Abraham Lincoln, address before the Young Men's Lyceum, Springfield, Illinois (January 27, 1838), in Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (1953), vol. 1, p. 109.
“

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.

— Abraham Lincoln on Enemies

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." in the context of "Abraham Lincoln, address before the Young Men's Lyceum, Springfield, Illinois (January 27, 1838), in Roy P. Basler, ed., The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln (1953), vol. 1, p. 109." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Quote Image
Source: Wikiquote: "Enemies" (Quotes, Enemies from within) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

Tags

#Abraham Lincoln#destruction#ourselves#approach#expected#finisher#amongst#freemen#through#suicide#danger#answer
Abraham Lincoln

About Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln, a self-taught lawyer and politician, steered the United States through its most tumultuous period, the Civil War. His unwavering commitment to preserving the Union and abolishing slavery forever altered the course of American history and enshrined him as a champion of equality and justice.