I do not want to issue a document that the whole world will see must necessarily be inoperative, like the Pope's bull against the comet! Reply to an Emancipation Memorial (1862)
I must study the plain physical facts of the case, ascertain what is possible, and learn what appears to be wise and right.The subject is difficult, and good men do not agree. Reply to an Emancipation Memorial (1862)
I am approached with the most opposite opinions and advice, and that by religious men, who are equally certain that they represent the Divine will. I am sure that either the one or the other class is mistaken in that belief, and perhaps in some respects both. Reply to an Emancipation Memorial (1862)