What made Abraham Lincoln one of the greatest, if not the greatest, President of the United States.
His father was a ne’er-do-well; his mother died when he was nine; his childhood was marked by neglect and deprivation. This background would suggest failure, not success.
I don’t know what distinguished Lincoln from others but I can guess.
I suppose are these are the traits that allowed Lincoln to standout amongst his peers:
- Strong character traits such as honesty and the cardinal virtues.
- The ability to manage disruptive emotions—anger, pessimism and cynicism.
- The art of getting along with people from the rich to the poor, from leader to common man, from supporter to critic.
- Productive action—belief in himself and his ability to accomplish his goals.
- A sense of humor during stressful and pleasant times and the ability to laugh at himself.
- A consummate desire to learn.
- Lincoln read the Bible and Aesop’s Fables so often that they affected his manner of talking and his method of thinking.
- He wore out a borrowed copy of the Life of Washington by Parson Weems.
- Perhaps his richest find was Scott’s Lessons containing speeches of Cicero, Demosthenes and Shakespeare’s characters. He would walk back and forth in the woods repeating passages.
- He studied the book until he could recite long poems and speeches by heart.
- Lincoln devoured books throughout his life. Biographies. Humor. History. Law.
- During the Civil War Lincoln spent hours reading.
- Many times, he would read passages from Shakespeare to his cabinet, personal secretary and visiting dignitaries and friends.