Quotes from Abraham Lincoln

I can make a General in five minutes but a good horse is hard to replace.

There' s nothing good in war. Except its ending.

The press has no better friend than I am, no one who is more ready to acknowledge . . . its tremendous power for both good and evil.

Almost every thing, especially of governmental policy, is an inseparable compound of the two [good and evil].

No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent.

As an individual who undertakes to live by borrowing, soon finds his original means devoured by interest, and next no one left to borrow from - so must it be with a government.

Democracy is "government of, by and for the people".

I believe this Government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.

Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government, practically just so much.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

While the people retain their virtue, and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government, in the short space of four years.

No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.

A house divided against itself cannot stand - I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free.

Must a government of necessity be too strong for the liberties of its people or too weak to maintain its own existence?

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.

I have great respect for the semicolon it is a mighty handy little fellow.

The power of hope upon human exertion, and happiness, is wonderful.

Take all that you can of this book upon reason, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a happier man. (When a skeptic expressed surprise to see him reading a Bible)

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.

The health you enjoy is largely your choice

You can't help the poor by being one of them.

I would rather be assassinated than see a single star removed from the American flag.

The struggle of today is not altogether for today - it is for a vast future also.

We cannot escape history.