--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Abraham Lincoln once noted that 'the…" description: "\"Abraham Lincoln once noted that 'the ballot is stronger than the bullet.' Foreign adversaries, who can't match the military, economic or diplomatic pow..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/robert-c-o-brien-5596_chaos_abraham-lincoln-once-noted-that-the-ball_2018894.jpg" --- # Abraham Lincoln once noted that 'the ballot is stronger… ![“Abraham Lincoln once noted that 'the ballot is stronger than the bullet.' Foreign adversaries, who can't match the military, economic or diplomatic power of the U.S., understand Lincoln's wisdom. They seek to sow chaos and confusion in our electoral process to gain an advantage over us.” quote by Robert C. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/robert-c-o-brien-5596_chaos_abraham-lincoln-once-noted-that-the-ball_2018894.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/robert-c-o-brien-5596_chaos_abraham-lincoln-once-noted-that-the-ball_2018894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/robert-c-o-brien-5596_chaos_abraham-lincoln-once-noted-that-the-ball_2018894.jpg) > “Abraham Lincoln once noted that 'the ballot is stronger than the bullet.' Foreign adversaries, who can't match the military, economic or diplomatic power of the U.S., understand Lincoln's wisdom. They seek to sow chaos and confusion in our electoral process to gain an advantage over us.” [Robert C. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Democracy’s power lies in voting, which can outlast and outmaneuver force; adversaries exploit electoral chaos to weaken it. **In simple terms:** Voting beats violence. Key Takeaway Protect and strengthen electoral integrity. Themes democracy politics security Mood urgent cautious Type political analytical When to use this quote - elections - campaigns - public policy - civic education Key Concepts political theory strategic studies Questions to Reflect On - How can societies safeguard elections? - What alternatives strengthen democratic resilience? A Different Perspective Overreliance on voting ignores other democratic tools. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Look on this cast, and know the hand That bore a nation in its hold; From this mute witness understand What Lincoln was -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/look-on-this-cast-and-know-the-hand-that-bore-a-nation-in-its-hold/) [Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/) > [The ballot is stronger than the bullet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/the-ballot-is-stronger-than-the-bullet/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [The ballot is stronger than bullets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-a-schumpeter/the-ballot-is-stronger-than-bullets/) [Joseph A. Schumpeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-a-schumpeter/) > [A ballot is stronger than a bullet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/a-ballot-is-stronger-than-a-bullet/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Like Lincoln, I would like to believe the ballot is stronger than the bullet. 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O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-o-brien/) > [We're going to do everything we can to harden our systems, to make sure that our elections are free and fair and the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-o-brien/we-re-going-to-do-everything-we-can-to-harden-our-systems-to-make/) [Robert C. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-o-brien/) > [It is hard for anyone born after 1945 to imagine a world where the oceans - the global commons - are not open for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-o-brien/it-is-hard-for-anyone-born-after-1945-to-imagine-a-world-where-the/) [Robert C. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-o-brien/) [Explore all 99 Robert C. O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-o-brien/) ## More Abraham lincoln quotes > [“If Abraham Lincoln were alive now, he'd roll over in his grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-ford/if-abraham-lincoln-were-alive-now-he-d-roll-over-in-his-grave/) [Gerald Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-ford/) > [Remember that Abraham Lincoln was a Whig far longer than he was a Republican. As a whole, the Whigs looked upon banks and corporations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-c-guelzo/remember-that-abraham-lincoln-was-a-whig-far-longer-than-he-was-a/) [Allen C. Guelzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-c-guelzo/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [“What is to be, will be, and no prayers of ours can arrest the decree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/what-is-to-be-will-be-and-no-prayers-of-ours-can-arrest-the-decree/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“If you attend a meeting of evolutionary biologists somewhere in America, you might be lucky and spot a tall, gray-whiskered, smiling man bearing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/if-you-attend-a-meeting-of-evolutionary-biologists-somewhere-in/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [Men like Abraham Lincoln recognized that if the slaveholders were not stopped, it would only be a question of time until they spread their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/men-like-abraham-lincoln-recognized-that-if-the-slaveholders-were-not/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [“Most people,” Abraham Lincoln said, “are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lickona/most-people-abraham-lincoln-said-are-about-as-happy-as-they-make-up/) [Thomas Lickona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lickona/) > [Abraham Lincoln did not contend that his actions were immune from Congressional correction; on the contrary, he specifically said he was acting beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/abraham-lincoln-did-not-contend-that-his-actions-were-immune-from/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [I grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Harden County, which is not too far from the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cameron/i-grew-up-in-elizabethtown-kentucky-harden-county-which-is-not-too/) [Daniel Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cameron/) > [“Abraham Lincoln struck off the chains of black Americans, but it was Lyndon Johnson who led them into voting booths, closed democracy’s sacred curtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/abraham-lincoln-struck-off-the-chains-of-black-americans-but-it-was/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [My movies more often are told through pictures, not words. But in this case, the pictures took second position to the incredible words of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/my-movies-more-often-are-told-through-pictures-not-words-but-in-this/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I must have missed school the day we learned about Abraham Lincoln being a vampire slayer...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-must-have-missed-school-the-day-we-learned-about-abraham-lincoln/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/abraham-lincoln-recognized-that-we-could-not-survive-as-a-free-land/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [My favorite thought about Abraham Lincoln is he believed in two things: loving one another and working together to make this world better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/my-favorite-thought-about-abraham-lincoln-is-he-believed-in-two/) [Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/) Browse all 238 Abraham lincoln quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Abraham Lincoln once noted that 'the ballot is stronger than the bullet.' 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