Abraham Lincoln, unfinished draft of a letter to J.R. Underwood and Henry Grinder (October 26, 1864), in Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 10 (1894), p. 254.
“
[W]e better know there is fire whence we see much smoke rising than we could know it by one or two witnesses swearing to it. The witnesses may commit perjury, but the smoke cannot.
— Abraham Lincoln on Perjury
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "[W]e better know there is fire whence we see much smoke rising than we could know it by one or two witnesses swearing to it. The witnesses may commit perjury, but the smoke cannot." in the context of "Abraham Lincoln, unfinished draft of a letter to J.R. Underwood and Henry Grinder (October 26, 1864), in Complete Works of Abraham Lincoln - Volume 10 (1894), p. 254." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Perjury" (Quotes)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed February 05, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
About Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, a self-taught lawyer and politician, steered the United States through its most tumultuous period, the Civil War. His unwavering commitment to preserving the Union and abolishing slavery forever altered the course of American history and enshrined him as a champion of equality and justice.
About Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln, a self-taught lawyer and politician, steered the United States through its most tumultuous period, the Civil War. His unwavering commitment to preserving the Union and abolishing slavery forever altered the course of American history and enshrined him as a champion of equality and justice.
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