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PREPARATION

Abraham Lincoln on Preparation

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

— Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America
Abraham Lincoln quote beside American flag
Monday Musing for MONDAY, MAY 18, 2026

Abraham Lincoln led the nation through its most fractured chapter — and he did it with extraordinary deliberateness. This quote is a masterclass in preparation over urgency. In a world that rewards speed, Lincoln reminds us that the work before the work is often the most important work of all.