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
Money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace & conspire against it in times of adversity.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the corrupting influence of money on society, especially during peaceful and challenging times.
Abraham Lincoln's quote addresses the idea that financial influences exploit the nation, taking advantage of its stability and undermining it during crises. It serves as a cautionary reminder of how monetary power can manipulate governance and societal values, especially when adversity strikes.
In practice
In a speech about economic reform, you could quote Lincoln to emphasize the dangers of unchecked financial influence.
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.
Our government should be entirely and purely secular. The religious views of a candidate should be kept entirely out of sight.
The president of the United States is not a king. You know? Barack Obama was elected by the American people.
Neither the United States nor Israel has the capacity to impose a unilateral solution in the Middle East.
A little rebellion now and then... is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.
The faces and the tactics of the leaders may change every four years, or two, or one, but the people go on forever.
That I am a national figure because I was the first person in 192 years to be at once a congressman, black, and a woman proves, I would think, that our society is not yet either just or free.
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