This spring/summer I read Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Even though it took me three months (what can I say — I’m a slow reader when it comes to nonfiction), it was an enjoyable read. I think I would have understood it better if I were more familiar with the American political system, but I learned a lot about the times and about Lincoln.

I hate to admit that what I knew about Lincoln before reading Team of Rivals could be summed up in a sentence. He was born in a log cabin, nicknamed Honest Abe, had a son who died, gave the Gettysburg Address, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and was assassinated in a theatre by John Wilkes Booth.

As you can imagine, I know a lot more about him after reading this 700 page book. I’m especially glad that I learned more about his character, so I’m going to share some quotes that highlight his exceptional character traits.

Insightful

Lincoln was “the most truly progressive man of the age, because he always moves in conjunction with propitious circumstances, not waiting to be dragged by the force of events or wasting strength in premature struggles with them.”

Empathetic

“Lincoln had internalized the pain of those around him—the wounded soldiers, the captured prisoners, the defeated Southerners. Little wonder that he was overwhelmed at times by a profound sadness that even his own resilient temperament could not dispel.”

Self-aware

“Moreover, Lincoln possessed an uncanny understanding of his shifting moods, a profound self-awareness that enabled him to find constructive ways to alleviate sadness and stress. Indeed, when he is compared with his colleagues, it is clear that he possessed the most even-tempered disposition of them all.”

Merciful

“Lincoln’s liberal use of his pardoning power created the greatest tension between the two men (Lincoln and Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War). Stanton felt compelled to protect military discipline by exacting proper punishment for desertions or derelictions of duty, while Lincoln looked for any “good excuse for saving a man’s life.” When he found one, he said, “I go to bed happy as I think how joyous the signing of my name will make him and his family and his friends.”

Did not hold grudges

“When resentment and contention threatened to destroy his administration, he refused to be provoked by petty grievances, to submit to jealousy, or to brood over perceived slights. Through the appalling pressures he faced day after day, he retained an unflagging faith in his country’s cause.”

Respected others’ positions

Lincoln (when approached by men complaining about the Secretary of War): “Gentleman, it is my duty to submit. I cannot add to Mr. Stanton’s troubles. His position is the most difficult in the world. Thousands in the army blame him because they are not promoted and other thousands out of the army blame him because they are not appointed. The pressure on him is immeasurable and unending. He is the rock on the beach of our national ocean against which breakers dash and roar, dash and roar without ceasing. He fights back the angry waters and prevents them from undermining and overwhelming the land. Gentleman, I do not see how he survives, why he is not crushed and torn to pieces. Without him I should be destroyed. He performs his task superhumanly. Now do not mind this matter, for Mr. Stanton is right and I cannot wrongly interfere with him.”

Thought things through then stood his ground

“The President never appeared to better advantage in the world,” Hay proudly noted in his diary. “Though He knows how immense is the danger to himself from the unreasoning anger of that committee, he never cringed to them for an instant. He stood where he thought he was right and crushed them with his candid logic.”

Finally a quote that sums up the book

“This, then, is a story of Lincoln’s political genius revealed through his extraordinary array of personal qualities that enabled him to form friendships with men who had previously opposed him; to repair injured feelings that, left untended, might have escalated into permanent hostility; to assume responsibility for the failures of subordinates; to share credit with ease; and to learn from mistakes. He possessed an acute understanding of the sources of power inherent in the presidency, an unparalleled ability to keep his governing coalition intact, a tough-minded appreciation of the need to protect his presidential prerogatives, and a masterful sense of timing.”

If you read Team of Rivals, as you near the end of the book, I challenge you not to get emotional over Lincoln’s impending demise. This is truly a well-written biography.