se believing they had alarmed me, would clamor all the louder.
--November 16, 1860, Abe Lincoln Letter to Nathaniel Paschall
I fully appreciate the present peril the country is in, and the weight of responsibility on me.
--December 22, 1860, Abe Lincoln Letter to Alexander Stephens
I appeal to you again to constantly bear in mind that with you, and not with politicians, not with Presidents, not with office-seekers, but with you, is the question, "Shall the Union and shall the liberties of this country be preserved to the latest generation?"
--February 11, 1861, Abe Lincoln Speech to Gov. Morton in Indianapolis
I am a patient man -- always willing to forgive on the Christian terms of repentance; and also to give ample time for repentance. Still I must save this government if possible.
--July 17, 1862, Abe Lincoln Letter to Reverend Johnson
Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.
--December 1, 1862, Abe Lincoln Message to Congress
The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disentrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.
--December 1, 1862, Abe Lincoln Message to Congress
In times like the present, men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity.
--December 1, 1862, Abe Lincoln Message to Congress
I have understood well that the duty of self-preservation rests solely with the American people.
--January 19, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to the Workingmen of England
My purpose is to be, in my action, just and constitutional; and yet practical, in performing the important duty, with which I am charged, of maintaining the unity, and the free principles of our common country.
--August 7, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to Horatio Seymour
I freely acknowledge myself the servant of the people, according to the bond of service -- the United States Constitution; and that, as such, I am responsible to them.
--August 26, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to James Conkling
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan...
--March 4, 1865, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
SLAVERYIf as the friends of colonization hope, the present and coming generations of our countrymen shall by any means, succeed in freeing our land from the dangerous presence of slavery; and, at the same time, in restoring a captive people to their long-lost father-land, with bright prospects for the future; and this too, so gradually, that neither races nor individuals shall have suffered by the change, it will indeed be a glorious consummation.--July 6, 1852, Abe Lincoln Eulogy on Henry Clay
Slavery is founded in the selfishness of man's nature -- opposition to it is in his love of justice. These principles are an eternal antagonism; and when brought into collision so fiercely, as slavery extension brings them, shocks, and throes, and convulsions must ceaselessly follow. Repeal the Missouri Compromise -- repeal all compromises -- repeal the declaration of independence -- repeal all past history, you still can not repeal human nature. It still will be the abundance of man's heart, that slavery extension is wrong; and out of the abundance of his heart, his mouth will continue to speak. --October 16, 1854, Abe Lincoln Speech at Peoria
The Autocrat of all the Russias will resign his crown, and proclaim his subjects free republicans sooner than will our American masters voluntarily give up their slaves.--August 15, 1855, Abe Lincoln Letter to George Robertson
You know I dislike slavery; and you fully admit the abstract wrong of it.--August 24, 1855, Abe Lincoln Letter to Joshua Speed
The slave-breeders and slave-traders, are a small, odious and detested class, among you; and yet in politics, they dictate the course of all of you, and are as completely your masters, as you are the master of your own negroes.--August 24, 1855, Abe Lincoln Letter to Joshua Speed
I believe this Government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided.--June 16, 1858, Abe Lincoln House Divided Speech
I have always hated slavery, I think as much as any Abolitionist.--July 10, 1858, Abe Lincoln Speech at Chicago
Now I confess myself as belonging to that class in the country who contemplate slavery as a moral, social and political evil...--October 7, 1858, Abe Lincoln Debate at Galesburg, Illinois
He [Stephen Douglas] is blowing out the moral lights around us, when he contends that whoever wants slaves has a right to hold them; that he is penetrating, so far as lies in his power, the human soul, and eradicating the light of reason and the love of liberty, when he is in every possible way preparing the public mind, by his vast influence, for making the institution of slavery perpetual and national. --October 7, 1858, Abe Lincoln Lincoln-Douglas Debate at Galesburg, Illinois
When Judge Douglas says that whoever, or whatever community, wants slaves, they have a right to have them, he is perfectly logical if there is nothing wrong in the institution; but if you admit that it is wrong, he cannot logically say that anybody has a right to do wrong.--October 13, 1858, Abe Lincoln Debate at Quincy, Illinois
This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave.--April 6, 1859, Abe Lincoln Letter to Henry Pierce
Now what is Judge Douglas' Popular Sovereignty? It is, as a principle, no other than that, if one man chooses to make a slave of another man, neither that other man nor anybody else has a right to object. --September 16, 1859, Abe Lincoln Speech in Columbus, Ohio
An inspection of the Constitution will show that the right of property in a slave in not "distinctly and expressly affirmed" in it.--February 27, 1860, Abe Lincoln Speech at the Cooper Institute
We believe that the spreading out and perpetuity of the institution of slavery impairs the general welfare. We believe -- nay, we know, that that is the only thing that has ever threatened the perpetuity of the Union itself. --September 17, 1859, Abe Lincoln Speech in Cincinnati, Ohio
Let there be no compromise on the question of extending slavery. If there be, all our labor is lost, and, ere long, must be done again. --December 10, 1860, Abe Lincoln Letter to Lyman Trumbull
You think slavery is right and ought to be extended; while we think it is wrong and ought to be restricted. That I suppose is the rub. It certainly is the only substantial difference between us.--December 22, 1860, Abe Lincoln Letter to Alexander Stephens
I say now, however, as I have all the while said, that on the territorial question -- that is, the question of extending slavery under the national auspices, -- I am inflexible. I am for no compromise which assists or permits the extension of the institution on soil owned by the nation. --February 1, 1861, Abe Lincoln Letter to William H. Seward
One section of our country believes slavery is right, and ought to be extended, while the other believes it is wrong, and ought not to be extended.--March 4, 1861, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel. And yet I have never understood that the Presidency conferred upon me an unrestricted right to act officially upon this judgment and feeling.--April 4, 1864, Abe Lincoln Letter to Albert Hodges
One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war.--March 4, 1865, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
SOLDIERSThen came the Black-Hawk war; and I was elected a Captain of Volunteers -- a success which gave me more pleasure than any I have had since.--December 20, 1859, Abe Lincoln Autobiography
The colored population is the great available and yet unavailed of, force for restoring the Union. The bare sight of fifty thousand armed, and drilled black soldiers on the banks of the Mississippi, would end the rebellion at once.--March 26, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to Andrew Johnson
I would like to speak in terms of praise due to the many brave officers and soldiers who have fought in the cause of the war.--July 7, 1863, Abe Lincoln Response to a Serenade
We never should, and I am sure, never shall be niggard of gratitude and benefaction to the soldiers who have endured toil, privations and wounds, that the nation may live.--August 10, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to Mrs. Hunter et al
And then, there will be some black men who can remember that, with silent tongue, and clenched teeth, and steady eye, and well-poised bayonnet, they have helped mankind on to this great consummation...--August 26, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to James Conkling
It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. --November 19, 1863, Abe Lincoln Gettysburg Address While we are grateful to all the brave men and officers for the events of the past few days, we should, above all, be very grateful to Almighty God, who gives us victory.--May 9, 1864, Abe Lincoln Response to a Serenade
I am greatly obliged to you, and to all who have come forward at the call of their country.--August 22, 1864, Abe Lincoln Speech to the One Hundred Sixty-fourth Ohio Regiment
>>For quotations on military tributes click here.
UNIONAll this talk about the dissolution of the Union is humbug -- nothing but folly. We WON'T dissolve the Union, and you SHAN'T.--July 23, 1856, Abe Lincoln Speech at Galena, Illinois
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided.--June 16, 1858, Abe Lincoln House Divided Speech
To the best of my judgment I have labored for, and not against the Union. --October 29, 1858, Abe Lincoln Speech at Springfield, Illinois
...my opinion is that no state can, in any way lawfully, get out of the Union, without the consent of the others; and that it is the duty of the President, and other government functionaries to run the machine as it is.--December 17, 1860, Abe Lincoln Letter to Thurlow Weed
When the people rise in masses in behalf of the Union and the liberties of their country, truly may it be said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against them."--February 11, 1861, Abe Lincoln Reply to Governor Morton
I hold, that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these States is perpetual.--March 4, 1861, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
I therefore consider that in view of the Constitution and the laws, the Union is unbroken; and to the extent of my ability I shall take care, as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all the States.--March 4, 1861, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
The Union is much older than the Constitution. It was formed in fact, by the Articles of Association in 1774. It was matured and continued by the Declaration of Independence in 1776.--March 4, 1861, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.--March 4, 1861, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was."--August 22, 1862, Abe Lincoln Letter to Horace Greeley
We can scarcely dispense with the aid of West-Virginia in this struggle; much less can we afford to have her against us, in congress and in the field. Her brave and good men regard her admission into the Union as a matter of life and death.--December 31, 1862, Abe Lincoln Opinion on the Admission of West Virginia into the Union
WARHe who does something at the head of one Regiment, will eclipse him who does nothing at the head of a hundred.--December 31, 1861, Abe Lincoln Letter to David Hunter
And now, beware of rashness. Beware of rashness, but with energy, and sleepless vigilance, go forward, and give us victories. --January 26, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to Joseph Hooker
Let your military measures be strong enough to repel the invader and keep the peace, and not so strong as to unnecessarily harrass and persecute the people.--May 27, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to John M. Schofield
I was deeply mortified by the escape of Lee across the Potomac, because the substantial destruction of his army would have ended the war...--July 21, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to Oliver O. Howard
You say you will not fight to free negroes. Some of them seem willing to fight for you; but, no matter. Fight you, then exclusively to save the Union.--August 26, 1863, Abe Lincoln, Letter to James Conkling
We are in civil war. In such cases there always is a main question; but in this case that question is a perplexing compound -- Union and Slavery. It thus becomes a question not of two sides merely, but of at least four sides, even among those who are for the Union, saying nothing of those who are against it.--October 5, 1863, Abe Lincoln Letter to Charles Drake et al
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.--November 19, 1863, Abe Lincoln Gettysburg Address
It is easy to see that, under the sharp discipline of civil war, the nation is beginning a new life. --December 8, 1863, Abe Lincoln Message to Congress
War at the best, is terrible, and this war of ours, in its magnitude and in its duration, is one of the most terrible.--June 16, 1864, Abe Lincoln Speech at Philadelphia
The true rule for the Military is to seize such property as is needed for Military uses and reasons, and let the rest alone.--January 20, 1865, Abe Lincoln Letter to Joseph J. Reynolds
Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came .... Fondly do we hope -- fervently do we pray -- that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.--March 4, 1865, Abe Lincoln Inaugural Address
Gen. Sheridan says "If the thing is pressed I think that Lee will surrender." Let the thing be pressed.--April 7, 1865, Abe Lincoln Telegram to General Grant
WORKWe know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There is no permanent class of hired laborers amongst us ... Free labor has the inspiration of hope; pure slavery has no hope.
-Abe Lincoln -ca. September 17, 1859 Fragment on Free Labor Every man is proud of what he does well; and no man is proud of what he does not do well. With the former, his heart is in his work; and he will do twice as much of it with less fatigue. The latter performs a little imperfectly, looks at it in disgust, turns from it, and imagines himself exceedingly tired. The little he has done, comes to nothing, for want of finishing.--September 30, 1859, Abe Lincoln Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society
By the "mud-sill" theory it is assumed that labor and education are incompatible; and any practical combination of them impossible. According to that theory, a blind horse upon a tread-mill, is a perfect illustration of what a laborer should be -- all the better for being blind, that he could not tread out of place, or kick understandingly. According to that theory, the education of laborers, is not only useless, but pernicious, and dangerous. In fact, it is, in some sort, deemed a misfortune that laborers should have heads at all.--September 30, 1859, Abe Lincoln Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society
Every blade of grass is a study; and to produce two, where there was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure.--September 30, 1859 Abe Lincoln Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society
This leads to the further reflection, that no other human occupation opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated thought, as agriculture. I know of nothing so pleasant to the mind, as the discovery of anything which is at once new and valuable -- nothing which so lightens and sweetens toil, as the hopeful pursuit of such discovery. And how vast, and how varied a field is agriculture, for such discovery. The mind, already trained to thought, in the country school, or higher school, cannot fail to find there an exhaustless source of profitable enjoyment.--September 30, 1859 Abe Lincoln Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society
I don't believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; it would do more harm than good. So while we do not propose any war upon capital, we do wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else. --March 6, 1860 Abe Lincoln Speech at New Haven, Connecticut
The point you press -- the importance of thorough organization -- is felt, and appreciated by our friends everywhere. And yet it involves so much more of the dry, and irksome labor, that most of them shrink from it...--September 1, 1860 Abe Lincoln Letter to Henry Wilson
The lady -- bearer of this -- says she has two sons who want to work. Set them at it, if possible. Wanting to work is so rare a merit, that it should be encouraged.--October 17, 1861 Abe Lincoln in Letter to George Ramsay
1846 Lincoln on Church Membership"That I am not a member of any Christian Church, is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general, or any denomination of Christians in particular."
Abraham Lincoln Source: July 31, 1846 - Handbill Replying to Charges of Infidelity
1846 Lincoln on Religion Good for Politicians"I do not think I could myself, be brought to support a man for office, whom I knew to be an open enemy of, and scoffer at, religion."
Abraham Lincoln Source: July 31, 1846 - Handbill Replying to Charges of Infidelity
Lincoln Appreciates Prayers of People"I am much indebted to the good Christian people of the country for their constant prayers and consolations; and to none of them, more than to yourself."
Abraham Lincoln Source: September 4, 1864 - Letter to Eliza Gurney
Lincoln on Scriptures
"That I am not a member of any Christian Church is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures."
Abraham Lincoln 1846 (This statement was made in response to critics challenging his religious beliefs and ends the debate for all but the most profound liars).
Lincoln Consecrates to Christ
"When I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ. Yes, I do love Jesus."
Abraham Lincoln. Published 1882 Lincoln Memorial Album].
Lincoln Urges to Read Bible
"I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this book upon reason that you can and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man."
- Lincoln 1863
Lincoln on Gifts of God"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy."
Lincoln 1863
Lincoln Decrees Thanksgiving
"I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may then be, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the universe."
Thanksgiving Speech: Was this ‘signed statement’ delivered under oath of Office a lie?
Lincoln Urges to Confess National Sins
"Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness. "
Lincoln 1863, from his signed and delivered by prayer,
Thanksgiving Proclamation.
Lincoln: All nations ‘Owe’ God
"It is the duty of nations as well as of men to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God, and to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in Holy Scripture, and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
Lincoln [March 30, 1863]
Lincoln on "The Almighty has His own purposes.
"Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of "God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him?"
Lincoln (March 4, 1865)
Lincoln: “Bible is God’s Greatest Gift”"In regard to this great book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to men. All the good Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it."
-Lincoln [Sept. 9, 1864]
Lincoln on Nation Needing Holy Spirit
"I invite the people of the United states to invoke the influence of His Holy Spirit... to guide the counsels of the government with wisdom adequate to so great a national emergency, and to visit with tender care and consolation throughout the length and breadth of our land all those who, through the vicissitudes of marches, voyages, battles, and sieges have been brought to suffer in mind, body, or estate, and finally to lead the whole nation through the paths of repentance and submission to the Divine will back to the perfect enjoyment of union and internal peace."
Lincoln [July 15, 1863]
Lincoln on Confession of Faith"Mr. Lincoln had made all the necessary arrangements with the Session of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church to be received into the membership of the said church, by confession of his faith in Christ, on the Easter Sunday following the Friday night when Mr. Lincoln was assassinated."
So, Lincoln died a Presbyterian, and was a devout, albeit nontraditional, Christian, throughout his life.
[SOURCE: Sidney I. Lauck, affidavit signed under oath February 15, 1928].
Random Quotes:Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Lincoln on Public opinion Public opinion in this country is everything. Abraham Lincoln Source: Speech, Cinn, Ohio 1859 Public Sentiment
Lincoln on "Public sentiment "Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed." Abraham Lincoln
Source: August 21, 1858 - Lincoln-Douglas debate at Ottawa
Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper and loss of self-control.
--Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Things may come to those who wait. But only the things left by those who hustle. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Whatever you are, be a good one. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master This expresses my idea of democracy. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Everything I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know who his grandson will be. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. --Abraham Lincoln
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. --Abraham Lincoln
The better part of one's life consists of his friendships. --Abraham Lincoln
I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to men. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Address at Gettysburg, (Gettysburg Address) 1863 It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
I fear explanations explanatory of things explained. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
He will have to learn, I know, that all people are not just - that all men and women are not true. Teach him that for every scoundrel there is a hero that for every enemy there is a friend. Let him learn early that the bullies are the easiest people to lick. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back. --Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him
Abraham Lincoln is attributed with the following words of wisdom:
limit to human loyalty"I must stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong." President Lincoln believed that there is a limit to human loyalty, as chaplains we must also understand this simple fact.
=================
Lincoln’s Rejection of Christianity
DISPUTED QUOTE-1:
"My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.
-- Abraham Lincoln, to Judge J S Wakefield, after Willie Lincoln's death (Willie died in 1862), quoted by Joseph Lewis in "Lincoln the Freethinker,"
(Authenticity questioned by most because it allegedly does not appear in Wakefield's papers. If true, and it could be given the death of his son in the midst of the Civil War, Lincoln was no doubt very bitter. In 1862, this would have been just before his dramatic conversion:
Here's a statement just one year later:
DATE: 1862, Lincoln very bitter, just before Conversion;
DISPUTED QUOTE-2:
What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.
-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Mary Todd Lincoln in William Herndon's Religion of Lincoln, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 118
DISPUTED QUOTE-3:
"It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely, as it is apt to lead to Infidelity.
-- Abraham Lincoln, Manford's Magazine, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 144
The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession.-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Joseph Lewis in "Lincoln the Freethinker"The only person who is a worse liar than a faith healer is his patient.-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Victor J Stenger in Physics and Psychics
1865Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not that we be not judged.
-- Abraham Lincoln, sarcasm in his Second Innaugural Address (1865)It is an established maxim and moral that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false is guilty of falsehood, and the accidental truth of the assertion does not justify or excuse him.-- Abraham Lincoln, chiding the editor of a Springfield, Illinois, newspaper, quoted from Antony Flew, How to Think Straight, p. 17
Oh, that [his Thanksgiving Message] is some of Seward's nonsense, and it pleases the fools.-- Abraham Lincoln, to Judge James M Nelson, in response to a question from Nelson: "I once asked him about his fervent Thanksgiving Message and twitted him with being an unbeliever in what was published." Quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 138
Lincoln - No Freedom of Speech, No Separation of Church & State:The United States government must not undertake to run the Churches. When an individual, in the Church or out of it, becomes dangerous to the public interest he must be checked.-- Abraham Lincoln, regarding the Churches, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 143
1864If there is no military need for the building, leave it alone, neither putting anyone in or out of it, except on finding some one preaching or practicing treason, in which case lay hands on him, just as if he were doing the same thing in any other building.-- Abraham Lincoln, order relating to a church in Memphis, Tennessee, issued on May 13, 1864, Nicolay and Hay, Works of Abraham Lincoln, chapter on "Lincoln and the Churches," quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 143. In the same chapter Nicolay and Hay state that in order to prevent treasonable preaching, Secretary Stanton appointed Bishop Ames, of the Methodist Church, to be supervisor of all the Churches in a certain southern district. President Lincoln at once countermanded the order.
1855When the Know-Nothings get control, it [the Declaration of Independence] will read: "All men are created equal except negroes, foreigners and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.
-- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Joshua F Speed, August 24, 1855, from Albert J Menendez and Edd Doerr, The Great Quotations on Religious Freedom
1848Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose, and you allow him to make war at pleasure....If today he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, "I see no probability of the British invading us," but he will say to you, "Be silent; I see it, if you don't."-- Abraham Lincoln, in an 1848 letter to his law partner, William Herndon, criticizing Polk's decision to invade Mexico for the purpose of preventing future war (and, in essence, pointing out some of the flaws in what is now called the "Bush Doctrine of Preventative War"), quoted from a letter published in the Post Crescent by Jack Bradford, quoted from a December 26, 2003, letter to Cliff Walker by Robert Nordlander
1843There was the strangest combination of church influence against me. Baker is a Campbellite; and therefore, as I suppose with few exceptions, got all of that Church. My wife had some relations in the Presbyterian churches, and some in the Episcopal churches; and therefore, wherever it would tell, I was set down as either one or the other, while it was everywhere contended that no Christian ought to vote for me because I belonged to no Church, and was suspected of being a Deist and had talked of fighting a duel.-- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Martin M Morris (March 26, 1843), in The Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln (Nicolay & Hay Edition, volume 1, page 80), quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents (page 112)
1862Would God Show His Will For Me To Others and Not To Me?I am approached with the most opposite opinions and advice, and that by religious men, who are equally certain that they represent the Divine will. I hope it will not be irreverent for me to say that if it is probable that God would reveal His will to others, on a point so connected with my duty, it might be supposed that He would reveal it directly to me ... These are not, however, the days of miracles.... I must study the plain, physical facts of the case, ascertain what is possible, and learn what appears to be wise and right.-- Abraham Lincoln, in a speech to an assembly of clergymen regarding the struggles he was having over the Emancipation Proclamation that would soon be issued (1862), quoted from Susan Jacoby, "One Nation, Under Secularism" (January 8, 2004)
I have neither time nor disposition to enter into discussion with the Friend, and end this occasion by suggesting for her consideration the question whether, if it be true that the Lord has appointed me to do the work she has indicated, it is not probable that he would have communicated knowledge of the fact to me as well as to her.-- Abraham Lincoln, to a Quaker (Friends) clergyman who had given him a message from the Lord, from Allen Thorndyke Rice, ed, Reminiscences of Lincoln, pp. 284-285, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 136
1863Gettysburg: 'Under God' Inserted Long After Speech GivenWe here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.-- Abraham Lincoln, closing the Gettysburg Address, according to the Nicolay Draft (see photo, below), one of two that he wrote on the day he gave the address. Neither draft contains the phrase, "Under God" (quoted from a photo of the Nicolay Draft, below). Delivered at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863
Ingersoll: Ask Those Who Knew and Loved Him"In making up my mind as to what Mr. Lincoln really believed, I do not take into consideration the evidence of unnamed persons or the contents of anonymous letters; I take the testimony of those who knew and loved him, of those to whom he opened his heart and to whom he spoke in the freedom of perfect confidence."-- Robert Green Ingersoll, who fought in the Union Army, "The Religious Belief of Abraham Lincoln," (May 28, 1896)
Mrs. Lincoln: Mr. Lincoln Not a Christian"Mr. Lincoln's maxim and philosophy were: 'What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.' He never joined any Church. He was a religious man always, I think, but was not a technical Christian."-- Mary Todd Lincoln in William Herndon's Religion of Lincoln, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 118
Mrs. Lincoln: No Hope or Faith in Usual Sense"Mr. Lincoln had no hope, and no faith, in the usual acceptation of those words."-- Mary Todd Lincoln, to Colonel Ward H Lamon, in his Life of Abraham Lincoln, p. 459, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 118
Steiner: Holland Fabricated Lincoln's Piety"When Dr. Holland asked Mr. Herndon about his partner's religoius convictions, Mr. Herndon replied that he had none, and the less he said on that subject the better. 'Oh well,' replied Dr. Holland, 'I'll fix that.'"-- Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 112, on Dr. Josiah G Holland, later editor of Scribner's Monthly, having spent only two weeks interviewing Lincoln's friends before preparing his Biography, in which Holland fabricated accounts of Lincoln's piety
Herndon: Threw Religious Book on Table
"No one of Lincoln's old acquaintances in this city ever heard of his conversion to Christianity by Dr. Smith or anyone else. It was never suggested nor thought of here until after his death.... I never saw him read a second of time in Dr. Smith's book on Infidelity. He threw at down upon our table -- spit upon it as it were -- and never opened it to my knowledge."
-- William Herndon, quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 124
Field: Entirely Deficient in Reverence
"Mr. Lincoln was entirely deficient in what the phrenologists call reverence [veneration].... I was once in Mr. Lincoln's company when a sectarian controversy arose. He himself looked very grave, and made no observation until all the others had finished what they had to say. Then with a twinkle of the eye he remarked that he preferred the Episcopalians to every other sect, because they are equally indifferent to a man's religion and his politics."
-- Maunsell B Field, from Memories of Many Men, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 137
Nelson: Same Opinion as Ingersoll"In religion, Mr. Lincoln was about of the same opinion as Bob Ingersoll, and there is no account of his ever having changed. He went to church a few times with his family while he was President, but so far as I have been able to find out, he remained an unbeliever. Mr. Lincoln in his younger days wrote a book, in which he endeavored to prove the fallacy of the plan of salvation and the divinity of Christ."
-- Judge James M Nelson, who had an intimate acquaintance with Lincoln in Washington, in the Louisville Times, in 1887, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 137
World: Partially Concealed Infidel, Not a Christian"While it may be fairly said that Mr. Lincoln entertained many Christian sentiments, it cannot be said that he was himself a Christian in faith or practice. He was no disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. He did not believe in his divinity and was not a member of his Church.
"He was at first a writing Infidel of the school of Paine and Volney, and afterwards a talking Infidel of the school of Parker and Channing....
"If the Churches had grown cold -- if the Christians had taken a stand aloof -- that instant the Union would have perished. Mr. Lincoln regulated his religious manifestations accordingly. He declared frequently that he would do anything to save the Union, and among the many things he did was the partial concealment of his individual religious opinions. Is this a blot upon his fame? Or shall we all agree that it was a conscientious and patriotic sacrifice?"-- The New York World (about 1875), quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, pp. 138-39
Globe: Tad's 'Bible' is a Photo Album
"The pretty little story about the picture of President Lincoln and his son Tad reading the Bible is now corrected for the one-hundredth time. The Bible was Photographer Brady's picture album, which the President was examining with his son while some ladies stood by. The artist begged the President to remain quiet, and the picture was taken. The truth is better than fiction, even if its recital conflicts with a pleasing theory."
-- The Boston Globe, quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 139
Speed: Cautious Not to Offend Christians"He was very cautious never to give expression to any thought or sentiment that would grate harshly upon a Christian's ear."-- Joshua Speed, explaining at least some of Lincoln's extremely careful choice of language that was later used by Christians in attempts to "prove" Lincoln's Christian piety, in Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln, quoted from A W Furches, personal letter to Cliff Walker (January 10, 2002)
Britannica: Far Removed from the Dogmatist "The measure of his difference from most of the men who surrounded him is best gauged by his attitude toward the fundamentals of religion. For all his devotion to his cause he did not allow himself to believe that he knew the mind of God with regard to it. He was never so much the mystic as in his later days and never so far removed from the dogmatist. Here was the final flowering of that mood which appears to have lain at the back of his mind from the beginning -- his complete conviction of a reality of a supernatural world joined with a belief that it was too deep for man to fathom. His refusal to accept the 'complicated' statement of doctrines which he rejected, carried with it a refusal to predicate the purpose of the Almighty. Again, that singular characteristic, his power to devote himself wholly to a cause and yet to do so in such a detached, unviolent way that one is tempted to call it passionless. He retained nothing of the tribal forms of religion and was silent when they raged about him with a thousand tongues."
-- Encyclopædia Britannica, 14th ed., quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Views of Our Presidents, p. 139-40
Abraham Lincoln Quotes on Christ & Christianity: in the early Years
[1] Abraham Lincoln PROFESSED that Christianity was NOT his religion, and the Bible was NOT his book.
“The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession .I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma."
-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Joseph Lewis in "Lincoln the Freethinker"
[2] Lincoln writes book against Salvation by grace & deity of Christ
Mr. Lincoln in his younger days wrote a book, in which he endeavored to prove the fallacy of the plan of salvation and the divinity of Christ."
-- Judge James M Nelson, who had an intimate acquaintance with Lincoln in Washington, in the Louisville Times, in 1887, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 137
[3] 1843 - Lincoln said Churches were against him for not attending Church
“There was the strangest combination of church influence against me. Baker is a Campbellite; and therefore, as I suppose with few exceptions, got all of that Church. My wife had some relations in the Presbyterian churches, and some in the Episcopal churches; and therefore, wherever it would tell, I was set down as either one or the other,
while it was everywhere contended that no Christian ought to vote for me because I belonged to no Church, and was suspected of being a Deist and had talked of fighting a duel.”
-- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Martin M Morris (March 26, 1843), in The Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln (Nicolay & Hay Edition, volume 1, page 80), quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents (page 112)
[4] DISPUTED: Mrs. Lincoln professed that Abraham Lincoln had neither hope nor faith!
"Mr. Lincoln had no hope, and no faith, in the usual acceptation of those words."
However, Mary Lincoln utterly denied these quotes, insisting that Herndon had "put those words in my mouth.”." She wrote,“With very great sorrow & natural indignation have I read of Mr Herndon, placing words in my mouth--never once uttered. I remember the call he made on me for a few minutes at the [St. Nicholas] hotel as he mentions, your welcome entrance a quarter of an hour afterward, naturally prevented a further interview with him. Mr Herndon, had always been an utter stranger to me, he was not considered an habitué, at our house”
-- Mary Todd Lincoln, to Colonel Ward H Lamon, in his Life of Abraham Lincoln, p. 459, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 118
[5] DISPUTED:[See Previous] Lincoln was raised to believe strongly in predestination, thus believed prayer would not change things
“What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.”
-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Mary Todd Lincoln in William Herndon's Religion of Lincoln, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 118
[6] Lincoln advises against study of religion
“It will not do to investigate the subject of religion too closely, as it is apt to lead to Infidelity.”
-- Abraham Lincoln, Manford's Magazine, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 144
[7] Lincoln says The early thanksgiving Speech was not his words
“Oh, that [his Thanksgiving Message] is some of Seward's nonsense, and it pleases the fools.”
-- Abraham Lincoln, to Judge James M Nelson, in response to a question from Nelson: "I once asked him about his fervent Thanksgiving Message and twitted him with being an unbeliever in what was published." Quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 138
[8] 1862 - Would God Show His Will For Me To Others and Not To Me?
“I am approached with the most opposite opinions and advice, and that by religious men, who are equally certain that they represent the Divine will. I hope it will not be irreverent for me to say that if it is probable that God would reveal His will to others, on a point so connected with my duty, it might be supposed that He would reveal it directly to me ... These are not, however, the days of miracles.... I must study the plain, physical facts of the case, ascertain what is possible, and learn what appears to be wise and right.”
-- Abraham Lincoln, in a speech to an assembly of clergymen regarding the struggles he was having over the Emancipation Proclamation that would soon be issued (1862), quoted from Susan Jacoby, "One Nation, Under Secularism" (January 8, 2004)
[9] Mrs. Lincoln professed that Lincoln had religious beliefs, but that he was NOT a Christian. Mrs. Lincoln: Mr. Lincoln Not a Christian"Mr. Lincoln's maxim and philosophy were: 'What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.' He never joined any Church. He was a religious man always, I think, but was not a technical Christian."-
- Mary Todd Lincoln in William Herndon's Religion of Lincoln, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 118
[10] 1862 - Lincoln’s Rejection of Scriptures as The Word of God
My earlier views of the . . . human origin of the scriptures, have become clearer and stronger with advancing years and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.
-- Abraham Lincoln, to Judge J S Wakefield, after Willie Lincoln's death (Willie died in 1862), quoted by Joseph Lewis in "Lincoln the Freethinker," also appearing in Remsburg's "Six Historic Americans"
[11] 1862 - Here was the final flowering of that mood which appears to have lain at the back of his mind from the beginning -- his complete conviction of a reality of a supernatural world joined with a belief that it was too deep for man to fathom. Britannica: Far Removed from the Dogmatist "The measure of his difference from most of the men who surrounded him is best gauged by his attitude toward the fundamentals of religion. For all his devotion to his cause he did not allow himself to believe that he knew the mind of God with regard to it.
He was never so much the mystic as in his later days and never so far removed from the dogmatist.
His refusal to accept the 'complicated' statement of doctrines which he rejected, carried with it a refusal to predicate the purpose of the Almighty. Again, that singular characteristic, his power to devote himself wholly to a cause and yet to do so in such a detached, unviolent way that one is tempted to call it passionless.
He retained nothing of the tribal forms of religion and was silent when they raged about him with a thousand tongues."
-- Encyclopædia Britannica, 14th ed., quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Views of Our Presidents, p. 139-40
The only person who is a worse liar than a faith healer is his patient.-- Abraham Lincoln, quoted by Victor J Stenger in Physics and Psychics
Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes his aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not that we be not judged.-- Abraham Lincoln, sarcasm in his Second Innaugural Address (1865)
It is an established maxim and moral that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false is guilty of falsehood, and the accidental truth of the assertion does not justify or excuse him.-- Abraham Lincoln, chiding the editor of a Springfield, Illinois, newspaper, quoted from Antony Flew, How to Think Straight, p. 17
The United States government must not undertake to run the Churches. When an individual, in the Church or out of it, becomes dangerous to the public interest he must be checked.-- Abraham Lincoln, regarding the Churches, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 143
If there is no military need for the building, leave it alone, neither putting anyone in or out of it, except on finding some one preaching or practicing treason, in which case lay hands on him, just as if he were doing the same thing in any other building.
-- Abraham Lincoln, order relating to a church in Memphis, Tennessee, issued on May 13, 1864, Nicolay and Hay, Works of Abraham Lincoln, chapter on "Lincoln and the Churches," quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 143. In the same chapter Nicolay and Hay state that in order to prevent treasonable preaching, Secretary Stanton appointed Bishop Ames, of the Methodist Church, to be supervisor of all the Churches in a certain southern district. President Lincoln at once countermanded the order.
When the Know-Nothings get control, it [the Declaration of Independence] will read: "All men are created equal except negroes, foreigners and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty -- to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.
-- Abraham Lincoln, letter to Joshua F Speed, August 24, 1855, from Albert J Menendez and Edd Doerr, The Great Quotations on Religious Freedom
Lincoln & Bush DoctrineAllow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose, and you allow him to make war at pleasure....If today he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, "I see no probability of the British invading us," but he will say to you, "Be silent; I see it, if you don't."-- Abraham Lincoln, in an 1848 letter to his law partner, William Herndon, criticizing Polk's decision to invade Mexico for the purpose of preventing future war (and, in essence, pointing out some of the flaws in what is now called the "Bush Doctrine of Preventative War"), quoted from a letter published in the Post Crescent by Jack Bradford, quoted from a December 26, 2003, letter to Cliff Walker by Robert Nordlander

I have neither time nor disposition to enter into discussion with the Friend, and end this occasion by suggesting for her consideration the question whether, if it be true that the Lord has appointed me to do the work she has indicated, it is not probable that he would have communicated knowledge of the fact to me as well as to her.-- Abraham Lincoln, to a Quaker (Friends) clergyman who had given him a message from the Lord, from Allen Thorndyke Rice, ed, Reminiscences of Lincoln, pp. 284-285, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 136
Gettysburg: 'Under God' Inserted Long After Speech GivenWe here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
-- Abraham Lincoln, closing the Gettysburg Address, according to the Nicolay Draft (see photo, below), one of two that he wrote on the day he gave the address. Neither draft contains the phrase, "Under God" (quoted from a photo of the Nicolay Draft, below). Delivered at Gettysburg on November 19, 1863

Ingersoll: Ask Those Who Knew and Loved Him"In making up my mind as to what Mr. Lincoln really believed, I do not take into consideration the evidence of unnamed persons or the contents of anonymous letters; I take the testimony of those who knew and loved him, of those to whom he opened his heart and to whom he spoke in the freedom of perfect confidence."
-- Robert Green Ingersoll, who fought in the Union Army, "The Religious Belief of Abraham Lincoln," (May 28, 1896)
REPEATSMrs. Lincoln: Mr. Lincoln Not a Christian"Mr. Lincoln's maxim and philosophy were: 'What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.' He never joined any Church. He was a religious man always, I think, but was not a technical Christian."-- Mary Todd Lincoln in William Herndon's Religion of Lincoln, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 118
Mrs. Lincoln: No Hope or Faith in Usual Sense"Mr. Lincoln had no hope, and no faith, in the usual acceptation of those words."-- Mary Todd Lincoln, to Colonel Ward H Lamon, in his Life of Abraham Lincoln, p. 459, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 118
Steiner: Holland Fabricated Lincoln's Piety"When Dr. Holland asked Mr. Herndon about his partner's religoius convictions, Mr. Herndon replied that he had none, and the less he said on that subject the better. 'Oh well,' replied Dr. Holland, 'I'll fix that.'"-- Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 112, on Dr. Josiah G Holland, later editor of Scribner's Monthly, having spent only two weeks interviewing Lincoln's friends before preparing his Biography, in which Holland fabricated accounts of Lincoln's piety
Herndon: Threw Religious Book on Table"Not one of Lincoln's old acquaintances in this city ever heard of his conversion to Christianity by Dr. Smith or anyone else. It was never suggested nor thought of here until after his death.... I never saw him read a second of time in Dr. Smith's book on Infidelity. He threw at down upon our table -- spit upon it as it were -- and never opened it to my knowledge."-- William Herndon, quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 124
Field: Entirely Deficient in Reverence"Mr. Lincoln was entirely deficient in what the phrenologists call reverence [veneration].... I was once in Mr. Lincoln's company when a sectarian controversy arose. He himself looked very grave, and made no observation until all the others had finished what they had to say. Then with a twinkle of the eye he remarked that he preferred the Episcopalians to every other sect, because they are equally indifferent to a man's religion and his politics."-- Maunsell B Field, from Memories of Many Men, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 137
Nelson: Same Opinion as Ingersoll"In religion, Mr. Lincoln was about of the same opinion as Bob Ingersoll, and there is no account of his ever having changed. He went to church a few times with his family while he was President, but so far as I have been able to find out, he remained an unbeliever. Mr. Lincoln in his younger days wrote a book, in which he endeavored to prove the fallacy of the plan of salvation and the divinity of Christ."-- Judge James M Nelson, who had an intimate acquaintance with Lincoln in Washington, in the Louisville Times, in 1887, quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, p. 137
World: Partially Concealed Infidel, Not a Christian"While it may be fairly said that Mr. Lincoln entertained many Christian sentiments, it cannot be said that he was himself a Christian in faith or practice. He was no disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. He did not believe in his divinity and was not a member of his Church.
"He was at first a writing Infidel of the school of Paine and Volney, and afterwards a talking Infidel of the school of Parker and Channing...."If the Churches had grown cold -- if the Christians had taken a stand aloof -- that instant the Union would have perished. Mr. Lincoln regulated his religious manifestations accordingly. He declared frequently that he would do anything to save the Union, and among the many things he did was the partial concealment of his individual religious opinions. Is this a blot upon his fame? Or shall we all agree that it was a conscientious and patriotic sacrifice?"-- The New York World (about 1875), quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, pp. 138-39
Globe: Tad's 'Bible' is a Photo Album"The pretty little story about the picture of President Lincoln and his son Tad reading the Bible is now corrected for the one-hundredth time. The Bible was Photographer Brady's picture album, which the President was examining with his son while some ladies stood by. The artist begged the President to remain quiet, and the picture was taken. The truth is better than fiction, even if its recital conflicts with a pleasing theory."-- The Boston Globe, quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 139
Speed: Cautious Not to Offend Christians"He was very cautious never to give expression to any thought or sentiment that would grate harshly upon a Christian's ear."-- Joshua Speed, explaining at least some of Lincoln's extremely careful choice of language that was later used by Christians in attempts to "prove" Lincoln's Christian piety, in Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln, quoted from A W Furches, personal letter to Cliff Walker (January 10, 2002)
Britannica: Far Removed from the Dogmatist "The measure of his difference from most of the men who surrounded him is best gauged by his attitude toward the fundamentals of religion. For all his devotion to his cause he did not allow himself to believe that he knew the mind of God with regard to it. He was never so much the mystic as in his later days and never so far removed from the dogmatist.
Here was the final flowering of that mood which appears to have lain at the back of his mind from the beginning -- his complete conviction of a reality of a supernatural world joined with a belief that it was too deep for man to fathom.
His refusal to accept the 'complicated' statement of doctrines which he rejected, carried with it a refusal to predicate the purpose of the Almighty. Again, that singular characteristic, his power to devote himself wholly to a cause and yet to do so in such a detached, unviolent way that one is tempted to call it passionless. He retained nothing of the tribal forms of religion and was silent when they raged about him with a thousand tongues."-- Encyclopædia Britannica, 14th ed., quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Views of Our Presidents, p. 139-40
[3] Ward Lamon claimed that Mary Lincoln said to William Herndon:
"Mr. Lincoln had no hope and no faith in the usual acceptance of these words" and Herndon claimed she told him that "Mr. Lincoln's maxim and philosophy were, 'What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.' He never joined any church. He was a religious man always, I think, but was not a technical Christian"
However, Mary Lincoln utterly denied these quotes, insisting that Herndon had "put those words in my mouth.”." She wrote,“With very great sorrow & natural indignation have I read of Mr Herndon, placing words in my mouth--never once uttered. I remember the call he made on me for a few minutes at the [St. Nicholas] hotel as he mentions, your welcome entrance a quarter of an hour afterward, naturally prevented a further interview with him. Mr Herndon, had always been an utter stranger to me, he was not considered an habitué, at our house”
[3] Lincoln’s Rejection of the Christian Faith & the Divinity of Christ "Mr. Lincoln …it cannot be said that he was himself a Christian in faith or practice. He was no disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. He did not believe in his divinity and was not a member of his Church.-- The New York World (about 1875), quoted from Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beleifs of Our Presidents, pp. 138-39
================================================================================================================================
Against the ConstitutionAfter the Revolution, principle was sacrificed for the sake of gain. The Constitution contradicted the Declaration. Liberty as a principle was held in contempt. Slavery took possession of the Government. Slavery made the laws, corrupted courts, dominated Presidents and demoralized the people.
I do not hold the South responsible for slavery any more than I do the North. The fact is, that individuals and nations act as they must. There is no chance. Back of every event -- of every hope, Prejudice, fancy and dream -- of every opinion and belief -- of every vice and virtue -- of every smile and curse, is the efficient cause. The present moment is the child, and the necessary child, of all the Past.
Lincoln on EconomyIf we purchase a ton of steel rails from England for twenty dollars, then we have the rails and England the money. But if we buy a ton of steel rails from an American for twenty-five dollars, then America has both the rails and the money.
Northern politicians wanted office, and so they defended slavery; Northern merchants wanted to sell their goods to the South, and so they were the enemies of freedom. The preacher wished to please the people who paid his salary, and so he denounced the slave for not being satisfied with the position in which the good God had placed him.
The respectable, the rich, the prosperous, the holders of and the seekers for office, held liberty in contempt. They regarded the Constitution as far more sacred than the rights of men. Candidates for the presidency -- were applauded because they had tried to make slave States of free territory, and the highest court solemnly and ignorantly decided that colored men and women had no rights. Men who insisted that freedom was better than slavery, and that mothers should not he robbed of their babes, were hated, despised and mobbed.
Mr. Douglas voiced the feelings of millions when he declared that he did not care whether slavery was voted up or down. Upon this question the people, a majority of them, were almost savages. Honor, manhood, conscience, principle -- all sacrificed for the sake of gain or office.
It is not a common thing to elect a really great man to fill the highest official position. I do not say that the great Presidents have been chosen by accident. Probably it would be better to say that they were the favorites of a happy chance.
The average man is afraid of genius. He feels as an awkward man feels in the presence of a sleight-of-hand performer. He admires and suspects. Genius appears to carry too much sail -- to lack prudence, has too much courage. The ballast of dullness inspires confidence.
These noble, these touching, these pathetic words, were delivered in the presence of rebellion, in the midst of spies and conspirators -- surrounded by but few friends, most of whom were unknown, and some of whom were wavering in their fidelity -- at a time when secession was arrogant and organized, when patriotism was silent, and when, to quote the expressive words of Lincoln himself, "Sinners were calling the righteous to repentance."
On the 22d of July, 1862, Lincoln sent word to the members of his cabinet that he wished to see them. It so happened that Secretary Chase was the first to arrive. He found Lincoln reading a book. Looking up from the page, the President said: "Chase, did you ever read this book?" "What book is it?" asked Chase. "Artemus Ward," replied Lincoln. "Let me read you this chapter, entitled 'Wax Wurx in Albany.'" And so he began reading while the other members of the cabinet one by one came in. At last Stanton told Mr. Lincoln that he was in a great hurry, and if any business was to be done he would like to do it at once. Whereupon Mr. Lincoln laid down the open book, opened a drawer, took out a paper and said: "Gentlemen, I have called you together to notify you what I have determined to do. I want no advice. Nothing can change my mind."
He then read the Proclamation of Emancipation. Chase thought there ought to be something about God at the close, to which Lincoln replied: "Put it in, it won't hurt it." It was also agreed that the President would wait for a victory in the field before giving the Proclamation to the world.
*******The man who stood nearest to President Lincoln at Washington -- nearer than any clergyman or newspaper correspondent -- was his private secretary, Col. John G. Nicolay. In a letter dated May 27, 1865, Colonel Nicolay says: "Mr. Lincoln did not, to my knowledge, in any way change his religious ideas, opinions, or beliefs from the time he left Springfield to the day of his death." His lifelong friend and executor, Judge David Davis, affirmed the same: "He had no faith in the Christian sense of the term."
His biographer, Colonel Lamon, intimately acquainted with him in Illinois, and with him during all the years that he lived in Washington, says: "Never in all that time did he let fall from his lips or his pen an expression which remotely implied the slightest faith in Jesus as the son of God and the Savior of men."
Both Lamon and William H. Herndon published biographies of their former colleague after his assassination relating their personal recollections of him. Each denied Lincoln's adherence to Christianity and characterized his religious beliefs as deist or skeptical.
============
THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
The focus of the memorial is Daniel Chester French's sculpture of Lincoln, seated on a throne. French studied many of Mathew Brady's photographs of Lincoln and depicted the president as worn and pensive, gazing eastwards down the Reflecting Pool toward the capital's starkest emblem of the Union, the Washington Monument.
The words of the Gettysburg Address carved into the south wall of the interior
The central cell is flanked by two others. In one,
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is inscribed on the south wall, and in the other, Lincoln's second inaugural address is inscribed on the north that depict an angel (representing truth), the freeing of a slave (on the south wall, above the Gettysburg Address) and the unity of the American North and South (above the Second Inaugural Address).
On the wall behind the statue, and over Abraham's head is this dedication:
IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER
===============
EXCERPT from Funeral Oration for Lincoln's Little Son, Willie.
....."That departure was a sore bereavement to parents and brothers; but while they weep, they also rejoice in the confidence that their loss is the unspeakable and eternal gain of the departed; for they believe, as well they may, that he has gone to Him who said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven;" and that now, with kindred spirits, and with a departed brother, whom he never saw on earth, he beholds the glory and sings the praises of the Redeemer. Blessed be God.
"There is a world aboveWhere sorrow is unknown;A long eternity of love,Formed for the good alone;And faith beholds the dying hereTranslated to that glorious sphere."It is well for us, and very comforting, on such an occasion as this, to get a clear and a scriptural view of the providence of God.
His kingdom ruleth over all. All those events which in anywise affect our condition and happiness are in his hands, and at his disposal. Disease and death are his messengers; they go forth at his bidding, and their fearful work is limited or extended, according to the good pleasure of His will.
Not a sparrow falls to the ground without His direction; much less any one of the human family, for we are of more value than many sparrows.
We may be sure, -- therefore, bereaved parents, and all the children of sorrow may be sure, -- that their affliction has not come forth of the dust, nor has their trouble sprung out of the ground.
It is the well-ordered procedure of their Father and their God.
A mysterious dealing they may consider it, but still it is His dealing; and while they mourn He is saying to them, as the Lord Jesus once said to his Disciples when they were perplexed by his conduct,
"What I do ye know not now, but ye shall know hereafter." What we need in the hour of trial, and what we should seek by earnest prayer, is confidence in Him who sees the end from the beginning and doeth all things well.
Only let us bow in His presence with an humble and teachable spirit; only let us be still and know that He is God; only let us acknowledge His hand, and hear His voice, and inquire after His will, and seek His holy spirit as our counsellor and guide, and all, in the end, will be well. In His light shall we see light; by His grace our sorrows will be sanctified -- they will be made a blessing to our souls -- and by and by we shall have occasion to say, with blended gratitude and rejoicing, "It is good for us that we have been afflicted."
"Heaven but tries our virtues by affliction;And oft the cloud which wraps the present hourServes but to brighten all our future days."
QUESTION: Is it at all believable that Abraham Lincoln was not a man of faith? Would he have allowed a minister of God to speak, for his little Willie, these words in vain?
Why is it that we so often question the faith of others?
God's gift of faith to another should never be diminished by a 'Christian' who chooses to sit in judgment.
Some Religious Quip Quotes
Lets have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. Abraham Lincoln I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. Abraham Lincoln
In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. Abraham Lincoln
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.Abraham Lincoln
Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality. Abraham Lincoln
The assertion that "all men are created equal" was of no practical use in effecting our separation from Great Britain and it was placed in the Declaration not for that, but for future use. Abraham Lincoln
The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person. Abraham Lincoln
The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he makes so many of them. Abraham Lincoln
With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds. Abraham Lincoln
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion. Abraham Lincoln
When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees. Abraham Lincoln
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. Abraham Lincoln
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. Abraham Lincoln
I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. Abraham Lincoln
The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read.
Abraham Lincoln 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. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. Abraham Lincoln
Some General Quotes:
A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have. Abraham Lincoln
A house divided against itself cannot stand. Abraham Lincoln
A woman is the only thing I am afraid of that I know will not hurt me. Abraham Lincoln
All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind. Abraham Lincoln
All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother. Abraham Lincoln
Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Abraham Lincoln
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. Abraham Lincoln
Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? Abraham Lincoln
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. Abraham Lincoln
Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world. Abraham Lincoln
As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Abraham Lincoln
As our case is new, we must think and act anew. Abraham Lincoln
Avoid popularity if you would have peace. Abraham Lincoln
Ballots are the rightful and peaceful successors to bullets. Abraham Lincoln
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. Abraham Lincoln
Books serve to show a man that those original thoughts of his aren't very new at all. Abraham Lincoln
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Abraham Lincoln
Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them. Abraham Lincoln
Die when I may, I want it said by those who knew me best that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. Abraham Lincoln
Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. As a peacemaker the lawyer has superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough. Abraham Lincoln
Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties. Abraham Lincoln
Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition. Abraham Lincoln
Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition. Whether it be true or not, I can say for one that I have no other so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. Abraham Lincoln
Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old. Abraham Lincoln
Everybody likes a compliment. Abraham Lincoln
Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Abraham Lincoln
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln
God must love the common man, he made so many of them. Abraham Lincoln
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth. Abraham Lincoln
He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help. Abraham Lincoln
He who molds the public sentiment... makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to make. Abraham Lincoln
Hold on with a bulldog grip, and chew and choke as much as possible. Abraham Lincoln
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 Lincoln
I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts. Abraham Lincoln
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. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong. Abraham Lincoln
I can make more generals, but horses cost money. Abraham Lincoln
I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it. Abraham Lincoln
I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end... I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me. Abraham Lincoln
I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends. Abraham Lincoln
I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. Abraham Lincoln
I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end. Abraham Lincoln
I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. Abraham Lincoln
I don't like that man. I must get to know him better. Abraham Lincoln
I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice. Abraham Lincoln
I hope to stand firm enough to not go backward, and yet not go forward fast enough to wreck the country's cause. Abraham Lincoln
I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. Abraham Lincoln
I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day. Abraham Lincoln
I remember my mother's prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life. Abraham Lincoln
In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. Abraham Lincoln
I walk slowly, but I never walk backward. Abraham Lincoln
I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow. Abraham Lincoln
I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known. Abraham Lincoln
I will prepare and some day my chance will come. Abraham Lincoln
I'm a slow walker, but I never walk back. Abraham Lincoln
If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening my ax. Abraham Lincoln
If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. Abraham Lincoln
If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one? Abraham Lincoln
If once you forfeit the confidence of your fellow-citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. Abraham Lincoln
If there is anything that a man can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance. Abraham Lincoln
If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee. Abraham Lincoln
If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could then better judge what to do, and how to do it. Abraham Lincoln
If you call a tail a leg, how many legs has a dog? Five? No, calling a tail a leg don't make it a leg. Abraham Lincoln
Important principles may, and must, be inflexible. Abraham Lincoln
In great contests each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both may be, and one must be wrong. Abraham Lincoln
In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues. Abraham Lincoln
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt. Abraham Lincoln
Knavery and flattery are blood relations. Abraham Lincoln
Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. Abraham Lincoln
Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built. Abraham Lincoln
Lets have faith that right makes might; and in that faith let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. Abraham Lincoln
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.
Marriage is neither heaven nor hell, it is simply purgatory. Abraham Lincoln
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln
My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth. Abraham Lincoln
My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure. Abraham Lincoln
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln
Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this. Abraham Lincoln
No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. Abraham Lincoln
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. Abraham Lincoln
No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens. Abraham Lincoln
Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as a heritage of all men, in all lands, everywhere. Destroy this spirit and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors. Abraham Lincoln
People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be. Abraham Lincoln
Public opinion in this country is everything. Abraham Lincoln
Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed. Abraham Lincoln
Republicans are for both the man and the dollar, but in case of conflict the man before the dollar. Abraham Lincoln
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. Abraham Lincoln
Some day I shall be President. Abraham Lincoln
Some single mind must be master, else there will be no agreement in anything. Abraham Lincoln
Stand with anybody that stands right, stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong. Abraham Lincoln
Surely God would not have created such a being as man, with an ability to grasp the infinite, to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality. Abraham Lincoln
Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. Abraham Lincoln
That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well. Abraham Lincoln
The assertion that "all men are created equal" was of no practical use in effecting our separation from Great Britain and it was placed in the Declaration not for that, but for future use. Abraham Lincoln
The ballot is stronger than the bullet. Abraham Lincoln
The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time. Abraham Lincoln
The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend. Abraham Lincoln
The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln
The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. Abraham Lincoln
The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person. Abraham Lincoln
The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he makes so many of them. Abraham Lincoln
The people themselves, and not their servants, can safely reverse their own deliberate decisions. Abraham Lincoln
The people will save their government, if the government itself will allow them. Abraham Lincoln
The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next. Abraham Lincoln
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just. Abraham Lincoln
The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty. Abraham Lincoln
The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read. Abraham Lincoln
The time comes upon every public man when it is best for him to keep his lips closed. Abraham Lincoln
The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can, never suspecting that anybody wishes to hinder him. Abraham Lincoln
There is another old poet whose name I do not now remember who said, "Truth is the daughter of Time." Abraham Lincoln
There is nothing true anywhere, The true is nowhere to be seen; If you say you see the true, This seeing is not the true one. Abraham Lincoln
These capitalists generally act harmoniously and in concert, to fleece the people. Abraham Lincoln
These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have. Abraham Lincoln
Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. Abraham Lincoln
This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or exercise their revolutionary right to overthrow it. Abraham Lincoln
Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. Abraham Lincoln
To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary. Abraham Lincoln
To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men. Abraham Lincoln
Towering genius disdains a beaten path. It seeks regions hitherto unexplored. Abraham Lincoln
We should be too big to take offense and too noble to give it. Abraham Lincoln
>> We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln
What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself. Abraham Lincoln
Whatever you are, be a good one. Abraham Lincoln
When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say. Abraham Lincoln
When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That's my religion. Abraham Lincoln
When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees. Abraham Lincoln
When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run. Abraham Lincoln
Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. Abraham Lincoln
With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds. Abraham Lincoln
With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed. Abraham Lincoln
With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die. Abraham Lincoln
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. Abraham Lincoln
You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative and independence. Abraham Lincoln
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. Abraham Lincoln
You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. Abraham Lincoln
False Quotes:
Herndon: Threw Religious Book on Table
"No one of Lincoln's old acquaintances in this city ever heard of his conversion to Christianity by Dr. Smith or anyone else. It was never suggested nor thought of here until after his death.... I never saw him read a second of time in Dr. Smith's book on Infidelity. He threw at down upon our table -- spit upon it as it were -- and never opened it to my knowledge."
-- William Herndon, quoted in Franklin Steiner, The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, p. 124
PRESIDENT THEODORE ROOSEVELT ON LINCOLN: Theodore Roosevelt said that "Lincoln mastered only one book but that one book was the Bible. (meaning it was ENOUGH!)"
25-SCHOLARS SPEAK on "Abe Lincoln's Bible Knowledge"
25-SCHOLARS SPEAK on "Abe Lincoln's Bible Knowledge"
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in the NewtonStein, Cambridge Theological Seminary is archived here under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research, and educational purposes only.
Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Contributions from the best scholars in numerous fields are added to Ministers-Best-Friend.com website daily. Such research papers and articles:
* Cambridge Theological Seminary USA & Global has no connection or relationship to Cambridge University in England, EXCEPT . . . we in the USA are carrying on their "Christian Values of Hundreds of Years" . . . as they have long since become secular humanists, agnostics and atheists: "Anti-Christ" in almost every way and contrary to every Scripture.
"AMERIPEDIA!™"
"WIKIPEDIA!"
