Sublime

he wrote a series of historical essays and was among the first to depict Lincoln as “a towering figure, coping admirably with herculean tasks.” His perceptive diary, which he edited in his last years, remains one of the most valuable sources on the dynamics within the Lincoln administration.

“Abraham Lincoln seems to me the grandest figure yet, on all the crowded canvas of the Nineteenth Century.”

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln BY DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN

“it is but fair to presume that a man knows his own name.”

Chance, positioning, and managerial strategy—all played a role in Lincoln’s victory.

More than all his opponents combined, the country lawyer and local politician had toiled skillfully to increase his chances to become the Republican nominee for president.

“The conduct of the republican party in this nomination is a remarkable indication of small intellect, growing smaller. They pass over… statesmen and able men, and they take up a fourth rate lecturer, who cannot speak good grammar.”