Luke Mohan’s Reviews > Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln > Status Update

Stanton: “Now he belongs to the ages.”

Men are not flattered by being shown that there has been a difference of purpose between the Almighty and them.

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; - Lincoln’s second inaugural address

I suppose if the twelve apostles were to be chosen nowadays the streaks of locality would have to be heeded.

…you’ve done your share of work anyhow, and it is time the youngsters were working for you. If you had nothing at all Julian and I would continue to take care of you and Ma and the girls; and you know that we would do it as cheerfully as you ever worked for us, and we would greatly prefer to do it rather than you should be wearing yourself out as now with labor and cares unsuited to your age.

A man has not time to spend half his life in quarrels. If any man ceases to attack me, I never remember the past against him.

“Should my success be less than I desire, and expect, the least I can say is, the fault is not with you.”

No man resolve to make the most of himself, can spare time for personal contention. Still less can you afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper and the loss of self-control. Yield larger things to which you can show no more than equal right; and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own. Better give your path to a dog, then be bitten by him in contesting for the right.

“There could be no greater madness, [Stanton] reasoned, ”than for a man to encounter what I do for anything less than motives that overlap time and look forward to eternity.”

While “felicity of speech” was usually linked to “high culture”…[Lincoln] possesses a far more valuable “felicity of thought”.