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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
We must adapt our thinking and actions to meet the challenges of our current circumstances.
In this quote, Lincoln emphasizes the necessity of evolving our thoughts and actions in response to contemporary challenges, suggesting that past beliefs and methods may not serve us in addressing present difficulties. He argues for a fresh perspective that acknowledges the uniqueness of our current situation, indicating that growth and adaptation are essential for progress.
Themes
ChangeAdaptationProgressInnovationChallenges
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to inspire teams to embrace new strategies amidst change.
More from Abraham Lincoln
All quotes βSir, 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.
Abraham LincolnRead
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.
Abraham LincolnRead
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.
Abraham LincolnRead
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.
Abraham LincolnRead
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.
Abraham LincolnRead
Similar quotes
What does it look like to build a city, state, or nation invested in communities thriving rather than their death and destruction? To ask this question is the first act of an abolitionist.
Patrisse CullorsRead
You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.
R. Buckminster FullerRead
And when I was angry, when I was younger, I was in a cocoon. Now I'm a beautiful, black butterfly.
Tracy MorganRead
Only the fairy tale equates changelessness with happiness...Permanence means paralysis and death. Only, in movement, with all its pain, is life.
Jacob BurckhardtRead
Coming back to your native land after an absence of many years is a surprisingly unsettling business, a little like waking from a long coma. Time, you discover, has wrought changes that leave you feeling mildly foolish and out of touch.
Bill BrysonRead
For over half a century the automobile has brought death, injury, and the most inestimable sorrow and deprivation to millions of people.
Ralph NaderRead