Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is alwa... — Abraham Lincoln

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

Author: Abraham Lincoln

Insight: There's something almost humbling about flipping the question around like this. We spend so much energy asking whether the universe, fate, or some higher power agrees with us—validating our choices, blessing our side. But Lincoln's insight cuts through that: the real work isn't securing divine approval for what we're already doing. It's actually figuring out what's right, then having the courage to align ourselves with it. This matters especially when we're caught in conflict, whether that's a personal disagreement or something bigger. It's tempting to believe we're automatically in the right because we really care, because our intentions are good, or because everyone we know agrees with us. But that kind of thinking stops growth cold. Lincoln is saying something harder: assume you might be wrong, and stay genuinely open to evidence that you are. That's the actual moral work. The surprise here is that it's not preachy about faith at all. It's practical. When you stop fighting to prove your rightness and start genuinely asking "am I on the right side of this?" things shift. You become less defensive, more willing to listen, more capable of changing course when you see you need to. That's not weakness—that's the opposite. It takes real strength to keep questioning yourself.

Source: Lincoln's Own Story, p. 197

/Quotes

Stop seeking approval, start seeking truth

Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.

Abraham LincolnLincoln's Own Story, p. 197

There's something almost humbling about flipping the question around like this. We spend so much energy asking whether the universe, fate, or some higher power agrees with us—validating our choices, blessing our side. But Lincoln's insight cuts through that: the real work isn't securing divine approval for what we're already doing. It's actually figuring out what's right, then having the courage to align ourselves with it.

This matters especially when we're caught in conflict, whether that's a personal disagreement or something bigger. It's tempting to believe we're automatically in the right because we really care, because our intentions are good, or because everyone we know agrees with us. But that kind of thinking stops growth cold. Lincoln is saying something harder: assume you might be wrong, and stay genuinely open to evidence that you are. That's the actual moral work.

The surprise here is that it's not preachy about faith at all. It's practical. When you stop fighting to prove your rightness and start genuinely asking "am I on the right side of this?" things shift. You become less defensive, more willing to listen, more capable of changing course when you see you need to. That's not weakness—that's the opposite. It takes real strength to keep questioning yourself.

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Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He is best known for leading the country through the Civil War, preserving the Union, and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation that led to the abolition of slavery in the United States.

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