Abraham Lincoln Quotes & Sayings

Date of Birth: February 12, 1809

Date of Death: April 15, 1865

Nationality: American

Of all American historical figures, Abraham Lincoln is dearest to the hearts of the American people. In fact, the admiration they have for him borders on worship. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., is not unlike the temples the ancient Greeks built in honor of their gods, and the annual ceremony of celebrating Lincoln’s birthday in schools and other public places has some of the characteristics of religious services. Certainly Lincoln is the national hero. The reasons for this can perhaps be found in the fact that Lincoln had many of the qualities of the hero as conceived by Americans. First of all, Lincoln’s career fits a popular American belief that every body can dream of becoming President. In other words, no matter how humble a person’s beginning, there is no class system that prevents him from recombining a leader in industry, government, or any of the professions if he has ambition, brains, and a willingness to work. Americans admire the self-mad man – the man who, with neither money nor family influence, fights his way to the top. Lincoln was born of poor parents. His mother died when he was young. The shack in which he and his father lived one winter had only three walls; the fourth side was open to the weather. He had little opportunity for schooling. Most of his early study was done by himself at night by the light of a fireplace. He did hard manual labor through the day – splitting rails for fences, taking care of livestock, working on a river boat or in a store. But as he grew older he studied law in his spare time and set up a practice. He was a good speaker and a student of political philosophy. His ability finally made a name for him, and eventually he became President of the United States.