“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This was their majestic interpretation of the economy of the Universe. This was their lofty, and wise, and noble understanding of the justice of the Creator to His creatures. [Applause.] Yes, gentlemen, to all His creatures, to the whole great family of man. In their enlightened belief, nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on, and degraded, and imbruted by its fellows. They grasped not only the whole race of man then living, but they reached forward and seized upon the farthest posterity. They erected a beacon to guide their children and their children’s children, and the countless myriads who should inhabit the earth in other ages. Wise statesmen as they were, they knew the tendency of prosperity to breed tyrants, and so they established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or none but white men, were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their posterity might look up again to the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began — so that truth, and justice, and mercy, and all the humane and Christian virtues might not be extinguished from the land; so that no man would hereafter dare to limit and circumscribe the great principles on which the temple of liberty was being built.”
–Abraham Lincoln, August 27, 1858
This should be a favorite quotation of all pro-lifers. Let this be our response to the horrors of legal abortion as shockingly displayed in the Kermit Gosnell case. As we do battle for the right to life of all those “stamped with the Divine image and likeness,” let us recall another quotation from Mr. Lincoln: “Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”
“Let us remember the words of the Second Vatican Council: From the moment of its conception, life must be guarded with the greatest care while abortion and infanticide are unspeakable crimes.”
–Pope Francis, April 4, 2014
21 thoughts on “Quotes Suitable For Framing: Abraham Lincoln”
“The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma.”
― Abraham Lincoln, Speeches and Writings, 1832-1858
“When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion.”
― Abraham Lincoln
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This was their majestic interpretation of the economy of the Universe. This was their lofty, and wise, and noble understanding of the justice of the Creator to His creatures. [Applause.] Yes, gentlemen, to all His creatures, to the whole great family of man. In their enlightened belief, nothing stamped with the Divine image and likeness was sent into the world to be trodden on, and degraded, and imbruted by its fellows. They grasped not only the whole race of man then living, but they reached forward and seized upon the farthest posterity. They erected a beacon to guide their children and their children’s children, and the countless myriads who should inhabit the earth in other ages. Wise statesmen as they were, they knew the tendency of prosperity to breed tyrants, and so they established these great self-evident truths, that when in the distant future some man, some faction, some interest, should set up the doctrine that none but rich men, or none but white men, were entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, their posterity might look up again to the Declaration of Independence and take courage to renew the battle which their fathers began — so that truth, and justice, and mercy, and all the humane and Christian virtues might not be extinguished from the land; so that no man would hereafter dare to limit and circumscribe the great principles on which the temple of liberty was being built.”
Abraham Lincoln
Phil, why the hoot did you bother to post random quotes that have absolutely NOTHING to do with Donald’s article?? Are you so desperately Anti-Catholic/Anti-Christian that you must always sink to irrelevance? Mission accomplished.
Phil’s comment has everything to do with the article.
No, it most certainly does not.
It has more to do with it than any other rant on this thread.
PS- In all your countless posts, you lack class & intellectual rigor. I’m so glad I’m not an Atheist/Secularist/Modernist/Agnostic/whatever. As shown in almost all your posts, they’re always sounding so desperate, narrow-minded, unchallenging, boring, & irrelevant. Shalom.
Thanks for the personal attack…I really do forgive you!
Don’t listen to them, Phil. I value all your comments. You’re the most rational and best informed of all of them.
Thank you….
In what world? I beg to differ. His posts are most irrational, bitter of them all.
Do you even know Phil’s situation? He knows more about this life than any of us.
You’re engaging in something we scholars call “confirmation bias”, Bill S.
O, it’s not a personal attack. It’s a critique on your countless silly posts.
Shalom
Catholic Pilgrim…I am my words, I live my words, I share my words, so it is a personal attack.
If you could see your narrow-mindedness through our eyes you’d be astounded.
Explain yourself.
Narrow-minded is thinking that you really know anything about the intelligence behind all this. You have a narrow perception of an ancient Near East deity that somehow became a universal god. The Bible and the Church don’t even scratch the surface as to what or who is behind all this. To think you have a personal relationship with it/him/her is incredibly presumptuous on your part and on the part of everyone from the Pope down the hierarchy to the most fundamental believer.
You think you know it all but you know very little and most of that is imaginary.
So, according to your beliefs, my crime is being a faithful Catholic Christian in an intolerant, Modernist, Heterodox “dog eat dog” world? Guilty as charged, Bill S.
Your Atheism/Secularism/whatever-ism is so arrogant. It views a simple Catholic dealing with life’s daily suffering in communion with Christ Crucified as an ignoramus dumb-ss, how nice.
Catholicism respects & is more aware of the Holy Mysteries than the narrow, close-minded views of Atheism will ever allow. If you want to experience real mysticism & be aware of how truly little we know (as opposed to the arrogant, self-righteous Atheist/”Progressive” views), read GK Chesterton (a simple, faithful Catholic mystic). Read Chesterton’s “St. Francis of Assisi”. The fact that Atheism/Secularism is unable to produce an all around good-natured figure like St. Francis of Assisi (who loves God & His Church & neighbor with simplicity & humility) tell you a lot.
Catholic Pilgrim,
Pointing out how little you truly know about the intelligence behind all this (you’re not alone) compared to your presumption of you or any Catholic having a personal relationship with it/him/her is not the same as denying that Catholicism has been a force for good in the world. Forgive me if I gave you that impression. Nonetheless, Catholics are very narrow-minded or single-hearted if that sounds better. There is the world with all its diversity and there is Catholicism. We all know they are opposites.
“In a lecture delivered 15 years after Mr. Lincoln’s death, Joshua F. Speed recalled a visit to President Lincoln at the Soldiers’ Home: “As I entered the room, near night, he was sitting near a window intently reading his Bible. Approaching him I said: “I am glad to see you so profitably engaged.’ ‘Yes,’ said he, “I am profitably engaged.’ ‘Well,’ said I, ‘if you have recovered from your skepticism, I am sorry to say that I have not.’ Looking me earnestly in the face and placing his hand on my shoulder, he said: ‘You are wrong, Speed. Take all of this book upon reason that you can and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a happier and better man.”