It is loyalty to great ends, even though forced to combine the small and opposing motives of selfish men to accomplish them; it is the anchored cling to solid principles of duty and action, which knows how to swing with the tide, but is never carried away by it — that we demand in public men, and not sameness of policy, or a conscientious persistency in what is impracticable.

James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American diplomat, essayist, poet
“Abraham Lincoln” (1864), My Study Windows (1871)

 
Added on 24-Aug-15 | Last updated 24-Aug-15
Link to this post | 1 comment
Topics: , , ,
More quotes by Lowell, James Russell

1 thought on ““Abraham Lincoln” (1864), <i>My Study Windows</i> (1871)”

  1. Pingback: Quotations about the Presidency - ***Dave Does the Blog

Thoughts? Comments? Corrections? Feedback?