A white bowl of water reflects golden light beside a folded linen cloth against pale blue-grey.

Original artwork, not a still

Abraham Lincoln

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The appeal joins generosity toward others with determination to complete a shared task. Firmness is tempered by an acknowledgment that understanding what is right has limits. The image of binding wounds presents the nation as needing care as well as continued effort.

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