Abraham Lincoln wrote and spoke with unusual care. He was a lawyer who revised his speeches line by line, a president who carried a war on his shoulders, and a letter writer who could comfort a grieving mother in a single paragraph. This collection of abraham lincoln quotes sticks closely to that documented record — his speeches, addresses and letters — so the words you save and share are words he actually left behind.
You will find lines on character, perseverance, honesty and leadership, grouped by theme. Lincoln is one of the most misquoted figures in history, so doubtful internet lines are marked as attributed or left out. These life quotes for inspiration offer a broader companion set.
You can read more about his life on his Wikipedia page.
Abraham Lincoln Quotes on Leadership and Public Life
Lincoln led through division and war, and his public words still read like a manual for steady, principled leadership.
- “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” — Abraham Lincoln — Opening line of his 1858 House Divided speech, accepting the Senate nomination.
- “Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” — Abraham Lincoln — The closing promise of the Gettysburg Address, November 1863.
- “With malice toward none, with charity for all, let us strive on to finish the work we are in.” — Abraham Lincoln — From his Second Inaugural Address, urging healing as the war ended.
- “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.” — Abraham Lincoln — From his 1858 debates with Stephen Douglas on shaping public opinion.
- “The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” — Abraham Lincoln — A line from an 1856 speech supporting peaceful, democratic change.
- “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.” — Abraham Lincoln — The closing of his Cooper Union address in 1860.
- “I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.” — Abraham Lincoln — Reflecting his well-documented kindness toward animals.
- “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision.” — Abraham Lincoln — A simple statement of democratic faith, often quoted from his writings.
- “No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” — Abraham Lincoln — From his 1854 Peoria speech on slavery and self-government.
- “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts.” — Abraham Lincoln — From notes on the Dred Scott decision, affirming popular sovereignty.
Abraham Lincoln Quotes on Character and Honesty
Friends and colleagues remembered Lincoln first for honesty. His own words show how seriously he treated character, reputation and truth.
- “Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” — Abraham Lincoln — A favourite image for choosing substance over appearances.
- “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.” — Abraham Lincoln — A personal creed recorded by those who knew him.
- “If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” — Abraham Lincoln — His dry reply when accused of being two-faced in the 1858 debates.
- “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” — Abraham Lincoln — Practical wisdom from a lawyer who valued plain truth.
- “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.” — attributed to Abraham Lincoln — Famous and widely attributed, though its earliest record is debated by historians.
- “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.” — Abraham Lincoln — Recorded by friends as his plain-spoken philosophy of conduct.
- “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” — Abraham Lincoln — A quiet case for lifelong learning and humility.
- “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the saw.” — attributed to Abraham Lincoln — Included here only as attributed; historians find no record of Lincoln saying it.
- “Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.” — Abraham Lincoln — A sharp, kind observation on handling people well.
- “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.” — Abraham Lincoln — From his 1838 Lyceum Address, warning against internal decay.
Abraham Lincoln Quotes on Perseverance and Hard Work
Lincoln lost elections, businesses and loved ones before he reached the White House. His letters show a man who kept working through failure.
- “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” — Abraham Lincoln — From a letter of encouragement, and still stinging in the best way.
- “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.” — Abraham Lincoln — Advice he gave in a letter on studying law, in 1855.
- “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” — Abraham Lincoln — A fitting summary of his steady, stubborn progress.
- “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” — Abraham Lincoln — A calming thought for anyone facing a long road.
- “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” — attributed to Abraham Lincoln — Another attributed favourite; included with its status clearly marked.
- “Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital.” — Abraham Lincoln — From his 1861 message to Congress, defending the dignity of work.
- “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.” — Abraham Lincoln — His reported reply to friends who questioned his years of self-study.
- “In the end, it is not the years in your life that count, it is the life in your years.” — attributed to Abraham Lincoln — Popular online, but listed here as attributed only, not documented.
- “Let no young man choosing the law for a calling for a moment yield to the popular belief that the law is a code of ethics.” — Abraham Lincoln — From his notes for a law lecture, urging personal integrity.
- “Work, work, work, is the main thing.” — Abraham Lincoln — Blunt advice from a letter to a young officer in 1860.
For a daily habit, pair one Lincoln line with a thought of the day each morning and reflect on both for a minute.
Abraham Lincoln Quotes on Kindness, Humor and Life
Behind the speeches was a storyteller who used humour to survive grief and pressure — and who wrote letters of remarkable tenderness.
- “I laugh because I must not cry, that is all, that is all.” — Abraham Lincoln — Recorded by his law partner, explaining his famous storytelling.
- “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — attributed to Abraham Lincoln — Widely attributed and much loved, though not found in his writings.
- “Die when I may, 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 — A gentle self-portrait recorded by a close friend.
- “I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.” — Abraham Lincoln — A homely test of character that biographers often cite.
- “A friend is one who has the same enemies as you have.” — Abraham Lincoln — A wry line from a letter to a political ally.
- “The better part of one’s life consists of his friendships.” — Abraham Lincoln — From an 1849 letter, simple and heartfelt.
- “Towering genius disdains a beaten path.” — Abraham Lincoln — Opening image of the Lyceum Address, on ambition and originality.
- “Gold is good in its place, but living, brave, patriotic men are better than gold.” — Abraham Lincoln — Spoken to Congress volunteers, valuing people over wealth.
- “Let reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap.” — Abraham Lincoln — Elevated language from the Lyceum Address on civic duty.
- “Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history.” — Abraham Lincoln — From his 1862 message to Congress, accepting responsibility for the moment.
If you prefer your wisdom brief, browse these short quotes — several Lincoln one-liners fit naturally among them.
How to Use These Quotes
In a classroom, open with the House Divided line or the Gettysburg closing and discuss what it asks of a leader today. For speeches and essays, quote Lincoln sparingly — one documented line, properly credited, carries more weight than three doubtful ones. For social media, add the source in your caption, such as “Gettysburg Address, 1863.” Readers respect the extra care.
How to Choose the Right Quote
For leadership talks, start with the public-life section — the Gettysburg and Second Inaugural lines are his strongest. For personal encouragement, the perseverance section is warmer and more private, drawn largely from his letters.
For character and integrity themes, use the tree-and-shadow quote; it is vivid, short and unmistakably his. When you are unsure whether a Lincoln quote is genuine, check whether a speech, letter or dated record exists for it. If no source can be found, treat it as attributed at best — that habit alone will keep you accurate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Abraham Lincoln’s most famous quote?
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth,” from the Gettysburg Address, is his most famous line. The closing of his Second Inaugural Address — “With malice toward none, with charity for all” — runs a close second.
Which Abraham Lincoln quotes are actually fake?
Several viral lines have no record in his speeches or letters, including “Whatever you are, be a good one” and the axe-sharpening quote in its popular form. This article leaves the famous fake out entirely and marks widely circulated lines as “attributed to” where historians debate them.
What did Lincoln say about success and failure?
In a letter he wrote that his great concern was not whether someone had failed, but whether they were content with their failure. He also advised that your own resolution to succeed matters more than any other single thing.
Can I use Abraham Lincoln quotes in a speech or essay?
Yes. Quote from his documented speeches and letters, name the source and date where you can, and keep the wording exact. That accuracy is part of what makes a Lincoln quote persuasive.
Where are Lincoln’s original speeches preserved?
His collected writings are held by the Library of Congress and published in The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Major speeches like the Gettysburg Address are also displayed at presidential libraries and national archives.
Conclusion
Lincoln’s words have lasted because he earned them — in courtrooms, in debates, in war, and in private letters written late at night. Choose one documented line from this page, learn the story behind it, and carry it accurately. That respect for the real record is, in its own small way, a very Lincoln thing to do.
