Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) was perhaps the most important American president in history, since the role he played in the Civil War has undoubtedly been very relevant to the present day.

Lincoln’s struggle to achieve the abolition of slavery and to promote human rights still continues today, and many of the rights we enjoy today stem from the ideals of this great person.

Phrases of Abraham Lincoln

We’ve all heard about this former American president, but what do we really know about the person he was? If you want to know a little more about his way of thinking or the ideas he had, be very careful.

Below you can enjoy a compilation of the 80 best famous phrases of Abraham Lincoln , with which you will get into the mind of this exemplary American icon.

  • You may be interested in: “Barack Obama’s 40 best sentences”

1. It often takes more courage to dare to do the right thing than to fear doing the wrong thing.

Acting honestly can sometimes bring harm, because it can be a painful act for someone else.

2. Almost everyone is as happy as they make up their mind to be.

In order to be happy our attitude is paramount.

3. Knowledge is the best investment you can make.

Indeed, as Lincoln so well explains in this quote, knowledge is power.

4. Don’t do anything for anyone who can do it for themselves.

We must let others solve their problems on their own, so that they learn to cope much more effectively.

5. Things may come to those who wait, but only things left by those who hurry.

Knowing how to wait for the right moment to do something is undoubtedly a great virtue.

6. If we could first know where we are and where we are going, we could better judge what to do and how to do it.

Knowing exactly all the details will allow us to achieve victory, without them we are simply lost.

7. Touch is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.

Knowing how to act with each person can be beneficial for us, adapting to our interlocutor.

8. Laughter can be used to calm the mind and get rid of terrible thoughts.

Humour is something that has helped humanity throughout its history, with it we are able to face very complicated situations.

9. We can complain because the rosebushes have thorns, or we can rejoice because the thorns have roses.

Knowing how to find the positive side of things will allow us to value them better.

10. You can’t escape tomorrow’s responsibility by avoiding it today.

The responsibilities will eventually catch up with us, we must be consistent with them.

11. When I do good, I feel good; when I do evil, I feel bad, and that is my religion.

We must act honestly with those around us and be the best version of ourselves that we can be.

12. People who ignore their history, people who are condemned to repeat it.

History is a very valuable resource from which we can all learn a great deal.

13. To wish for immortality is to wish for the perpetuation of a great error.

Immortality is a utopian idea that unfortunately human beings cannot achieve.

14. I think people should fight for what they believe in and only for what they believe in.

Indeed, we should all fight only for our ideals.

15. Do not fear failure, which will not make you weaker, but stronger…

From failure we learn and with it we improve as individuals.

16. The best way to predict your future is to create it.

We are masters of our own destiny, let us fight to achieve the one we desire.

17. The man who does not investigate both sides of an issue is not honest.

To know for sure how a question is, we must know all its nuances.
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18. It is easier to suppress the first whim than to satisfy all those who follow.

We must not act on instinct, we must act in accordance with our thoughts.

19. By giving freedom to the slaves we secure it for the free.

Freedom is a fundamental right in human beings, but unfortunately it was not considered in this way before.

20. The loss of enemies does not make up for the loss of friends.

We must value and preserve our friends, their friendship is a very valuable resource that we must know how to safeguard.

21. Those who seek evil in people will surely find it.

We reap what we sow one day, do evil and you will receive the same coin.

22. There are times in every politician’s life when the best thing he can do is to keep his lips sealed.

Knowing when to be silent will lead us not to make mistakes, it is better to be silent when we do not know what to say.

23. Don’t worry about not being recognized, but fight to deserve to be recognized.

To be recognized for our achievements is something we all want, we must pursue those achievements.

24. Those who deny freedom to others do not deserve it for themselves.

Freedom is a right we are born with, we will never be the property of a third party.

25. Important principles can and should be inflexible.

Knowing how to adapt to the moment and adapt in the right way to a purpose is something that can be crucial to achieve it.

26. God undoubtedly loves humble people very much; otherwise he would not have made them so numerous.

Humble people must be protected and sheltered by society, they have not chosen to live like this.

27. Nothing in this world is impossible for a willing heart.

With the strength of our determination we can achieve everything we set out to do.

28. When I hear someone fervently defend slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see him live it personally.

Defending slavery is something that in the 21st century can be incredible, but Lincoln had to fight against its defenders.

29. It is better to give way to a dog than to be bitten by it.

We must learn to avoid conflict, conflict is never positive.

30. Women, I’m afraid, are the only people I thought would never hurt me.

The role of women in society has never been as relevant as it is today.

31. Man has never found a definition for the word freedom.

The concept of freedom can be very broad and encompass many different forms of freedom, such as sexual freedom, religious freedom or freedom of expression.

32. No one has a sufficient memory to always lie successfully.

Lying is a very negative resource that has always accompanied human beings and which we should certainly get rid of.

33. The best part of one’s life consists of friendships.

Friendship is a very beneficial type of relationship for its members and from which very positive aspects can arise.

34. Do we not destroy our enemies when we make them our friends?

Creating alliances will allow us to transform our enemies into friends, something that is undoubtedly very advantageous for us.

35. The classroom philosophy of the school in one generation will be the philosophy of the government in the next.

How we raise our children will clearly determine what the next generations look like.

36. What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.

Negative publicity can be very harmful, we must know how to control it.

37. Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Abraham Lincoln was a clear advocate of democracy, something we all share today.

38. The nation is stronger for the unity of its children and family members than for its military might.

A nation’s values lie in its people and their moral principles.

39. All men are born equal, but this is the last time they are.

From the moment we are born, moral, economic and political influences divide us from each other.

40. There can be glory in failure and despair in success.

The difference between a victory or a defeat depends only on how we perceive it, we can be defeated and also wish to be defeated.

41. Each man’s happiness is his own responsibility.

We must strive to achieve happiness in our personal lives, that is the greatest quest we make in life.

42. You cannot benefit the weak by harming the strong.

In this quote Lincoln talks about fairness, we must be totally fair to all people equally.

43. Public opinion in this country is everything.

Public opinion has a direct influence on a politician’s future. We must know what it thinks of us and how we can meet its criteria.

44. You have to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.

Regardless of how others do it, we have to find our own way.

45. The way in which a young man can grow is to improve himself in every way he can, without suspecting that anyone wants to hinder him.

Focusing on ourselves and our mistakes will help us discover where we are failing to perform a task.

46. Let virtue adorn your thoughts.

A very poetic quote from Lincoln that encourages us to know how to empower and use our best attributes.

47. Always remember that your own resolution to succeed is more important than anything else.

Acting decisively in difficult times will help us achieve all that we desire.

48. I am nothing, the truth is everything.

We must know how to accept the truth even though it may not be favorable to us.

49. If slavery is not unjust, then there is nothing unjust.

Slavery was an evil that plagued the civilized world for too long and that unfortunately continues to be used by mafias in third world countries today.

50. Why not have confidence in the justice of the people? Is there better hope in the world or can it be matched?

All citizens of a country should be treated equally and be entitled to the same inalienable rights.

51. A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.

When you have enemies in common with a third party, that person could be a great ally.

52. If I had two faces, would I be using this one?

We must know how to act according to the moment we find ourselves.

53. To soften the sorrows of others is to forget one’s own.

Doing charity work can help us overcome a loss.

54. The struggle and desperation to get a public job, looking for a way to live without working, will finally prove the strength of our institutions.

The officials of any nation must be exemplary workers, which unfortunately is not the case even in the 21st century.

55. You can fool everyone for a while. You can fool some people all the time. But you can’t fool everyone all the time.

Lying is something that sooner or later others will discover, you can’t always be fooled.

56. I think if I were you, if I wasn’t so good in my head, I’d avoid standing around.

Performing tasks in our daily lives can help us achieve greater mental clarity.

57. It’s best not to swap horses while crossing the river.

Making our lives unnecessarily complicated will certainly lead to failure.

58. Everything I am or hope to be I owe to my mother’s angelic request.

Our mother’s support has been and will undoubtedly be very relevant in anyone’s life.

59. The likelihood that we will fall into the struggle should not deter us from supporting a cause that we believe to be just. It will not deter me.

Fighting for what is right is what we should all do, be faithful to what we believe.

60. If I am killed, then I shall die once; but to live with the constant threat of death, is like dying again and again.

We will all die when the time comes, we should not be obsessed with the fact that one day it will come.

61. I do not know who my grandfather was; I care much more about knowing who his grandson will be.

Who we are today does not depend on our ancestors, in life our success is decided by us.

62. A state in which freedom and slavery coexisted could not endure.

There is no doubt that freedom and slavery can never coexist, they are ideas totally opposed to each other.

63. You can make any date sound meaningful by putting a famous person’s name behind it.

Using someone’s name to emphasize a quote is something that has always been used, but we must keep what they really want to convey to us.

64. I don’t like that man. I must know him better.

When we do not know what goals or ideals a person has, knowing them is the best way to discover them.

65. I have always found that mercy bears richer fruit than strict justice.

Mercy is not a symptom of weakness; it is a symptom of clear behavioral and material superiority.

66. Everybody wants to live a long time but nobody wants to be old.

Old age is something we will all go through if we are lucky, and perhaps a very beautiful time in our lives.

67. Don’t be fooled. Revolutions don’t go backwards.

Cutting back on rights will never work in our favor, so a revolution will always be progressive.

68. The government of the people, by the people and for the people, should not perish from the Earth.

The government is the body that regulates all aspects by which its citizens are governed.

69. He has the right to criticize, who has a heart willing to help.

We must criticize something when we are ready to get down to business ourselves.

70. I’m a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.

Fighting for what we want will eventually lead to achieving our goals.

71. Hypocrite: the man who murdered his parents, and then asked for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan.

When we perform an act we must be consistent with it and then not want to reject what it brings us.

72. Love is the chain to bind a child to his father.

Love is one of the strongest feelings that anyone can feel.

73. I like to see a man proud of where he lives. I like to see a man who lives to make his place proud of him.

The feeling of belonging to a place will lead us if we are consistent towards its defense.

74. We should be too big not to take the offense and too noble not to give it.

We do not need to offend others in order to make our intentions clear, we must not stoop so low.

75. If you want to win over a follower to your cause, convince him first that you are his sincere friend.

Sincerity will open many doors for us in life; we must be honest and sincere with our fellow men.

76. Always keep in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.

If we are absolutely determined that we will achieve our goal, we will certainly be unstoppable.

77. Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Laziness is something that has done a lot of damage to human beings and that we must get rid of.

78. A ballot is stronger than a rifle bullet.

With our vote we give legitimacy and power to our representatives, the vote is a very powerful weapon that should not be taken lightly.

79. Just as I would not be a slave, I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.

Abraham Lincoln was a great defender of the people and human rights, an example to follow in anyone’s life.

80. Whatever you are, be a good one.

No matter what you do, we must always try to improve ourselves and do better.