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
A long visit to a friend is often a great bore. Never make people twice glad.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Prolonged interactions can sometimes become tedious, and it's important to avoid overstaying one's welcome.
This quote by Abraham Lincoln highlights the delicate balance in maintaining friendships. While spending time with friends is valuable, an extended visit can lead to discomfort or boredom, suggesting that it is better to leave them wanting more, rather than risking the possibility of overstaying one's welcome and diminishing the joy of the interaction.
Themes
FriendshipVisitingBoundariesComfortInteraction
In practice
Example use cases
During a toast at a friend's gathering, one might reference this quote humorously to emphasize the importance of not overstaying a visit.
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
Be sure to put the knocker fairly low on your door in case a very small friend drops by.
A. A. MilneRead
Of what shall we be proud of if we are not proud of our friends?
Robert Louis StevensonRead
As the years progress one increasingly realises the importance of friendship and human solidarity. And if a 90-year-old may offer some unsolicited advice on this occasion, it would be that you, irrespective of your age, should place human solidarity, the concern for the other, at the centre of the values by which you live.
Nelson MandelaRead
Don't hang out with a bunch of people who drag you down when you can hang out with one person who makes you feel good.
Mark MansonRead
Is that the basis of friendship? Is it as reactive as that? Do we respond only to people who seem to find us interesting?... Do we all buzz or ring or light up when people press our vanity buttons, and only then? Can I think of anyone in my whole life whom I have liked without his first showing signs of liking me?
Wallace StegnerRead
Today I know this: when it comes time to take stock, the most painful wound is that of broken friendships; and there is nothing more foolish than to sacrifice a friendship to politics.
Milan KunderaRead