Who said “Among free men there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet.”?

Verified

Abraham Lincoln. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter to James C. Conkling (1863)

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to James C. Conkling (1863).

APA

Lincoln, A. (n.d.). Among free men there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41654-among-free-men-there-can-be-no-successful/

MLA

Lincoln, Abraham. “Among free men there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41654-among-free-men-there-can-be-no-successful/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Lincoln, Abraham. “Among free men there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/41654-among-free-men-there-can-be-no-successful/.

Related quotes

“The margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear.”
— John F. Kennedy
VerifiedJohn F. Kennedy, press conference (November 10, 1963). Transcript, The New York Times (November 11, 1963), p. 20. In Theodore Sorensen's Kennedy (1965), these words are followed by "There may be difficulties with the Congress, but a margin of only one vote would still be a mandate" (p. 219). · evidenceDetails & citeVoting
Report
“We’d all like t’vote fer th’best man, but he’s never a candidate.”
— Kin Hubbard
VerifiedThe Best of Kin Hubbard (1984) Variant: We'd all like to vote for the best man but he's never a candidate. · evidenceDetails & citeVoting
Report

More quotes by Abraham Lincoln

“Military glory, — that attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood.”
VerifiedSpeech in the United States House of Representatives opposing the Mexican war (12 January 1848) · evidenceDetails & citeGlory
Report
All 152 Abraham Lincoln quotes →