I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Abraham LincolnRead
Among the friends of Union, there is great diversity of sentiment and of policy in regard to slavery and the African race among us.
Interpretation
Lincoln acknowledges differing views on slavery and race among his supporters.
In this quote, Abraham Lincoln reflects on the varied opinions and policies held by those who support the Union during the Civil War. He highlights the complexity of the issue of slavery and race, suggesting that even within a shared goal, there exists a significant diversity of thought and sentiment regarding these pressing moral and social issues.
In practice
In a debate about historical perspectives on race, this quote by Lincoln can illustrate the complexity of views.
I am like a man so busy in letting rooms in one end of his house, that he can't stop to put out the fire that is burning the other.
Sir, 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.
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
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.
For it has been said, all that a man hath will he give for his life; and while all contribute of their substance the soldier puts his life at stake, and often yields it up in his country's cause. The highest merit, then is due to the soldier.
And having thus chosen our course, without guile, and with pure purpose, let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear, and with manly hearts.
Show us your Christ, Lady, after this our exile, yes: but show Him to us also now, show Him to us here, while we are still wanderers.
Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few.
Easy, simple and great laws, which await nothing but a sign from the lawgiver to spread prosperity and vigour throughout the nation, laws which would earn him immortal hymns of gratitude down the generations, are those which are least considered or least wanted.
Oh, how one wishes sometimes to escape from the meaningless dullness of human eloquence, from all those sublime phrases, to take refuge in nature, apparently so inarticulate, or in the wordlessness of long, grinding labor, of sound sleep, of true music, or of a human understanding rendered speechless by emotion!
The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man.
In real life, the hardest aspect of the battle between good and evil is determining which is which.
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