Question

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”—Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States...

whats the meaning of this quote in a way that my sister can understand it? help pleaseee!

Answer 1

Adversity is difficulty, or misfortune. We all go through that at some point in our lives so we know how to handle it. Character is who you are. To find out if someone is honorable, let them have power and see how they handle that. Someone of a good character would use the power given to him in a just manner and to help others. If however, someone does not have good character, that person would probably use his power only to help himself, disregarding the effect such actions would have on others. In other words, if you want to know someone's heart, watch them exercise authority over others. That is a better way to find your answer than to see them go through misfortune, because almost everyone can do that.