Abraham

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but the Lord hath sent me unto thee.

The Lord hath sent me unto thee.

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. Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.

I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.

If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?

The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.

No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.

I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.

The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he makes so many of them.

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.

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.

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.

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 of 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.' When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy.

I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.

I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.

If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.

I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races.

If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.