Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln. He unified a war-torn country, put an end to slavery, and declared "No-School" on his birthday*; what's not to like? Seriously, though, I have a lot of respect for Abraham Lincoln. More than a president, I admire him as a person. I've been reading a book lately called "Lincoln on Leadership", and it is amazing to see how wise he was and how he dealt with his problems. He was a great example.

One thing I really admire about Abraham Lincoln is that he knew who he was. He knew it. And no one was going to make him think he was less, or inflate his ego. He said:

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

Shadows stretch and wither with the motions of the world, but no-matter how fast the world spins it doesn't change reality. We are who we are. And we can accomplish anything. That's what Lincoln teaches me.



*okay, technically not Lincoln's birthday, it was Washington's, and neither of THEM declared it, but it sounded dramatic