--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never stir up litigation, a worse man can…" description: "\"Never stir up litigation, a worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this, who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/abraham-lincoln-88_deeds_never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can_2857605.png" --- # Never stir up litigation, a worse man can scarcely be… ![“Never stir up litigation, a worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this, who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up strife, and put money in his pocket?” quote by Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/abraham-lincoln-88_deeds_never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can_2857605.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/abraham-lincoln-88_deeds_never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can_2857605.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/abraham-lincoln-88_deeds_never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can_2857605.png) > “Never stir up litigation, a worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this, who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up strife, and put money in his pocket?” [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. He warns that obsessively hunting for legal flaws can corrupt character, suggesting such behavior is akin to a fiendish pursuit of profit over justice. **In simple terms:** Focusing on finding legal defects for personal gain is morally corrupt. Key Takeaway Avoid exploiting legal loopholes for selfish profit. Themes justice ethics law corruption greed Mood cautious critical serious Type warning philosophical When to use this quote - Legal practice - political leadership - business conduct - personal decision‑making Key Concepts Moral philosophy legal ethics integrity social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Is it ever justified to scrutinize titles for genuine errors? - How do we balance vigilance with integrity? A Different Perspective The warning may be overstated for modern contexts where due diligence is necessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Defects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defects/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Litigation Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/litigation-worse-3837456/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Nearly Fiend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly-fiend-3837458/) [Pockets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pockets/) [Register](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/register/) [Stir Strife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stir-strife-3837457/) [Strife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strife/) [Titles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/titles/) [Worse Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worse-man-464262/) ## Related quotes > [Never stir up litigation. A worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can-scarcely-be-found-than-one/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [God hates it when we stir up strife, disloyalty, or contention among His people. It may happen in the church, but don’t you be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/god-hates-it-when-we-stir-up-strife-disloyalty-or-contention-among/) [Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/) > [“One man, she thought then, could build or destroy, could change time and history, for better or worse. One man. Or one woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-o-neal/one-man-she-thought-then-could-build-or-destroy-could-change-time-and/) [Barbara O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-o-neal/) > [“But when a god             strikes harm, a worse man often foils his better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/but-when-a-god-strikes-harm-a-worse-man-often-foils-his-better/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [When he is best, he is a little worse than a man; and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/when-he-is-best-he-is-a-little-worse-than-a-man-and-when-he-is-worst/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Worse is man who abandons himself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-gupta/worse-is-man-who-abandons-himself/) [Amit Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-gupta/) > [I know of no condition worse than that of the man who has little or no light on the supreme religious questions, and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-fitch-burr/i-know-of-no-condition-worse-than-that-of-the-man-who-has-little-or/) [Enoch Fitch Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-fitch-burr/) > [Is it fair to treat a woman worse than a man, and then revile her because she is a woman?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-woodhull/is-it-fair-to-treat-a-woman-worse-than-a-man-and-then-revile-her/) [Victoria Woodhull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-woodhull/) > [I can conceive of nothing worse than a man-governed world -- except a woman-governed world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-astor/i-can-conceive-of-nothing-worse-than-a-man-governed-world-except-a/) [Nancy Astor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-astor/) > [Society than solitude is worse, And man to man is still the greatest curse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-letitia-barbauld/society-than-solitude-is-worse-and-man-to-man-is-still-the-greatest/) [Anna Letitia Barbauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-letitia-barbauld/) > [Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little is worse than a man who never attempts to read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keorapetse-phelelo/any-man-who-reads-too-much-and-uses-his-own-brain-too-little-is-worse/) [Keorapetse Phelelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keorapetse-phelelo/) > [When you take a man as he is, you make him worse. When you take a man as he can be, you make him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/when-you-take-a-man-as-he-is-you-make-him-worse-when-you-take-a-man/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [There's only one thing worse than a man who doesn't have strong likes and dislikes, and that's a man who has strong likes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-randall/there-s-only-one-thing-worse-than-a-man-who-doesn-t-have-strong-likes/) [Tony Randall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-randall/) > [The worse the man, the better the soldier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-worse-the-man-the-better-the-soldier/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [“I'm your wife. You should have come to me. When I have ever not been there to help you? He shook his head, telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-giardina/i-m-your-wife-you-should-have-come-to-me-when-i-have-ever-not-been/) [Courtney Giardina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-giardina/) ## More by Abraham Lincoln > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/let-us-at-all-times-remember-that-all-american-citizens-are-brothers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If you wish to be a lawyer, attach no consequence to the place you are in, or the person you are with; but get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-you-wish-to-be-a-lawyer-attach-no-consequence-to-the-place-you-are/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [As we keep or break the Sabbath Day we nobly save or meanly lose the last best hope by which man rises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/as-we-keep-or-break-the-sabbath-day-we-nobly-save-or-meanly-lose-the/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Tell the truth and you won't have so much to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/tell-the-truth-and-you-won-t-have-so-much-to-remember/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [With high hope for the future, no prediction is ventured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/with-high-hope-for-the-future-no-prediction-is-ventured/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We know, Southern men declare that their slaves are better off than hired laborers amongst us. 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. I must get to know him better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-don-t-like-that-man-i-must-get-to-know-him-better/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and to the young, it comes with bitterest agony because it takes them unawares.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/in-this-sad-world-of-ours-sorrow-comes-to-all-and-to-the-young-it/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The man does not live who is more devoted to peace than I am. None who would do more to preserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-man-does-not-live-who-is-more-devoted-to-peace-than-i-am-none-who/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Explore all 1,437 Abraham Lincoln quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) ## More Deeds quotes > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/) [Donald P. Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-p-ryan/) > [When deeds speak, words are nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/when-deeds-speak-words-are-nothing/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/somehow-what-s-in-our-hearts-good-or-bad-is-eventually-translated/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-oft-the-sight-of-means-to-do-ill-deeds-makes-ill-deeds-done/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A nation of character is filled with citizens who gradually build lives based on the living awareness that their deeds are judged by eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/a-nation-of-character-is-filled-with-citizens-who-gradually-build/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/the-final-estimate-of-men-shows-that-history-cares-not-an-iota-for/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) [Browse all 2,029 Deeds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Never stir up litigation, a worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this, who can be more nearly a fiend than he who habitually overhauls the register of deeds in search of defects in titles, whereon to stir up strife, and put money in his pocket?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abraham Lincoln" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can-scarcely-be-found-than-one-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deeds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can-scarcely-be-found-than-one-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/abraham-lincoln-88_deeds_never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can_2857605.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/abraham-lincoln-88_deeds_never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can_2857605.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a6/abraham-lincoln-88_deeds_never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can_2857605.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Never stir up litigation, a worse man can scarcely be found than one who does this, who can be more nearly a…” — Abraham Lincoln", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Abraham Lincoln", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Never stir up litigation, a worse...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can-scarcely-be-found-than-one-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/never-stir-up-litigation-a-worse-man-can-scarcely-be-found-than-one-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```