Abraham Lincoln: Quotes & sayings from an iconic American president

When it comes to special occasions, Feb. 12 honors one of America’s most popular and beloved presidents. It’s Lincoln’s Birthday, also known as Abraham Lincoln Day and/or Lincoln Day.

Abraham Lincoln was born on this day in Kentucky in 1809. He was a farmer and a captain in the Black Hawk War. With no formal education, he became an attorney, studying law on his own. He eventually married Mary Todd and the couple had four boys. Only one lived to adulthood. While his first political campaign was unsuccessful, Lincoln went on to become a United States Senator and the 16th president of the United States. Known as the “Great Emancipator” and “Honest Abe,” Lincoln ended slavery. His life was tragically cut short when he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater on Good Friday in 1865. Abraham Lincoln, along with his wife and three of his sons, are buried at the Lincoln Tomb in his beloved home town of Springfield, IL.

While not a federal holiday, Lincoln’s Birthday is considered a state holiday in some states across the nation. Each year, a wreath laying ceremony takes place at the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capital. Some government offices and schools are closed and not all states observe Lincoln’s birthday on the same date – some observe the occasion as part of Presidents’ Day.

Abraham Lincoln Quotes & Sayings

• "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."

• "In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years."

• "You cannot escape the reasonability of tomorrow by evading it today."

• "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

• "Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."

• "If you want to test a man’s character, give him power."

• "A house divided against its self cannot stand."

• "I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser than he was yesterday."

• "If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"

• "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."

• "No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar."

• "Every man’s happiness is his own responsibility."

• "The best way to predict your future is to create it."

• "Life is hard but so very beautiful."

• "The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time."

• "Whatever you are, be a good one."

Sources:

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