Skip to content

Causes Quote by Abraham Lincoln

“I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me. Now, at the end of three years struggle the nation's condition is not what either party, or any man devised, or expected. God alone can claim it. Whither it is tending seems plain. If God now wills the…” quote by Abraham Lincoln
Download Open image
“I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me. Now, at the end of three years struggle the nation's condition is not what either party, or any man devised, or expected. God alone can claim it. Whither it is tending seems plain. If God now wills the removal of a great wrong, and wills also that we of the North as well as you of the South, shall pay fairly for our complicity in that wrong, impartial history will find therein new cause to attest and revere the justice and goodness of God.”

Abraham Lincoln

About This Quote

Source Speech: Address to Congress, 1865

Human events shape nations, but divine will ultimately guides history; justice will be served when wrongs are corrected.

In simple terms: God guides history beyond human control.

Key Takeaway

Trust in divine justice.

Themes

faith history justice divine will

Mood

solemn hopeful

Type

historical theological

When to use this quote

  • national policy
  • reconciliation
  • historical analysis

Key Concepts

theology political philosophy morality

Questions to Reflect On

  • What role does faith play in political decisions?
  • How can societies reconcile past injustices?
A Different Perspective

Human agency is limited; divine providence influences outcomes.

3.0 out of 5 (10 ratings)

More by Abraham Lincoln

Explore all 1,437 Abraham Lincoln quotes

More Causes quotes

Browse all 9,070 Causes quotes