The following is part of an email from THE EPOCH TIMES.

‘Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections before becoming the 16th president of the United States. You can find the full record of his life in several historical sources; we’ve gathered these from the book Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield. Here are some of Lincoln’s notable defeats.

• In 1832, he ran for a seat in the Illinois State Legislature and lost. Two years later, he won and was re-elected three times.
• In 1838, he aspired to become speaker of the state legislature and lost.
• In 1840, he sought to become an elector in the Electoral College and lost.
• In 1843, he ran for the House of Representatives and lost. When he ran again in 1846, he won.
• In 1854, he ran for the U.S. Senate and lost.
• In 1856, he sought the vice-presidential nomination at this party’s national convention and got fewer than 100 votes.
• In 1858, he ran for the U.S. Senate again and lost again.

Finally, he ran for president in 1860, and things turned out far differently for him and for the nation. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Abraham Lincoln kept loyal to his ideals, his beliefs, and his vision for America. What if he had stopped after his first defeat?’