With malice toward none, with charity for all.
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1865
With malice toward none, with charity for all.
Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1865
What it means
Lincoln spoke these words as a brutal war was ending. He asked for firmness without hatred and generosity toward former enemies. Finish hard work without carrying bitterness into it.
The source
"With malice toward none, with charity for all." Abraham Lincoln said it in Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1865. Written in English: Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1907.
"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"Original English (Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1907), Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1865. Text read at gutenberg.org.
Who said it
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). Sixteenth president of the United States, who led the Union through the Civil War. His lines come from the Gettysburg Address, his inaugural addresses and his notes for young lawyers.
Questions
- What does "With malice toward none, with charity for all." mean?
- Lincoln spoke these words as a brutal war was ending. He asked for firmness without hatred and generosity toward former enemies. Finish hard work without carrying bitterness into it.
- Who said "With malice toward none, with charity for all."?
- Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865). Source: Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1865.
- What is the original wording?
- 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 (Original English (Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1907)). Written in English: Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1907.
- Is "With malice toward none, with charity for all." on a shirt?
- Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.
Cite this line
"With malice toward none, with charity for all." (Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, 4 March 1865, trans. Original English (Speeches and Letters of Abraham Lincoln, 1907)). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/with-malice-toward-none-with-charity-for-all
Filed under Quotes about character.
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More from Abraham Lincoln
- Right makes might. Dare to do your duty.Cooper Union Address, New York, 27 February 1860
- Leave nothing for tomorrow that can be done today.Notes for a Law Lecture, c. 1 July 1850
- We cannot escape history.Annual Message to Congress, 1 December 1862
- The world forgets what we say. It never forgets what they did.Gettysburg Address, 19 November 1863
- The nominal winner is often a real loser.Notes for a Law Lecture, c. 1 July 1850
- The better angels of our nature.First Inaugural Address, 4 March 1861