Motivational and Inspirational Quotes by Abraham Lincoln. The 16th president of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln, preserved the Union during the American Civil War and brought about the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States of America. Not many people are aware that Abraham Lincoln had two business ventures fail, lost 8 different elections, and had a complete nervous breakdown, before finally getting himself back up again and diligently making his way to the presidency race and becoming president in 1816. His story is of great inspirational confidence, in that he shows how if you keep moving towards your dream, you’ll eventually make it. He played a key role in the passage of the ‘thirteenth amendment’, which officially ended slavery in America. Although murdered by John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln left a legacy that has inspired and continues to inspire the world.