Lincoln and God 6

‘I never behold them [the heavens filled with stars] that I do not feel I am looking in the face of God. I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.'

- Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln and God 5

'May the Almighty grant that the cause of truth, justice, and humanity, shall in no wise suffer at my hands.'

- Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln and God 4

'I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.'

- Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln and God 3

'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.'

- Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln and God 2

'I do not consider that I have ever accomplished anything without God; and if it is His will that I must die by the hand of an assassin I must be resigned. I must do my duty as I see it and leave the rest with God.'

- Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln and God 1

People close to Lincoln said he could quote whole chapters of Isaiah, the New Testament and the Psalms. He would sometimes correct a misquotation giving chapter and verse where it could be found.

Lincoln and the power of words 22

Lincoln had turned his wizardry with words into a potent political weapon. In 1858 when Stephen Douglas, the powerful leader of the Democratic Party in the Senate, ran for re-election against Lincoln – victoriously, as it turned out – he knew he was up against a formidable opponent. ‘Every one of his stories seems like a whack upon my back,’ said Douglas. ‘… Nothing else – not any of his arguments or any of his replies to my questions –disturbs me. But when he begins to tell a story, I feel that I am to be overmatched.’