Abraham Lincoln

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.

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. In all that the people …

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.

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.

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. Never let your correspondence fall behind. Whatever piece of business you have in hand, before …

But here's an object more of dread Than ought the grave contains — A human form with reason fled, While wretched life remains.Poor Matthew! Once of genius bright, A fortune-favored child — Now locked for aye, in mental night,

I range the fields with pensive tread, And pace the hollow rooms; And feel (companion of the dead) I'm living in the tombs.

As leaving some grand waterfall, We, lingering, list its roar — So memory will hallow all We've known, but know no more.

My childhood's home I see again, And sadden with the view; And still, as memory crowds my brain, There's pleasure in it too.

The better part of one's life consists of his friendships.

The way for a young man to rise, is to improve himself every way he can, never suspecting that any body wishes to hinder him.

Determine that the thing can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.

The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject any thing, is not whether it have any evil in it; but whether it have more of evil, than of good. There are few things wholly evil, or wholly good. Almost every thing, especially of …

In law it is a good policy never to plead what you need not, lest you oblige yourself to prove what you cannot.

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 purpose, and you allow him to make war …

Military glory, — that attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood.

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.

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.

It has so happened in all ages of the world, that some have laboured, and others have, without labour, enjoyed a large proportion of the fruits. This is wrong, and should not continue. To each labourer the whole product of his labour, or …

Believing that these propositions, and the [conclusions] I draw from them can not be successfully controverted, I, for the present, assume their correctness, and proceed to try to show, that the abandonment of the protective policy by the …

I believe, if we take habitual drunkards as a class, their heads and their hearts will bear an advantageous comparison with those of any other class. There seems ever to have been a proneness in the brilliant and warm-blooded to fall into …

... none seemed to think the injury arose from the use of a bad thing, but from the abuse of a very good thing.

I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth. Whether I shall ever be better I can not tell; I awfully forebode I shall not. To …

Passion 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. — Let those materials be moulded into general …