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
He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Criticism should come from those who genuinely care and want to help.
This quote by Abraham Lincoln emphasizes the importance of having a constructive intent behind criticism. It suggests that only those who truly care about others' well-being have the right to critique them, as their feedback is rooted in a desire for improvement and support.
Themes
CriticismHelpSupportWisdomGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
During a team meeting, I shared this quote to remind my colleagues that our feedback should always aim to uplift each other.
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
We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become.
Thomas S. MonsonRead
Forgive but do not forget, or you will be hurt again. Forgiving changes the perspectives. Forgetting loses the lesson.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing
A. A. MilneRead
If you do good in secret, Allah will shower His good on you in public.
Ibn TaymiyyahRead
Be sure that someday you'll praise and thank God for your unanswered prayers that once you had wept for them.
Shams TabriziRead
Once we recognize the fact that every individual is a treasury of hidden and unsuspected qualities, our lives become richer, our judgement better, and our world is more right. It is not love that is blind, it is only the unnoticing eye that cannot see the real qualities of people.
Charles H. PercyRead