--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worst thing to happen to Lincoln…" description: "\"The worst thing to happen to Lincoln - aside from the unfortunate incident at Ford's theatre - was to fall into the hands of Carl Sandburg.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/gore-vidal-466_fall_the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-asi_571382.jpg" --- # The worst thing to happen to Lincoln - aside from the… ![“The worst thing to happen to Lincoln - aside from the unfortunate incident at Ford's theatre - was to fall into the hands of Carl Sandburg.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/gore-vidal-466_fall_the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-asi_571382.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/gore-vidal-466_fall_the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-asi_571382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/gore-vidal-466_fall_the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-asi_571382.jpg) > “The worst thing to happen to Lincoln - aside from the unfortunate incident at Ford's theatre - was to fall into the hands of Carl Sandburg.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lincoln’s legacy is tarnished when later writers reinterpret his image for their own purposes. **In simple terms:** Later reinterpretations can distort historical figures. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate sources. Themes history legacy interpretation Mood reflective critical Type analytical historical When to use this quote - education - media analysis - public discourse - political rhetoric Key Concepts historical narrative authorial bias Questions to Reflect On - How does modern storytelling reshape historical perception? - What responsibilities do biographers have? A Different Perspective Such reinterpretations may also revive interest in original works. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carl-sandburg/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Happen Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-lincoln-4714670/) [Incident Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incident-ford-4714672/) [Incidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/incidents/) [Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lincoln/) [Lincoln Aside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lincoln-aside-4714669/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) [Unfortunate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate/) [Unfortunate Incident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfortunate-incident-4714671/) [Worst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst/) [Worst thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-thing/) ## Related quotes > [The American mind, unlike the English, is not formed by books, but, as Carl Sandburg once said to me, by newspapers and the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-wyck-brooks/the-american-mind-unlike-the-english-is-not-formed-by-books-but-as/) [Van Wyck Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-wyck-brooks/) > [I started writing - I began my career at the age of 20, on April 1st, 1965, when... My sister was going to Fordham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-started-writing-i-began-my-career-at-the-age-of-20-on-april-1st/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [“Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-demarco/time-is-the-coin-of-your-life-it-is-the-only-coin-you-have-and-only-3/) [M.J. DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-j-demarco/) > [“I speak of new cities and new people I tell you the past is a bucket of ashes. I tell you yesterday is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/i-speak-of-new-cities-and-new-people-i-tell-you-the-past-is-a-bucket/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“Weston, having been born in Chicago, was raised with typical, well-grounded, mid-western values. On his 16th birthday, his father gave him a Kodak camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/weston-having-been-born-in-chicago-was-raised-with-typical-well/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "The Exciting Story of Cuba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/) > [The cruelest thing that has happened to Lincoln since he was shot by Booth was to fall into the hands of Carl Sandburg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-wilson/the-cruelest-thing-that-has-happened-to-lincoln-since-he-was-shot-by/) [Edmund Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-wilson/) > [My prose style at this time was a stomach-twisting blend of the Bible, Carl Sandburg, H.L. Mencken, Jeffrey Farnol, Christopher Morley, Samuel Pepys, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/my-prose-style-at-this-time-was-a-stomach-twisting-blend-of-the-bible/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [“So Walter Arensberg, Alfred Kreymborg, Carl Sandburg, Louis Untermeyer, Eunice Tietjens, Clara Shanafelt, James Oppenheim, Maxwell Bodenheim, Richard Glaenzer, Scharmel Iris, Conrad Aiken, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-scott-fitzgerald/so-walter-arensberg-alfred-kreymborg-carl-sandburg-louis-untermeyer/) [Francis Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-scott-fitzgerald/) > [My chief literary influences have been Paul Laurence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman. My favorite public figures include Jimmy Durante, Marlene Dietrich, Mary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/my-chief-literary-influences-have-been-paul-laurence-dunbar-carl/) [Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/) > [I was reading Carl Sandburg and Gwendolyn Brooks, and I'm still very, very deeply moved by Gwendolyn Brooks's life and her work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-was-reading-carl-sandburg-and-gwendolyn-brooks-and-i-m-still-very/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way. Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/i-m-an-idealist-i-don-t-know-where-i-m-going-but-i-m-on-my-way-carl/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [ I heard someone say he \[Carl Sandburg\] was the kind of writer who had everything to gain and nothing to lose by being translated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-heard-someone-say-he-carl-sandburg-was-the-kind-of-writer-who-had/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“The cruelest thing that has happened to Lincoln since being shot by Booth was to have fallen into the hands of Carl Sandburg.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-wilson/the-cruelest-thing-that-has-happened-to-lincoln-since-being-shot-by/) [Edmund Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-wilson/) > [When I was in college, I did do some writing of poetry, somewhat inspired, I think at that time, by Carl Sandburg, because English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/when-i-was-in-college-i-did-do-some-writing-of-poetry-somewhat/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [Happiness does not come quickly. It is not conferred by any single event, however exciting or comforting or satisfying the event may be. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/happiness-does-not-come-quickly-it-is-not-conferred-by-any-single/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) ## More by Gore Vidal > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. But we do know that the oligarchs are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-oligarchs-think-that-the-people-are-both-dangerous-and-stupid/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [It is curious how often one prefers his enemies to his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-often-one-prefers-his-enemies-to-his-friends/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/as-societies-grow-decadent-the-language-grows-decadent-too-words-are/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Rome ... at its most decadent, had never thought of hiring an actor to go through the motions of being an emperor while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/rome-at-its-most-decadent-had-never-thought-of-hiring-an-actor-to-go/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [History is nothing but gossip about the past, with the hope that it might be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/history-is-nothing-but-gossip-about-the-past-with-the-hope-that-it/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Fall quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [Life will knock you down & it's tough, but you are strong enough. Get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-will-knock-you-down-it-s-tough-but-you-are-strong-enough-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was 13, I began relaxing my hair, and that meant when I turned 18 it began to crack and fall off, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/when-i-was-13-i-began-relaxing-my-hair-and-that-meant-when-i-turned/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [“If you ever falling but can't see the bottom be glad you can't because at the bottom it's either a soft land or rocks!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelseigh-ashton/if-you-ever-falling-but-can-t-see-the-bottom-be-glad-you-can-t/) [Kelseigh Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelseigh-ashton/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) [Browse all 13,401 Fall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The worst thing to happen to Lincoln - aside from the unfortunate incident at Ford's theatre - was to fall into the hands of Carl Sandburg.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gore Vidal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-aside-from-the-unfortunate/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fall" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-aside-from-the-unfortunate/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/gore-vidal-466_fall_the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-asi_571382.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/gore-vidal-466_fall_the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-asi_571382.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/gore-vidal-466_fall_the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-asi_571382.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The worst thing to happen to Lincoln - aside from the unfortunate incident at Ford's theatre - was to fall…” — Gore Vidal", "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": "Gore Vidal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The worst thing to happen to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-aside-from-the-unfortunate/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-lincoln-aside-from-the-unfortunate/#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 } } ] } ```