Happy Birthday Abraham Lincoln. Born 211 years ago today and still revered in our collective national memory as truly wise, witty and brave. Also, quite fitting that his image is on not one, but two U.S. currencies: the penny and the five dollar bill. It’s just good to have this guy around!
Whether spiritual, self-effacing, political or poignant, his words are timeless and I am amazed by the number of insightful and delightful quotations which sprang from Mr. Lincoln’s fine mind. Sharing a few gems here.
“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad, and that’s my religion.” – Abraham Lincoln
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” – Abraham Lincoln
“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” – Abraham Lincoln
“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” – Abraham Lincoln
And on Lincoln’s Birthday years ago, the late, great Johnny Carson told a joke about Abe Lincoln that referenced his assassination. The joke bombed badly, and without missing a beat, Carson quipped, “Too soon?” Yes, Johnny, it will always be too soon.
Dare I suggest another title? There is a recent book about the young Lincoln, told from the perspective of Mary Todd and his friend Joshua Speed called, Courting Mr. Lincoln by Louis Bayard. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/louis-bayard/courting-mr-lincoln/
Great quotes!