Lincoln was not a good impromptu speaker; he was at his best when he could read from a carefully prepared manuscript, though maybe a teleprompter could have helped that!

Well, it seems to me Lincoln, I suppose, is kind of a model of a particular sort of presidency, a presidency that first of all is elected by a minority of the votes.

If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective.

Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.

The more I have studied Lincoln, the more I have followed his thought processes, the more I am convinced that he understood leadership better than any other American president.

I'm not sure Lincoln would fare well if he were a presidential candidate today.

I love mysteries, and I read them every night before I go to bed.

I would rather lie facedown on the ground and use my body as a bridge, than stand proud and tall and use my body as a wall.

We are all 'right' if we are being truly ourselves.... that is the best we can be in each moment, until we learn more...

Men like snails lose their usefulness when they lose direction and begin to bend.

Warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.

The most successful people I've worked with, like the Rolling Stones - people of a different, kind of legendary caliber - have such great, warm energy.

All people have a natural desire to be needed, to have their importance to others tangibly confirmed.

If you really love, then you're willing to step outside of your own love to do that which is right.

But I think it's quite clear in my work that my orientation isn't political or doesn't come out of modern politics.

Capitalism works better than it sounds, while socialism sounds better than it works.

I'm a big baby. I'm not tough at all.