"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.
This expresses my idea of democracy.
Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."
"I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms
until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal."
"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital.
Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed.
Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
"In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free -
honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve.
We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.
Other means may succeed; this could not fail.
The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just - a way which, if followed,
the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless."
"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."
"I have never studied the art of paying compliments to women;
but I must say that if all that has been
said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of women
were applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their
conduct during this war. I will close by saying, God bless the women of America!"
"Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."
"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."
"Discourage litigation.
Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.
Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser - in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man.
There will still be business enough."
"I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races - that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied everything."
"I have never said anything to the contrary, but I hold that notwithstanding all this, there is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I hold that he is as much entitled to these as the white man. I agree with Judge Douglas he is not my equal in many respects---certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowment. But in the right to eat the bread, without leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man. "
"I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except Negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except Negroes and foreigners and Catholics." When it comes to this, I shall prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty - to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure and without the base alloy of hypocrisy."
"Stand with anybody that stands RIGHT. Stand with him while he is right and PART with him when he goes wrong."