200 Best Abraham Lincoln Captions for Any Occasion

Abraham Lincoln’s wisdom has stood the test of time, offering profound insights on everything from leadership and freedom to hard work and happiness. 

But his words aren’t just for history books; they make for powerful, thought-provoking, and even witty social media captions.

Whether you’re celebrating a personal achievement, reflecting on the state of the world, or just looking for a caption with a bit more substance, Lincoln’s timeless quotes have you covered. 

For When You Need Motivation & Inspiration

Use these captions to share your journey, celebrate a milestone, or inspire your followers to keep pushing forward. 

They’re perfect for posts about career goals, personal growth, graduation, or overcoming a challenge.

Caption	Best For
The best way to predict the future is to create it.	Sharing a new venture or personal project.
I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.	Documenting slow but steady progress.
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.	A post about making a big decision or commitment.
Whatever you are, be a good one.	Graduation photos or celebrating a new job.
I will prepare, and someday my chance will come.	Posts about hard work, studying, or training.

• Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
• The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.
• Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.
• Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.
• I do the very best I know how, the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.
• My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.
• That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise.
• Towering genius disdains a beaten path.
• Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did.
• You cannot fail if you resolutely determine that you will not.
• Great men are ordinary men with extra ordinary determination.
• Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.
• It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do wrong.
• I know not how to aid you, save in the assurance that you can not fail, if you resolutely determine that you will not.
• I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.

Funny, Witty & Sarcastic Captions

Lincoln was known for his sharp wit. Use these quotes for a dose of clever humor, a sarcastic take, or a funny observation about life.

Caption	Best For
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.	A silly photo or when you’re feeling playfully smug.
There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes.	A photo dump with some less-than-perfect selfies.
No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.	A cheeky post about honesty (or catching someone in a lie).
For people who like that kind of book, that is the kind of book they will like.	A sarcastic or funny review of a movie, show, or book.

• If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.
• He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I ever met.
• Common-looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them.
• My father taught me to work, but not to love it.
• Tact: the ability to describe others as they see themselves.
• Why, man, he is a liar from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet!
• He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.
• A farce or comedy is best played; a tragedy is best read at home.
• Honest Abe, reporting for duty.
• Lincoln-level wit.
• I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. Your turn.
• Let’s agree to disagree, then do what I say.
• A house divided cannot stand. Especially when deciding on pizza toppings.
• Keeping it 100… or four score and seven.
• Just trying to be on the right side of history.
• Four score and seven selfies ago.
• I’m about as happy as I make up my mind to be.
• Trying to be a good one.
• Never walk back.
• In the end, it’s the life in your years.
• A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.
• Just a person of the people.
• Making my own future.
• Creating, not predicting.
• Stand firm.
• Don’t worry. Be happy.
• Give me four hours to prepare this post.
• The life in my years.
• Just being a good one.
• No bad pictures here.

Deep Thoughts & Reflections on Life

For those more contemplative moments, these quotes offer depth and perspective. They’re perfect for scenic photos, thoughtful selfies, or posts about life’s big questions.

• In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.
• Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.
• We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.
• Human action can be modified to some extent, but human nature cannot be changed.
• The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who’ll get me a book I ain’t read.
• Every man’s happiness is his own responsibility.
• Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.
• My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.
• What is to be, will be.
• The love of property and the consciousness of right and wrong have conflicting places in our organization.
• And this, too, shall pass away.
• A day spent helping no one but yourself is a day wasted.
• All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.
• Love is the chain to locks a child to its parent.
• The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.
• I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being.
• I care not for a man’s religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.
• Upon the subject of education… I view it as the most important subject that we as a people can be engaged in.
• A capacity and taste for reading give access to whatever has already been discovered by others.
• My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.

Captions on Leadership, Freedom & Politics

When you want to make a statement about leadership, democracy, or social justice, Lincoln’s words carry unmatched authority.

• As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.
• A house divided against itself cannot stand.
• The ballot is stronger than the bullet.
• You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
• Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
• Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.
• Let us have faith that right makes might.
• Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.
• I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis.
• We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts.
• This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it.
• I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms.
• No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.
• Let every American… swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country.
• Public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.
• Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision.
• What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried?
• Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country.
• Our reliance is in the love of liberty, which God has planted in our bosoms.
• I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence.

Short & Punchy Lincoln Captions

Sometimes, less is more. These short and memorable captions are perfect for a quick, impactful post.

• Stand firm.
• Be a good one.
• Create your future.
• Never walk back.
• Life in your years.
• Right makes might.
• With malice toward none.
• A house divided.
• By the people.
• For the people.
• Sharpening the axe.
• Human nature is unchanged.
• Happiness is a choice.
• The tree, not the shadow.
• No bad pictures.
• Evade nothing.
• Bound to be true.
• God is always right.
• Fool me once…
• No good liars.
• Love is a chain.
• The greatest of men.
• The ability to describe others.
• Heart to help.
• Better to be silent.
• Knot at the end.
• Done today.
• No regrets.
• Life in the years.
• Rejoice in the roses.
• Own responsibility.
• Die but once.
• Test of character.
• Little nobody.
• Driven to my knees.
• Resolution to succeed.
• A friend believed.
• Aversion to failure.
• Living witness.
• A comfortable living.
• Bound to be true.
• Pure purpose.
• Go forward without fear.
• Events have controlled me.
• You will not fail.
• Best of the bargain.
• No slave, no master.
• Freedom for the free.
• That is the rub.
• Let him alone.
• Free and equal.
• Others’ consent.
• Judge not.
• Man was made for immortality.
• Bind up the nation’s wounds.
• Peace among ourselves.
• God bless the women.
• The best gift to man.
• The will of God prevails.
• Right makes might.
• Shake off the government.
• A friend down inside.
• The ballot is stronger.
• The winner is a loser.
• My religion.
• Labor is prior.
• A positive good.
• Hard to replace.
• We are not enemies.
• Doubly pained by loss.
• I distrust the wisdom.
• Truth is your truest friend.
• I didn’t have the heart.
• Be a good one.
• Never walk back.
• Look for the bad.
• Stand firm.
• My chance will come.
• I mean to keep on.
• Content with your failure.
• Mercy bears richer fruits.
• Things left by those who hustle.
• Sharpening the axe.
• Way of a whole human being.
• Regions unexplored.
• No redress by mob law.
• More than half done.
• The key to solving.
• Educated people must labor.
• A self-evident lie.
• Heritage of all men.
• An honest man.
• Guilty of falsehood.
• Honest without being a lawyer.
• Prove what you cannot.
• Brothers of a common country.
• Spring from the sentiments.
• Reason must furnish.
• Happy as they make their minds up.
• Peace will come soon.
• All men everywhere could be free.
• We shall nobly save.
• All men are created equal.
• A good definition of liberty.

How to Choose the Right Lincoln Caption

Not sure which quote to use? Here’s a quick guide to picking the perfect one for your post.

Match the Tone

Is your photo serious, funny, or inspiring? Choose a caption that reflects the mood of your visual. 

A witty quote like, “There are no bad pictures; that’s just how your face looks sometimes,” is great for a candid photo dump but won’t fit a somber historical post.

Consider Your Audience

Think about who follows you. A deep political quote might resonate with an audience interested in current events, while a simple, motivational one is more universally appealing.

Keep it Relevant

The best captions connect the image to the text. 

If you’re posting about a personal struggle, a quote about perseverance like, “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back,” adds a powerful layer of meaning.

Don’t Be Afraid of Humor

Lincoln’s wit is one of his most underrated qualities. Using one of his funnier lines can make your post stand out and show a different side of your personality.

Add a Little History to Your Feed

So next time you’re scrolling for the perfect caption, look back in time. Honest Abe has you covered. Which caption is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!