--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think there were two great gay…" description: "\"I think there were two great gay Americans obviously, and that was Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman.\" — Andrew Sullivan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/andrew-sullivan-4198_abraham_i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-america_1113969.png" --- # I think there were two great gay Americans obviously, and… ![“I think there were two great gay Americans obviously, and that was Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman.” quote by Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/andrew-sullivan-4198_abraham_i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-america_1113969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/andrew-sullivan-4198_abraham_i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-america_1113969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/andrew-sullivan-4198_abraham_i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-america_1113969.png) > “I think there were two great gay Americans obviously, and that was Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman.” [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author highlights two iconic gay American figures, Lincoln and Whitman, as symbols of courage and artistic freedom. **In simple terms:** Lincoln and Whitman are celebrated as gay icons. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse histories. Themes identity history LGBTQ Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical historical When to use this quote - education - public discourse - celebration of diversity Key Concepts courage artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How does representation affect LGBTQ visibility? - What does “great” mean in this context? A Different Perspective Some argue historical evidence of Lincoln's sexuality is inconclusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Documentary is, therefore, an approach, which makes use of the artistic faculties to give vivification to fact - to use Walt Whitman's definition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beaumont-newhall/documentary-is-therefore-an-approach-which-makes-use-of-the-artistic/) [Beaumont Newhall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beaumont-newhall/) > [Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" is still in print. They're debating right now over Mark Twain. He's still available. Winslow Homer can still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/walt-whitman-s-leaves-of-grass-is-still-in-print-they-re-debating/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [It is no discredit to Walt Whitman that he wrote Leaves of Grass, only that he did not burn it afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-higginson/it-is-no-discredit-to-walt-whitman-that-he-wrote-leaves-of-grass-only/) [Thomas Wentworth Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wentworth-higginson/) > [Walt Whitman, he who laid end to end words never seen in each other's company before outside of a dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/walt-whitman-he-who-laid-end-to-end-words-never-seen-in-each-other-s/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [I gotta say - if I clicked on a movie interview, and the first part was all about Walt Whitman, I'd love that article.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-mckay/i-gotta-say-if-i-clicked-on-a-movie-interview-and-the-first-part-was/) [Adam McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-mckay/) > [If you're going to get up to Walt Whitman and Robert Frost and Langston Hughes and Sylvia Plath you've got to figure out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/if-you-re-going-to-get-up-to-walt-whitman-and-robert-frost-and/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [Certainly I'm participating in an already established and awesome tradition, but it's a tradition that sort of shoots up and through the mainstream in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/certainly-i-m-participating-in-an-already-established-and-awesome/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [In his very rejection of art Walt Whitman is an artist. He tried to produce a certain effect by certain means and he succeeded…He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/in-his-very-rejection-of-art-walt-whitman-is-an-artist-he-tried-to/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Walt Whitman, a kosmos, of Manhattan the son, Turbulent, fleshy, sensual, eating, drinking and breeding, No sentimentalist, no stander above men and women or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/walt-whitman-a-kosmos-of-manhattan-the-son-turbulent-fleshy-sensual/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Our culture is what we did together. What did Walt Whitman represent for all of us? What was his message to us? That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/our-culture-is-what-we-did-together-what-did-walt-whitman-represent/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [When I was young I once found a book in a Dutch translation, 'The leaves of Grass'. It was the first time a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karel-appel/when-i-was-young-i-once-found-a-book-in-a-dutch-translation-the/) [Karel Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karel-appel/) > [The English tourist in American literature wants above all things something different from what he has at home. For this reason the one American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-english-tourist-in-american-literature-wants-above-all-things/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Art is a luxury. It's not necessary for you to - you can work your job and you can make some money and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/art-is-a-luxury-it-s-not-necessary-for-you-to-you-can-work-your-job/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [I always knew in my heart Walt Whitman's mind to be more like my own than any other man's living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-manley-hopkins/i-always-knew-in-my-heart-walt-whitman-s-mind-to-be-more-like-my-own/) [Gerard Manley Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-manley-hopkins/) > [I meet new Walt Whitmans everyday. There are a dozen of them afloat. I don't know which Walt Whitman I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/i-meet-new-walt-whitmans-everyday-there-are-a-dozen-of-them-afloat-i/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) ## More by Andrew Sullivan > [True belief is not about blind submission. It is about open-eyed acceptance, and acceptance requires persistent distance from the truth, and that distance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/true-belief-is-not-about-blind-submission-it-is-about-open-eyed/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I'm gay. I always have been and I always will be, and I'm happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-m-gay-i-always-have-been-and-i-always-will-be-and-i-m-happy/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [What modernity requires is not that you cease living according to your faith, but that you accept that others may differ and that therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/what-modernity-requires-is-not-that-you-cease-living-according-to/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Although I never publicly defended promiscuity, I never publicly attacked it. I attempted to avoid the subject, in part because I felt, and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/although-i-never-publicly-defended-promiscuity-i-never-publicly/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The day of reckoning is not just coming for Saddam Hussein. It's coming for the anti-war movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/the-day-of-reckoning-is-not-just-coming-for-saddam-hussein-it-s/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [For me, friendship has always been the most accessible of relationships - certainly far more so than romantic love. Friendship, I learned, provided a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/for-me-friendship-has-always-been-the-most-accessible-of/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The first person I came out to was God. And the first conversation I ever had with anybody was in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/the-first-person-i-came-out-to-was-god-and-the-first-conversation-i/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [If religion is about truth, why is it so afraid of error?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/if-religion-is-about-truth-why-is-it-so-afraid-of-error/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [“Even if it's deep unhappiness, it's your unhappiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/even-if-it-s-deep-unhappiness-it-s-your-unhappiness/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Monsters remain human beings. In fact, to reduce them to a subhuman level is to exonerate them of their acts of terrorism and mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/monsters-remain-human-beings-in-fact-to-reduce-them-to-a-subhuman/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Well, in the past, the size of government was one of the more fundamental dividing lines between Right and Left. The Right was supposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/well-in-the-past-the-size-of-government-was-one-of-the-more/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I've never been a partisan, I've never been a Republican, I've never been a Democrat, ever, which is why I was very frustrated being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-ve-never-been-a-partisan-i-ve-never-been-a-republican-i-ve-never/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I think essentially corrupting institutions in Washington are turning conservatism into something that is really very creepy, but also emotionally and psychically powerful for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-think-essentially-corrupting-institutions-in-washington-are-turning/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [I believe that there are moments in sex that are so awesome that they actually reflect God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-believe-that-there-are-moments-in-sex-that-are-so-awesome-that-they/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [Every generation is born into, for the most part, a heterosexual family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/every-generation-is-born-into-for-the-most-part-a-heterosexual-family/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) [Explore all 114 Andrew Sullivan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) ## More Abraham quotes > [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Hebron is a bone of contention between Israeli settlers and the Palestinians in part because Abraham is buried there, in the Tomb of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/hebron-is-a-bone-of-contention-between-israeli-settlers-and-the/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee, because we are not going to allow - people will wake up and we're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/donald-trump-is-not-going-to-be-the-nominee-because-we-are-not-going/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [“Never you look down on your Abraham because of your Sarah because the blessing is not in the womb of Sarah but in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ikechukwu-izuakor/never-you-look-down-on-your-abraham-because-of-your-sarah-because-the/) [Ikechukwu Izuakor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ikechukwu-izuakor/) > [“Whatever you are, be a good one.”   Abraham Lincoln”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rriiver-nyile/whatever-you-are-be-a-good-one-abraham-lincoln/) [Rriiver Nyile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rriiver-nyile/) > [Moses was a great leader, right? But he wasn't a great communicator. And so God sent him Aaron so he could, let's say, communicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/moses-was-a-great-leader-right-but-he-wasn-t-a-great-communicator-and/) [Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/) > [“king of Heshbon. 6 b Moses, the servant of the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/king-of-heshbon-6-b-moses-the-servant-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the end, thought Sol, past logic and hope, it is dreams and the love of those dearest to us that form Abraham’s answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/in-the-end-thought-sol-past-logic-and-hope-it-is-dreams-and-the-love/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [It was psychobabbler Abraham Maslow who wrote of the phenomena of self-actualization. What Maslow failed to grasp is that reaching true self-actualization can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/it-was-psychobabbler-abraham-maslow-who-wrote-of-the-phenomena-of/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [“9. Abraham’s death (25:1 – 11) After Sarah’s death, Abraham took another wife, Keturah. Abraham was a rejuvenated old man and continued to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sailhamer/9-abraham-s-death-25-1-11-after-sarah-s-death-abraham-took-another/) [John H. Sailhamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sailhamer/) > [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. Abraham Lincoln, born to a poor family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everybody-faces-obstacles-and-i-looked-to-people-who-had-been-through/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [Someone asked me...how it felt and I was reminded of a story that a fellow townsman of ours used to tell--Abraham Lincoln. They asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-asked-me-how-it-felt-and-i-was-reminded-of-a-story-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [American foreign policy and military might have opened an opportunity for the Gospel in the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/american-foreign-policy-and-military-might-have-opened-an-opportunity/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) [Browse all 484 Abraham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abraham/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think there were two great gay Americans obviously, and that was Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Sullivan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-americans-obviously-and-that-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abraham" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-americans-obviously-and-that-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/andrew-sullivan-4198_abraham_i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-america_1113969.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/andrew-sullivan-4198_abraham_i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-america_1113969.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1eb/andrew-sullivan-4198_abraham_i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-america_1113969.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think there were two great gay Americans obviously, and that was Abraham Lincoln and Walt Whitman.” — Andrew Sullivan", "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": "Andrew Sullivan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think there were two great...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-americans-obviously-and-that-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/i-think-there-were-two-great-gay-americans-obviously-and-that-was/#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 } } ] } ```