"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just," U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.
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This quote captures Lincoln's steadfast commitment to moral principle over personal or political risk. He argued that the mere possibility of failure should never justify abandoning a just cause. For Lincoln, the worth of an endeavor was not measured solely by its likelihood of success, but by the righteousness of the effort itself.
Throughout his career—whether opposing the Mexican-American War, contesting Stephen Douglas, or issuing the Emancipation Proclamation—Lincoln frequently championed unpopular positions where failure was a real and threatening prospect. He believed that to shrink from a just cause out of fear of defeat was both cowardly and morally indefensible. The quote reflects his conviction that duty and conscience must guide action, with victory or defeat left to history. In essence, Lincoln held that striving for what is right retains its nobility regardless of the outcome.
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