If you are on this page, you’re here for a reason, Inspiration or Motivation that gives you a little push to get started or keep going. Sometimes life is hard on us, sometimes we are so confused that we are unable to find the meaning of life or the purpose, but we have to grow and move forward. But without the right motivation, it becomes difficult.
We have compiled top 25 inspirational and motivational quotes by Abraham Lincoln to keep you motivated. What could be more wonderful than learning from a person who have lived and shared the words of wisdom.
“Whatever you are, be a good one” – this quote by Abraham Lincoln is immensely motivating for people who are willing to work towards perfection. Like every other thing, there are high chances of misinterpretation for this quote as well. While some may claim that he was talking about “anything” under the roof, I must clarify that he did not relay evil actions through his words. Abraham was not a personality who could have encouraged things of malicious nature. His meaning was transparent, to make the best out of your profession or vocation. Through his quote, he appealed every human being on earth to be the best version of themselves and certainly may have implied to do good to others.
So, if you’re lacking motivation or need an inspiration to start again, get ready to fire up the light within you. Let’s spend some time with Mr. Lincoln and learn a little bit about the great guy before we get to the quotes area.
Early Life of Abraham Lincoln
- Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12,1809 to parents Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks Lincoln in a log cabin in Kentucky. He had an elder sister Sarah and a younger brother Thomas who died as an infant.
- Abraham was a self-educated boy acquiring his knowledge mostly from reading borrowed books. His mother died from milk sickness and her death affected him deeply. His father was a farmer and carpenter and their relationship was strained as they were different in nature.
- Abraham Lincoln was particularly close to his stepmother whom he endearingly called “Mother”. He had different occupations, that of a flatboat navigator, storekeeper, soldier, surveyor and postmaster before embarking on his political career.
Abraham Lincoln’s Early Political Career
- Abraham Lincoln educated himself in law, started practising it and came to be referred as “Honest Abe”.
- He served once in the U.S. House of Representatives but lost two elections in the U.S Senate races. It was his debates concerning slavery in 1858 with his opponent, Stephen Douglas that won him the presidential elections in 1860.
Abraham Lincoln – The President of the United States
- President Abraham Lincoln assumed office in 1861. The period saw the Southerners in favour of slavery but the President and the Northerners were against it. As a result, Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in the northern states or the states that would like to join the Union later on.
- The Southern leaders didn’t want to outlaw the practice of slavery in their region for which they decided to secede from the United States. 23 northern states were a part of the Union whereas 11 states who opposed formed the Confederate States of America. A civil war broke out on April 12, 1861 when the troops from the Confederacy attacked the U.S fort. The civil war is known as the American Civil War.
- It seemed that the Confederation would win the American civil war but the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania in July 1863 proved the prediction wrong. The war went in favour of the northern states or the Union.
- Through the Gettysburg address, Lincoln urged people from the Northern states to not give up on fighting. In his following Emancipation Proclamation speech Lincoln sought out the end of slavery.
- At the end of the Civil War in 1864, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as the President of the United States. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S.Grant as victory was proclaimed. The deceased war casualties were nearly 750,000 troops.
- His tenure as the President of the United States ended with his assassination by John Wilkes Booth who was a supporter of the Confederate.
Other Achievements of Abraham Lincoln
The other achievements of Abraham Lincoln as a President are as follows:
Establishment of the US Department of Agriculture
Abraham Lincoln established the US Department of Agriculture in collaboration with the Congress. American Agriculture was expanded and transformed with the establishment of the Land Grant agricultural university system. Abraham Lincoln referred to the Agriculture Department as the “people’s department” that was focused with proper farm production and overall well-being of the farmers.
Transcontinental Railroad Project by Abraham Lincoln
The development of the transcontinental railroad under the Pacific Railway Act took place under his leadership. While the project was slotted for a 10-year period construction from July 1, 1862, it was completed within 7 years. The project was engineered by Grenville Dodge. The railway brought the nation together by facilitating trade, travel and the defusing of the Yeomen farmers across the United States.
Homestead Act, May 20, 1862
He enacted the Homestead Act that provided an adult citizen of US with 160 acres of surveyed government land provided the citizen has never borne arms against the US government. It was required for such individuals to reside on the land and cultivate it for a period of five years to bear permanent titles to the property. It was an initiative to develop the American West and boost economic growth. Furthermore, it also enabled men, women and slaves to own their lands.
Abolition of slavery by Abraham Lincoln
- Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that led to the abolition of slavery. As per the Proclamation, “all persons held as slaves” will be “forever free”. To guarantee the Proclamation, 13th Amendment was crafted by Abraham Lincoln. Initially, the Amendment did not pass-through Congress but Abraham Lincoln’s efforts bore fruits eventually as the bill was passed in January 1865 with a vote of 119-56.
- The three-fourth of the states ratified the Amendment by December 1865. It was a step towards preserving the civil rights of the nation. The 13th Amendment states that: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
Inspirational & Motivational Quotes by Abraham Lincoln
- “You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.”
- “My Best Friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.”
- “I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come.”
- “Don’t worry when you are not recognized but strive to be worthy of recognition”
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“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.”
- “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”
- “Determine that the thing can and shall be done and then… find the way.”
- “Get books, sit yourself down anywhere, and go to reading them yourself.”
- “Be with a leader when he is right, stay with him when he is still right, but, leave him when he is wrong.”
- “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
- “If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend”.
- “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.”
- “A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones.”
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“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”
- “Every man’s happiness is his own responsibility.”
- “Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.”
- “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”
- “I am not concerned that you have fallen — I am concerned that you arise.”
- “Investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”
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“The larger the island of knowledge the longer the shore line of wonder. Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge.”
- “The struggle of today, is not altogether for today – it is for a vast future also.”
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“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.”
- “When I get ready to talk to people, I spend two thirds of the time thinking what they want to hear and one third thinking about what I want to say.”
- “Education does not mean teaching people what they do not know. It means teaching them to behave as they do not behave.”
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“If you think you can you can, if you think you can’t you’re right!”
These quotes are a great way to boost the motivation, take the right steps, see life from a different lens and start your journey of inspiration. Life is not easy, it is full of up and downs, but such motivation makes it easy to sail through the hard part. Apart from quotes, books are an amazing source of inspiration, so let’s take a look at some of the books by Abraham Lincoln that you can add to your bookshelves.
Abraham Lincoln: Selected Speeches and Writings: A Library of America
Final Thought!
The top 25 inspirational and motivational quotes by Abraham Lincoln are a great way to boost your motivation. These quotes inspire us to see life from a different lens and take the right steps so that one day people might be inspired by us and our actions. Life is full of ups and downs; it is only motivation that propels us towards fulfilment. The quote that inspires me the most is “If you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” This quote motivates me to be a good person even when I have power because I know that people will be watching me and my actions.
Is there any other quote by Abraham Lincoln that motivates you? I’m always inspired by his words, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” To me, this means that no matter what you do in life, make sure you do it to the best of your ability. There’s no use half-assing things or doing something just for the sake of it. If you’re going to do something, make sure you put your all into it. That’s what Lincoln was all about, and that’s what I aspire to be like.
