nothing in malice
what I deal with too vast for
malicious dealing
In a letter in response to a question about how the emancipation of slavery and the power of the Army might be misapplied in Louisiana, Abraham Lincoln wrote on July 28. 1862:
I am in no boastful mood.
I shall not do more than I can, and I shall do all I can to save the government, which is my sworn duty as well as my personal inclination.
I shall do nothing in malice.
What I deal with is too vast for malicious dealing.
Yours truly
A. Lincoln
No boastful mood.
Shall do nothing in malice.
I shall do all I can to save the government.
… my sworn duty.
… my personal inclination.
What I deal with is too vast for malicious dealing.
How can Mr. Lincoln sum up so much of what is wrong today in so few words?
How far down have we gone?
No Haiku For You 