"I have no prejudice against the Southern people. They are not to blame for the institution of slavery among them. They are in the condition of a man with a wen on his neck. It is an excrescence, but y…"

"The plainest print cannot be read through a gold eagle."

"As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."

"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and …"

"Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser—in fees, expenses, and waste of time."