In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.

Abraham Lincoln
About This Quote

George Washington, the first president of the United States, said this in his farewell address after serving two terms as president. He was speaking about the importance of public opinion and how it could be both your greatest asset or your greatest downfall. George Washington himself was a great example of this concept. After serving as President, he retired to Mount Vernon, his plantation outside of Alexandria, Virginia, where he became a leader in the new state government. He was elected as the first president of the American Philosophical Society and continued to serve as a leader in public life for several years.

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  3. You have to remember one thing about the will of the people: it wasn't that long ago that we were swept away by the Macarena. - Jon Stewart
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More Quotes By Abraham Lincoln
  1. Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?
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  3. The best way to predict your future is to create it.
  4. The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he made so many of them.
  5. Whatever you are, be a good one.
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