Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) carried the weight of a divided nation on his shoulders, yet he never fully lost his sense of humor, humility, or hope. His words reveal a man who believed in freedom, conscience, and quiet perseverance—plucking thistles where he found them, and planting flowers wherever they might grow.

“Gentlemen, why don’t you laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me night and day, if I did not laugh, I should die.”

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

“I do the very best I know how—the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end.”

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

“A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.”

“A woman is the only thing that I am afraid of that I know will not hurt me.”

“All my life I have tried to pluck a thistle and plant a flower wherever the flower would grow in thought and mind.”

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

“Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.”

“For those who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they like.”

“Common looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.”

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.”

“Force is all-conquering, but its victories are short-lived.”

“How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.”

“Every blade of grass is a study; and to produce two, where there was but one, is both a profit and a pleasure.”

“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.”

“If any personal description of me is thought desirable, it may be said, I am, in height, six feet four inches, nearly; lean in flesh, weighing on an average, one hundred and eighty pounds; dark complexion, with coarse black hair, and grey eyes.” (1860)

“Although volume upon volume is written to prove slavery a very good thing, we never hear of a man who wishes to take the good of it, by being a slave himself.”

Read the full speech: The Gettysburg Address • Visit the related celebration: November 19 ~ Birth of Freedom