Written by: Avery miller
When in the public eye, it is often difficult to find time for humor and wit. However, Abraham Lincoln was someone known for his sense of humor, and his use of wit to connect with voters and call out his fellow candidates. The following are just a few humorous quotes by Abraham Lincoln.
Abraham Lincoln Humorous Quotes: Connection
During his campaign for U.S. Senate against Stephen Douglas, Lincoln jested, “Just think of such a sucker as me as President!” This statement came in response to his wife’s sentiment that he would be a senator, and then the President. This quote shows humility from Abraham Lincoln. He saw himself as a normal man, no better or worse than any other; regardless of his political positions and titles. This connected him to the common man and made him the people’s candidate.
Another example of a humorous quote by Abraham Lincoln that forged commonality and connection between himself, and the American people is in his address at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, on February 22, 1861. He stated, “I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me, and in the arrangement I have the best of the bargain.” This quip, made on his inaugural journey to Washington, D.C., kept him anchored solidly to the people he was addressing by building humorous bridges of connection and congruities.
Abraham Lincoln Humorous Quotes: Political Quips
While Lincoln used humor to foster connections, he also used his humor to call out opposing candidates. In a speech Lincoln delivered for Presidential candidate John C. Fremont at Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 27, 1856 he stated, “Douglas is a great man – at keeping from answering questions he don’t want to answer.” This spirited call out created a level of expected accountability from Stephen Douglas, who lost democratic candidacy to James Buchanan, while keeping attitudes positive.
Furthermore, Abraham Lincoln continued to call out Douglas with wit during their race for the Senate in 1858. During a debate between the two candidates, Lincoln remarked, “I take it these people have some sense; they see plainly that Judge Douglas is playing cuttlefish, a small species of fish that has no mode of defending itself when pursed except by throwing out a black fluid, which makes the water so dark the enemy cannot see it.” The witticism markedly points out Douglas as a coward, hiding behind fallacies and complications to keep his presidential campaign alive.
Reminders from the Past:
May we remember as we shift through political climates and leadership, that humor can be an important tool in cultivating and maintaining connection alongside creating spaces where shortcomings are called out and candidates are held accountable.
