When the Emancipation Proclamation was taken to American president Abraham Lincoln by Secretary Seward for his signature, Lincoln took a pen, dipped it in ink, moved his hand to the place for the signature, held it a moment, then removed his hand and dropped the pen.
After a little hesitation, he again took up the pen and went through the same movement as before. Lincoln then turned to Seward and said, "I have been shaking hands since nine o'clock this morning, and my right arm is almost paralysed. If my name ever goes into history, it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it. If my hand trembles when I sign the Proclamation, all who examine the document hereafter will say, 'He hesitated.'"
美國總統亞伯拉罕．林肯接過國務卿蘇厄德呈上的《解放宣言》，準備簽署，拿起鋼筆，蘸蘸墨水，引筆到簽名處，一時不能下筆，就縮手把筆擱下。
他略一猶豫，再次執筆，卻只是把上述動作重複一次。他轉頭跟蘇厄德說：「我今早九點鐘開始，不斷跟人握手，右手幾乎麻木了。我假如能夠名垂後世，原因就在簽署這分宣言。這是我衷心要做的事，假如簽署的時候，手筆顫抖，將來審視這宣言的人會說：『他猶豫不決。』」