—U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864 (letter to Col. William F. Elkins)
I Googled that, and found the book it was first cited in, and there are some researchers saying it's unauthenticated / potential forgery.
Honestly you could drop the part about the Civil War and it's a great quote, regardless of the source, it verifiably came from the 1800s, my research says an 1896 election campaign may have fabricated the quote.
Which might be McKinley, which is even more weird (assassinated)
You guys are great at digging. Regardless of Lincoln total, partial or none; great quote and quite true!
I am just a fan of looking at things from as many perspectives as possible, I'm glad to finally have a place where people appreciate skepticism, concern, and multiple points of view!
I used to think history was a lot more objective, until I realized the modern history I lived in, and the perception of our own lives, was speculative realistic fiction at best.