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
You may think it was a very little thing, and in these days it seems to me like a trifle, but it was a most important incident in my life. I could scarcely credit that I, the poor boy, had earned a dollar in less than a day; that by honest work, I had earned a dollar. I was a more hopeful and thoughtful boy from that time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Small achievements can have a significant impact on our lives.
This quote reflects on how seemingly minor experiences can lead to substantial personal growth and change. Abraham Lincoln emphasizes the importance of earning something through honest work, which instills hope and thoughtfulness, ultimately shaping one's character and outlook on life.
Themes
AchievementHonestyWorkGrowthHope
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech to students about the importance of hard work.
More from Abraham Lincoln
All quotes →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.
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
He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions.
Thomas JeffersonRead
There are clearly times when quieting down and bringing our energy back into ourselves is a step toward inner peace. _x000D_ _x000D_ Yet the most powerful life is not one in which we bring ourselves back to our center when we have spun away from it, but rather one in which we seek to live from that center at all times.
Marianne WilliamsonRead
Don't be too hard on me. Everyone has to sacrifice at the altar of stupidity from time to time.
Albert EinsteinRead
I wish somebody had given me the news that ideas don't just fall on your head like fairy dust. You have to treat that like a job. You have to spend hours each day, where you're just like, 'This is the part of the day when I'm looking for an idea.'
Ira GlassRead
He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he that loses his courage loses all.
Miguel De CervantesRead
Let not a man guard his dignity, but let his dignity guard him.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead