"I never knew a man who wished..." - Quote by Abraham Lincoln
I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing, that no man desires for himself.
More by Abraham Lincoln
“We must ask where we are and whither we are tending.”
“It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words, "And this too, shall pass away." How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!”
“Military necessity does not admit of cruelty - that is, the infliction of suffering for the sake of suffering or for revenge, . . . nor of torture to extort confessions.”
More on Slavery
“We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. How little they know, whereof they speak! There is no permanent class of hired laborers amongst us. Twenty-five years ago, I was a hired laborer. The hired laborer of yesterday, labors on his own account today; and will hire others to labor for him tomorrow.”
“I do but quote from one of those speeches when I declare that "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."”
“My father didn't know his last name. My father got his last name from his grandfather, and his grandfather got it from his grandfather who got it from the slavemaster.”
More on Freedom
“Look for good things about where you are, and in your state of appreciation, you lift all self-imposed limitations - and all limitations are self-imposed - and you free yourself for the receiving of wonderful things.”
“Which is heavier: a soldier's pack or a slave's chains?”
“A piece of freedom is no longer enough for human beings...unlike bread, a slice of liberty does not finish hunger. Freedom is like life. It cannot be had in installments. Freedom is indivisible--we have it all, or we are not free.”