--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I certainly know that if the war fails…" description: "\"I certainly know that if the war fails, the administration fails, and that I will be blamed for it, whether I deserve it or not. And I ought to be blam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/abraham-lincoln-88_administration_i-certainly-know-that-if-the-war-fails-t_2254385.png" --- # I certainly know that if the war fails, the administration… ![“I certainly know that if the war fails, the administration fails, and that I will be blamed for it, whether I deserve it or not. And I ought to be blamed, if I could do better. You think I could do better; therefore you blame me already. I think I could not do better; therefore I blame you for…” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/abraham-lincoln-88_administration_i-certainly-know-that-if-the-war-fails-t_2254385.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/abraham-lincoln-88_administration_i-certainly-know-that-if-the-war-fails-t_2254385.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/abraham-lincoln-88_administration_i-certainly-know-that-if-the-war-fails-t_2254385.png) > “I certainly know that if the war fails, the administration fails, and that I will be blamed for it, whether I deserve it or not. And I ought to be blamed, if I could do better. You think I could do better; therefore you blame me already. I think I could not do better; therefore I blame you for blaming me.” [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker acknowledges personal responsibility and the tendency to assign blame regardless of performance, highlighting the paradox of expectation and accountability. **In simple terms:** People blame each other whether they succeed or fail. Key Takeaway Accept responsibility and seek improvement. Themes responsibility accountability leadership Mood reflective serious Type political philosophical When to use this quote - government decisions - military strategy - public criticism - personal performance review Key Concepts political psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do expectations shape accountability? - When is blame justified? A Different Perspective Blame can be unfair when circumstances limit control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Better Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-blame-3617237/) [Blame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame/) [Blame me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blame-me/) [Blamed Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blamed-better-5162693/) [Blamed Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blamed-deserve-5162692/) [Deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deserve/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [If i could](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/if-i-could/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Ought Blamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought-blamed-5162691/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Who better to blame it on than a fairy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobbie-hinman/who-better-to-blame-it-on-than-a-fairy/) [Bobbie Hinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobbie-hinman/) > [True Music, like all true Art, is an experience to be shared, not judged, for praise cannot make it better, as blame cannot make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-martino/true-music-like-all-true-art-is-an-experience-to-be-shared-not-judged/) [Pat Martino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-martino/) > [As the chief speaker at the dedication of the national cemetery at the Gettysburg Battlefield, statesman Edward Everett wrote to Lincoln: I should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/as-the-chief-speaker-at-the-dedication-of-the-national-cemetery-at/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. 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Men's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/with-men-we-blame-the-victim-we-blame-men-because-we-have-camouflaged/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [All I'm doing is I'm filling out my tax returns - or my accountants are, and I'm paying whatever I'm supposed to pay, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rubenstein/all-i-m-doing-is-i-m-filling-out-my-tax-returns-or-my-accountants-are/) [David Rubenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rubenstein/) > [Don't blame me. The devil made me do it, and the Lord said you have to forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/don-t-blame-me-the-devil-made-me-do-it-and-the-lord-said-you-have-to/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [“Why do they blame me for all their little failings? 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Hey,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/i-m-quite-honored-by-it-they-people-tell-me-that-if-it-hadn-t-of-been/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [We're our own worst enemies a lot of the time, but I still blame men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/we-re-our-own-worst-enemies-a-lot-of-the-time-but-i-still-blame-men/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [He’s playing every bit as hard as I am, only he knows what he’s doing and I don’t. Don’t blame me because he’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/he-s-playing-every-bit-as-hard-as-i-am-only-he-knows-what-he-s-doing/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I've been accused of humanizing the Nazis, to which I can only say, you can't blame me for that. God did that. Go talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-d-snodgrass/i-ve-been-accused-of-humanizing-the-nazis-to-which-i-can-only-say-you/) [W. 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How little they know, whereof they speak! There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-know-southern-men-declare-that-their-slaves-are-better-off-than/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I am glad to see that a system of labor prevails under which laborers can strike when they want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-glad-to-see-that-a-system-of-labor-prevails-under-which-laborers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I don't like that man. 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