From the library
Lincoln
David Herbert Donald, 1995
In one paragraph
Donald's single-volume life, written to show Lincoln as he understood himself rather than through the mythology. The recurring theme is a man who repeatedly said events controlled him, and who was extraordinarily patient about acting before the ground had shifted. Most useful as a study in timing and in holding a coalition of people who disliked each other. Least useful as leadership instruction, which Donald deliberately refuses to supply.
Also tagged
Where this sits in the operating system
People & Relationships
Focus & Essentialism
Purpose & Meaning
Key insights
Lincoln repeatedly said events controlled him. Donald takes that self-description seriously rather than reading back the myth of mastery.
Patience as a deliberate instrument: acting before the ground has shifted was the failure mode he consistently avoided.
Holding a coalition of people who disliked each other, and him, was the actual work of the presidency.
Recognise it early
The failure and the correction sit side by side deliberately. Read the left column asking whether any of it is already true of you.
Compromising principles for popularity
Moving too fast without building consensus
Fighting opposition instead of converting them
Speaking without careful thought
Letting power corrupt character
The same idea, argued differently
Ben Horowitz
Plato
Ron Chernow
Carlos Baker
The full breakdown
Before you close this
Naming the specific moment you will act roughly doubles the odds you do.
Reference
- Author
- David Herbert Donald
- Published
- 1995
- Category
- Biography
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