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In this troublesome world, we are never quite satisfied.

Abraham Lincoln, letter to Mary Todd Lincoln, 16 April 1848

Literature

The story behind the card

Lincoln wrote this from Washington on 16 April 1848, twelve years before he was elected president. He was serving his only term in Congress, and his wife Mary had left the capital with their two small sons for her family's home in Kentucky. The letter explains the line: while she was there, he felt she kept him from his work; now that he has nothing but work, it has grown “exceedingly tasteless” to him. Often quoted as a remark on human restlessness, it is really a husband missing his family.

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Abraham Lincoln, Mary Todd Lincoln'a mektup, 16 Nisan 1848

Abraham Lincoln bu satırları 16 Nisan 1848'de, başkan seçilmesinden on iki yıl önce Washington'dan yazdı. ABD Kongresindeki tek dönemini geçiriyordu; eşi Mary ise iki küçük oğullarını alıp başkentten ayrılmış, Kentucky'deki ailesinin yanına gitmişti. Mektubun devamı sözü açıklar: Mary yanındayken Lincoln onun işlerini aksattığını düşünmüştür; şimdi elinde işten başka bir şey kalmayınca iş de ona “son derece tatsız” gelmektedir. Cümle çoğu zaman insanın huzursuz doğası üzerine genel bir söz gibi alıntılanır; oysa mektupta ailesini özleyen bir kocanın itirafıdır.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Abraham Lincoln
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