109+ Famous Abe Lincoln Quotes [Life, Slavery]

Abraham Lincoln is known for many famous quotes, but two of his most enduring themes are life and slavery.

Here are some of his most famous quotes on these subjects and their characteristics:

Life:

• “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” This quote reflects Lincoln’s belief that the quality of one’s life is more important than the quantity of years lived. It encourages people to make the most of their time and live purposefully.
• “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 up to what light I have.” This quote speaks to Lincoln’s personal philosophy of doing what is right and living with integrity, regardless of the outcome. It reflects his belief in the value of individual responsibility and honesty.

Slavery:

• “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” This quote highlights Lincoln’s opposition to slavery and his belief that all people deserve freedom and equality. It also reflects his understanding that denying freedom to others ultimately harms both the oppressor and the oppressed.
• “Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.” This quote reveals Lincoln’s passionate opposition to slavery and his willingness to stand up for what he believed in. It also reflects his belief in the power of empathy and the importance of considering the perspectives of others.

Overall, Lincoln’s quotes on life and slavery demonstrate his deep commitment to principles of fairness, justice, and integrity.

They are characterized by a focus on individual responsibility, the importance of doing what is right, and the value of empathy and compassion.

We have over 100 Abraham Lincoln quotes to share in this article.

Let’s take a look 🙂

Famous Abraham Lincoln Quotes

Famous Abraham Lincoln Quotes:

1. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
2. “Whatever you are, be a good one.”
3. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”
4. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
5. “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”
6. “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 up to what light I have.”
7. “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.”
8. “With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.”
9. “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”
10. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
11. “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”
12. “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”
13. “I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.”
14. “No man is good enough to govern another man without the other’s consent.”
15. “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.”
16. “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”
17. “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”
18. “I would rather be a little nobody, then to be an evil somebody.”
19. “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.”
20. “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
21. “I am not concerned that you have fallen; I am concerned that you arise.”
22. “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
23. “I would rather be a little obscure than a little too prominent.”
24. “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.”
25. “Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it.”
26. “I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down.”
27. “Whatever you are, be a good one.”
28. “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.”
29. “The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly.”
30. “Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”
31. “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”
32. “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
33. “The best thing about the worst time of your life is that you get to see the true colors of everyone.”
34. “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.”
35. “I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light I have.”
36. “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.”
37. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”
38. “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”
39. “I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.”
40. “I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me, and in the arrangement I have the best of the bargain.”

Abraham Lincoln – Quotes that are Really Worth Listening To

Abe Lincoln Quotes on Slavery

Abe Lincoln Quotes on Slavery:

1. “Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”
2. “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.”
3. “I have always thought that all men should be free; but if any should be slaves, it should be first those who desire it for themselves, and secondly those who desire it for others.”
4. “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”
5. “Slavery is founded on the selfishness of man’s nature; opposition to it is his love of justice.”
6. “I can not remember when I did not so think, and feel.” (in reference to his opposition to slavery)
7. “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
8. “I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.”
9. “In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free – honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve.”
10. “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery.”
11. “We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing.”
12. “I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.”
13. “Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves.”
14. “I have always thought that any man who would make a slave of his fellow man, or allow his fellow man to be made a slave, was a traitor to the great principles of democracy.”
15. “Slavery is a violation of the spirit of the Revolution.”
16. “In giving freedom to the slave we assure freedom to the free—honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve.”
17. “Whenever the vicious portion of [our] population shall be permitted to gather in bands of hundreds and thousands, and burn churches, ravage and rob provision stores, throw printing-presses into rivers, shoot editors, and hang and burn obnoxious persons at pleasure, and with impunity; depend on it, this government cannot last.” (In reference to the threat of pro-slavery mobs and vigilantes)
18. “You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors.” (In reference to the Confederacy’s decision to secede and start the Civil War)
19. Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.” (In his second inaugural address, reflecting on the legacy of slavery and the Civil War)
20. “The human heart is with us—God is with us. We shall succeed.” (In a speech to Union troops, expressing his belief in the righteousness of the Union cause and the eventual defeat of the Confederacy and slavery)

Abe Lincoln Quotes on Life

1. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
2. “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”
3. “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 up to what light I have.”
4. “And in the end it is not the years in your life that matter, it’s the life in your years.”
5. “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”
6. “Whatever you are, be a good one.”
7. “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”
8. “Most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
9. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”
10. “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.”
11. “You can’t escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
12. “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
13. “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.”
14. “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.”
15. “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.”
16. “I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can anyone who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor or degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that ‘all men are created equal.’ We now practically read it ‘all men are created equal, except negroes.’ When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read ‘all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.'”
17. “You cannot build character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence.”
18. “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
19. “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
20. “I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.”

Abe Lincoln Mother Quotes

Abe Lincoln Mother Quotes:

1. “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
2. “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”
3. “No man is poor who has a godly mother.”
4. “I remember my mother’s prayers more than anything else, and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”
5. “My mother was the best friend I ever had.”
6. “I am sure that God, in His infinite mercy, gave me my mother to teach me the lessons of life.”
7. “My mother was a constant source of good advice and wise counsel.”
8. “My mother was a great woman, and I attribute my success in life to the moral, intellectual, and physical education I received from her.”
9. “I can remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.”
10. “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my mother.”
11. “My mother taught me how to read and write and gave me the love of books and learning.”
12. “The memory of my mother will always be a blessing to me.”
13. “My mother was the guiding hand that helped shape my character.”
14. “My mother was a woman of great faith and taught me to trust in God.”
15. “My mother taught me the importance of hard work and perseverance.”
16. “My mother was my first and best teacher.”
17. “My mother’s life was a living example of love, sacrifice, and devotion.”
18. “My mother was the most patient and loving person I have ever known.”
19. “My mother’s love and guidance have been a constant source of strength throughout my life.”
20. “My mother taught me to treat all people with kindness and respect.”
21. “My mother’s life was a beacon of hope and inspiration to me and to many others.”
22. “My mother’s spirit lives on in the lives of all those she touched.”
23. My mother was a woman of great courage and determination, and I strive to follow her example every day.

Abe Lincoln Internet Quotes

Abe Lincoln Internet Quotes:

1. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
2. “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
3. “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side.”
4. “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
5. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”
6. “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.”
7. “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.”
8. “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
9. “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice.”
10. “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.”

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