14 Abraham Lincoln Quotes That Are Truly Modern Rules to Live By

Brooke WanserUpdated: Feb. 08, 2021

One hundred fifty years after his assassination, Abraham Lincoln remains one of America’s most influential presidents. These words of wisdom are just as relevant today as they were in his time.

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On the importance of waiting:

“Nothing valuable can be lost by taking time.”

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On image:

“What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself.”

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On being influential:

“If you would win a man to your cause first convince him that you are his sincere friend.”

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On making a difference:

“I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”

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On integrity:

“I desire to so conduct the affairs of the administration that if, at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall have at least one friend left — and that friend shall be down inside of me.”

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On flaws:

“It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues.”

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On helping others:

“To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.”

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On giving advice:

“He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.”

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On leadership:

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

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On the futility of arguing:

“Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention. Better give your path to a dog than be bitten by him.”

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On values:

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.”

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On persuasion:

“When I’m getting ready to reason with a man I spend one third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say — and two thirds thinking about him and what he is going to say.”

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On being an introvert:

“I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot.”

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On perseverance:

“The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me.”

Originally Published: April 14, 2015

Originally Published in Reader's Digest