I've started reading The Wit & Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln. He is without a doubt one of the brightest men who ever lived. I always find it fascinating that at the most critical times in history, someone rises to the challenge. I found it interesting that Abe did not actually want to go to war to abolish slavery. He wanted to contain it within the existing slave states and prevent its spreading to the territories and non-slave states. Similar to the way that the USA tried to contain the spread of Communism. He felt that over time, the slavery issue would resolve itself as each state voluntarily abolished slavery. I wonder how this country would look today if that had happened.
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I also found interesting how many common sayings that he started such as don't change horses in the middle of a stream and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. My favorite is his saying that "A man's legs should be long enough to reach the ground". I have a feeling that a lot of his jokes went right over people's heads.