Abraham Lincoln: “Of your military necessities you must judge and execute, but please do so in the spirit and with the purpose above…”

Important principles may and must be inflexible.

I believe that it is not only possible, but in fact easier, to do this without deciding or even considering whether these States have ever been out of the Union, than with it.

If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference.

I am considering, and shall not fail to act when satisfied that action will be proper.