10 Leadership Nuggets from Abraham Lincoln

10 Leadership Nuggets from Abraham Lincoln

Lucy P. Marcus

CEO, Non-Exec Board Director, 

Prof at IE Business School, 

Reuters columnist & host "In the Boardroom with Lucy Marcus"

 Abraham Lincoln brings us enduring wisdom in a nutshell.

Abraham Lincoln is very much in the news these days, with examinations of his character, his actions, and his leadership style. The New York Times has an article about the management lessons that can be learned from Abraham Lincoln.

It got me to thinking: some of the most enduring Lincoln quotes bring us wisdom in a nutshell.

Here are my top 10:

1. "It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

2. "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."

3. "Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing."

4. "I don't like that man. I must get to know him better."

5. "He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help."

6. "I am not concerned that you have fallen -- I am concerned that you arise."

7. "The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."

8. "Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality."

9. "No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent."

10. "If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem."

OK. 10 wasn't enough, so here are a 5 more:

11. "The best way to predict your future is to create it"

12. "Those who look for the bad in people will surely find it."

13. "Live a good life. In the end it is not the years in a life, but the life in the years."

14. "People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be."

15. "Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."

Each one is a gem. 

Edited by: Lawyer Asad