Lincoln
Once, when I was probably 18 or 19 years old and worried about what people thought of me, I complained to my dad about unfair everyone was, and how misguided was their judgment. I said something to the effect that Lincoln could never have become what he was today, because people were so shallow and foolish.
Dad said, "Dave, there have been and still are Lincolns in this country who are waiting for their opportunity." I didn't really understand what he meant then, but I've thought about it for years. This was perceptive wisdom for a frightened young man to hear.
I have a picture of Lincoln that I keep near me- it was one of the last photographs of him, taken near the end of the war. His face is deeply lined with care, and he's holding a pair of spectacles in hands, as though the photographer just interrupted him from work. He's smiling slightly, and his shoulders are slumped forward a little. He looks like the kind of man who will listen to you, and care.
You don't have to be a president to do something important. This one of the things that I love most about him.
Dad said, "Dave, there have been and still are Lincolns in this country who are waiting for their opportunity." I didn't really understand what he meant then, but I've thought about it for years. This was perceptive wisdom for a frightened young man to hear.
I have a picture of Lincoln that I keep near me- it was one of the last photographs of him, taken near the end of the war. His face is deeply lined with care, and he's holding a pair of spectacles in hands, as though the photographer just interrupted him from work. He's smiling slightly, and his shoulders are slumped forward a little. He looks like the kind of man who will listen to you, and care.
You don't have to be a president to do something important. This one of the things that I love most about him.