"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just"
About this Quote
Failure is real, and Lincoln refuses to let its likelihood govern conscience. He draws a clear line between prudence and paralysis: calculate risks, yes, but do not surrender a just cause to the fear of losing. The word just anchors the sentence; it is not a call to stubbornness for its own sake, but to fidelity when principle demands action. By naming probability, he shows respect for facts and for the sober arithmetic of politics, yet he insists that moral duty sets the course.
The sentiment fits the arc of his public life, which unfolded amid uncertainty, bitter division, and long odds. Whether resisting the expansion of slavery, defending the rule of law, or preserving the Union under fire, he often faced outcomes that looked bleak. He learned early from electoral defeats and legislative setbacks that political change rarely arrives with reassuring numbers. His answer was perseverance grounded in reasoned conviction, a style that combined cool analysis with moral clarity.
There is a democratic ethic at work here. Self-government falters if citizens act only when victory is guaranteed. Movements for reform are born in minority positions; to demand certainty before commitment is to abandon the public sphere to whoever can intimidate or manipulate the odds. Lincoln’s phrasing encourages courage without fanaticism: acknowledge uncertainty, accept the possibility of failure, and proceed because the cause is right, not because success is assured.
The sentence also carries a soft rebuke to cynicism. Saying we might fail can be a mask for apathy. He cuts through that excuse by linking support to belief: if your judgment says a cause is just, your responsibility is to support it. Outcome matters, but duty precedes it. The moral center holds not by predicting the future but by acting with integrity in the present, trusting that steadfastness itself helps bend the probabilities over time.
The sentiment fits the arc of his public life, which unfolded amid uncertainty, bitter division, and long odds. Whether resisting the expansion of slavery, defending the rule of law, or preserving the Union under fire, he often faced outcomes that looked bleak. He learned early from electoral defeats and legislative setbacks that political change rarely arrives with reassuring numbers. His answer was perseverance grounded in reasoned conviction, a style that combined cool analysis with moral clarity.
There is a democratic ethic at work here. Self-government falters if citizens act only when victory is guaranteed. Movements for reform are born in minority positions; to demand certainty before commitment is to abandon the public sphere to whoever can intimidate or manipulate the odds. Lincoln’s phrasing encourages courage without fanaticism: acknowledge uncertainty, accept the possibility of failure, and proceed because the cause is right, not because success is assured.
The sentence also carries a soft rebuke to cynicism. Saying we might fail can be a mask for apathy. He cuts through that excuse by linking support to belief: if your judgment says a cause is just, your responsibility is to support it. Outcome matters, but duty precedes it. The moral center holds not by predicting the future but by acting with integrity in the present, trusting that steadfastness itself helps bend the probabilities over time.
Quote Details
| Topic | Justice |
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