“While his mind was neither quick nor facile, young Lincoln possessed singular powers of reasoning and comprehension, unflagging curiosity, and a fierce, almost irresistible, compulsion to understand the meaning of what he heard, read or was taught.”
– Doris Kearns Goodwin, in her book Leadership In Turbulent Times (on Lincoln, the Roosevelts and LBJ)
What I love most about this note on Abraham Lincoln is the “unflagging curiosity” and “fierce…irresistible compulsion to understand…”
If we only bring unflagging curiosity to the table every day, we’ll move forward, every day. And if we truly seek — if we’re compelled — to understand, to get to the “Why?” we’ll have no choice but to make a difference.
It’s not about how quick or bright we are. It’s about how much we want to learn and how deeply we want to understand. It worked out ok for Abe. One could say he made a difference, right?
Make it a great day.
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