Lincoln the Comedian

Lincoln had what the Irish call the gift of the gab and could always diffuse an audience with a joke.

Maybe that's why his opponent Stephen Douglas once said "His qualifications for side splitting are quite as good as rail splitting."

Here's some lines of his that I like:

(to a Senator that told Lincoln that slavery was a good thing) "For a good thing, slavery is strikingly peculiar in that it is the only good thing which man does not seek for himself."

"Whenever I see anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally."

"Better to be silent and be thought a fool than speak out and remove all doubt."

"If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?"

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; if this is tea, please bring me some coffee."

"What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself."