Lincoln was a remarkably effective leader who possessed the rare ability to focus on his core goals, listen to capable advisors, and admit when he was wrong.

“He could listen to people that he thought knew more about something than he did. That's a quality that all of our presidents, to put it mildly, have not had. Lincoln did have that. He could listen. He could admit when he was wrong and change his mind about things”

Abraham Lincoln serves as a central, human figure in American history who derived his power and political vision from the American people and the movements of his time.

“But he did not come down from the heavens. The American people created Lincoln. That is he was a corporate lawyer. He was somebody who had an undistinguished term in the House of Representatives. But he listened to what people were saying after the Kansas Nebraska Act in 54.”