--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do not think you can fault Abraham…" description: "\"I do not think you can fault Abraham Lincoln for picking generals that did not work out, because, as he said to John Hay when he went back to George B...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/william-lee-miller-34730_fall_i-do-not-think-you-can-fault-abraham-lin_1543267.jpg" --- # I do not think you can fault Abraham Lincoln for picking… ![“I do not think you can fault Abraham Lincoln for picking generals that did not work out, because, as he said to John Hay when he went back to George B. McClellan in the fall of 62, we have to work with what we have.” quote by William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/william-lee-miller-34730_fall_i-do-not-think-you-can-fault-abraham-lin_1543267.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/william-lee-miller-34730_fall_i-do-not-think-you-can-fault-abraham-lin_1543267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ea/william-lee-miller-34730_fall_i-do-not-think-you-can-fault-abraham-lin_1543267.jpg) > “I do not think you can fault Abraham Lincoln for picking generals that did not work out, because, as he said to John Hay when he went back to George B. McClellan in the fall of 62, we have to work with what we have.” [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lincoln faced limited options in choosing generals, emphasizing pragmatic leadership amid imperfect circumstances. **In simple terms:** Leaders must work with what they have. Key Takeaway Accept constraints and make the best of them. Themes leadership pragmatism history Mood reflective analytical Type historical strategic When to use this quote - political leadership - war planning - resource constraints Key Concepts decision‑making military strategy Questions to Reflect On - How do you adapt when resources are limited? - When is compromise acceptable? A Different Perspective Historical outcomes show imperfect choices can still succeed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Work out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-out/) ## Related quotes > [Military metaphors are rarely exact, but sending Republicans against Democrats when the issue hangs in the balance is nearly always as futile as sending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-pruden/military-metaphors-are-rarely-exact-but-sending-republicans-against/) [Wesley Pruden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-pruden/) > [“By July 13, 1861, the Confederate forces in western Virginia had been eliminated by Union forces led by the “Young Napoleon,” George B. 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If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/the-us-did-not-have-any-big-supply-of-good-generals-in-civil-war-and/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [Abraham Lincoln had a deep realism; he did not deceive or mislead himself, but faced the world he had to deal with as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/abraham-lincoln-had-a-deep-realism-he-did-not-deceive-or-mislead/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [After I published a book called Lincoln's Virtues a wit said that my next book should be Lincoln's Vices. But in my opinion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/after-i-published-a-book-called-lincoln-s-virtues-a-wit-said-that-my/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [All presidents - particularly war presidents, presidents inclined to the imperial presidency - invoke Abraham Lincoln as a justification, but they omit these three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/all-presidents-particularly-war-presidents-presidents-inclined-to-the/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [Abraham Lincoln had great clarity of mind and expression, and he worked to make it clearer -reading Euclid in his early 30s to train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/abraham-lincoln-had-great-clarity-of-mind-and-expression-and-he/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [The situation Abraham Lincoln faced was unique. 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My favorite story on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/it-is-very-hard-to-answer-the-oft-posed-questions-about-how-abraham/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) > [When I went to an Aspen seminar on "American Scriptures" - the bicentennial of the Declaration and they discussed the preamble and the Gettysburg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lee-miller/when-i-went-to-an-aspen-seminar-on-american-scriptures-the/) [William Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) [Explore all 14 William Lee Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lee-miller/) ## 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. 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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": "I do not think you can fault Abraham Lincoln for picking generals that did not work out, because, as he said to John Hay when he went back to George B. 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