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Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.

Abraham Lincoln, notes for a law lecture, 1850s

Philosophy

The story behind the card

The line comes from notes Lincoln wrote for a lecture to young lawyers; his secretaries John Nicolay and John Hay dated them 1850, perhaps too early, and no one knows if he gave the talk. After admitting “I am not an accomplished lawyer”, he names diligence as the leading rule of every calling, then urges lawyers to keep up with their letters, to persuade neighbours to compromise and, above all, to be honest. The advice is old: Lord Chesterfield wrote the same to his son in 1749.

Türkçe oku
Bugün yapılabilecek hiçbir şeyi yarına bırakma.
Abraham Lincoln, hukuk dersi notları, 1850'ler

Bu satır, Lincoln'ün genç avukatlar için hazırladığı bir dersin notlarında geçer. Sekreterleri John Nicolay ile John Hay notları 1850 tarihli saydı, ama bu tarih biraz erken olabilir; Lincoln'ün dersi verip vermediği de bilinmez. “Usta bir avukat değilim” diye söze girer, ardından her meslekte başlıca kuralın çalışkanlık olduğunu söyler. Avukatlara mektuplarını biriktirmemelerini, komşuları mahkemeye gitmek yerine uzlaşmaya ikna etmelerini ve her şeyden önce dürüst olmalarını öğütler. Öğüt eskidir: Lord Chesterfield 1749'da oğluna aynı şeyi yazmıştı. Türkçede de “Bugünün işini yarına bırakma” denir.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Abraham Lincoln
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