Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him [Washington], I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.
Abraham Lincoln
That Divine Being
Topic: Justice, Vision, & Leadership
“I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
Abraham Lincoln was an American statesman and lawyer who served as the 16th President of the United States from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Wikipedia
Born: February 12, 1809, Hodgenville, KY
Height: 6′ 4″
Assassinated: April 15, 1865, Petersen House, Washington, D.C.
Farewell Address at Springfield Illinois
Lincoln, Abraham. Famous Speeches Abraham Lincoln. Peter Pauper Press, p. 75 [Abraham Lincoln Farewell Address at Springfield Illinois, February 11, 1861].
Abraham Lincoln
Theme: A Vision of America
About Abraham Lincoln’s Quotation [Commentary]
Abraham Lincoln’s farewell at Springfield on February 11, 1861, rests on a clear spiritual appeal. He does not begin with political strategy, but with uncertainty: “not knowing when or whether ever I may return.” He names the task ahead—“greater than that which rested upon Washington”—and turns immediately to the one source he believes can sustain him. “Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.” These two sentences frame his understanding of leadership as entirely dependent on a higher presence, not on personal strength.
Lincoln continues by drawing the Divine into the shared life of the people. “Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good,” he locates his hope not in outcomes but in the nearness of God. This trust is not reserved for the presidency. It is offered to the nation as a whole—“let us confidently hope that all will yet be well.” His farewell carries no triumph, only a quiet confidence rooted in the belief that the Divine is present, wherever good is needed.
He ends with a personal exchange: “To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me.” In this mutual offering, Lincoln asks for more than support; he asks for prayer, grounded in the understanding that leadership and public life are inseparable from spiritual life. As a vision for America, Lincoln’s words reflect a call to humility, shared responsibility, and faith that, with divine help, “I cannot fail.”
Abraham Lincoln’s Farewell Address at Springfield Illinois [Full Text]
“My friends — No one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you and be every where for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.”
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