Letter from Abraham Lincoln to His Son’s Teachers

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“He will have to learn. I know that: all men are not just, all men are not true, but, teach him also; for every scoundrel, there is a dedicated leader.” Teach him that for every enemy, there is a friend. Teach him that a dollar earned is of far more value than five dollars found. Teach him to learn to lose, and also to enjoy winning. Steer him away from envy; if you can. Teach him the secret of quite laughter. Teach him the wonder of Books, but also give him quite time to ponder the eternal mystery of birds in the sky, bees in the sun, and flowers on a green hillside. In school, teach him; it is far more honorable to fail, than to cheat. Teach him to have faith in his own ideas, even if everyone tells him he is wrong. Teach him to be gentle with gentle people, and tough with tough people. Try to give him the strength not to follow the crowd when everyone is getting on the bandwagon. Teach him to listen to all men, but teach him also to filter all he hears on a screen of truth and take only the good that comes through. Teach him to listen to laugh when he is sad. Teach him to close his ears to the howling mob. And to stand and fight if he thinks he is right. Teach him to be gentle, but do not cobble him, because; only the test of fire makes fine steel. Let him have the courage to be patient; let him have the patience to be brave. Teach him always to have sublime faith in his creator and faith in himself too: then he will always have faith in mankind. This is a big order, but please, see what you can

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