Podcast Summary: The Daily Stoic
Episode Title: Lincoln’s Secret Weapon (It Wasn’t Power)
Host: Ryan Holiday
Guest: Doris Kearns Goodwin (interviewed on stage at Rancho Mirage Writers Festival)
Date: February 25, 2026
Episode Overview
This episode explores the hidden qualities that made Abraham Lincoln a remarkable leader, focusing less on power and more on his self-mastery, humility, empathy, and communication skills—qualities closely aligned with Stoic philosophy. Through a rich conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin, the discussion highlights Lincoln's ability to learn, reflect, master himself, and connect with others, drawing lessons that are resonant for modern times. The dialogue weaves together personal anecdotes, reflections on writing history, and the enduring value of engaging with the wisdom of the past.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Role of History in Understanding the Present
- Ryan Holiday reflects on how reading comprehensive biographies (like Doris Kearns Goodwin's works) offers enduring lessons that apply to today's world.
- Doris discusses how knowing how historical crises end provides comfort compared to the uncertainty of current events.
- Quote:
"The main reason you feel better is that you know how they ended. ... We know that. So that's why we have to get strength from having been through those tough times before. But nothing more than Lincoln." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [06:17]
- Quote:
2. Lincoln: Character Beyond Achievement
- Goodwin emphasizes that Lincoln’s greatness lies not only in what he accomplished, but in his intrinsic qualities: humility, humor, empathy, and self-mastery.
- Quote:
"It’s not just what he did. Win the war and preserve the Union and emancipate the slaves. It's who he was. That's the thing." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [06:17]
- Quote:
- Lincoln’s humor and fondness for literature, including Shakespeare’s comedies, helped him cope with the darkness of war.
- Quote:
"A good story was better for him than a drop of whiskey. So humor was a huge part of his life." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [08:32]
- Quote:
3. Lifelong Learning and Self-Education
- Lincoln, with minimal formal education, was driven to educate himself, walking miles to borrow books and immersing himself in literature and philosophy.
- Quote:
"He said that when he got a copy of King James Bible or Shakespeare's plays, he was so excited he couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [10:24]
- Quote:
- Learning was an ongoing process throughout his life, exemplified in deep dives into complex subjects when leadership demanded it.
- Timestamps: [10:22], [12:35]
4. Leadership and Team of Rivals
- Lincoln’s decision to appoint political rivals to his cabinet was a display of exceptional humility and confidence.
- Quote:
"These are the strongest and most able people in the country. I need them by my side." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [12:43]
- Lyndon Johnson's less-noble expression: "It's better to have your enemies inside the tent pissing out than outside the tent pissing in." [13:52]
- Quote:
5. Lincoln and the Ancients: Stoic Parallels
- Discussion about whether Lincoln read Stoic philosophers—he ultimately did read Plutarch after a biographer claimed he had.
- Quote:
"Don’t pretend you’ve read it. Go read it. I think is the lesson there." – Brian Balogh [15:46]
- Quote:
- Lincoln’s temperament and ethos often aligned with Stoic principles: mastery of self, humility, and acceptance of what cannot be controlled.
- Quote:
"You don't control what happens, you control how you respond to what happens." – Brian Balogh [29:01]
- Quote:
6. The Process of Reflection, Writing, and Self-Mastery
- Both Lincoln and Goodwin harness the power of early-morning solitude for reflection and writing.
- Doris describes moving on from books as leaving "an old boyfriend behind." [22:10]
- Lincoln’s superpower: resisting the impulse to respond in anger—he would write “hot” letters and save them unsent.
- Quote:
"He Put it aside, and it was never sent. And then you find in his letters, never sent and never signed, a whole bunch of these things where he'd get mad at somebody. That's why it's so great." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [37:53]
- Quote:
7. Lincoln’s Compassion and Empathy
- Suffering deepened Lincoln’s compassion rather than hardening him. He visited battlefields, pardoned soldiers, and eschewed vindictiveness postwar.
- Quote:
"From his suffering came this profound compassion, this well of empathy. It doesn't always happen that way without a question." – Brian Balogh [30:05]
- Quote:
- Emphasis on the dangers of retribution and the healing power of forgiveness.
- Quote:
"He said, we can't have any more hate. We've got to move forward. ... The idea of living back on vindictiveness and retaliation and retribution, that's what he says, will poison you." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [30:46]
- Quote:
8. Communication: Lincoln’s Secret Weapon
- Lincoln’s talent for communication was rooted in deep understanding of the public.
- Maintained "public opinion baths" by engaging with ordinary Americans daily. [44:20]
- He sensed opinion shifts and adjusted accordingly, moving the public gradually on key issues like emancipation and black soldiers in the army.
- His legal background enabled him to make persuasive, accessible arguments—people felt it was their own conclusion.
- Quote:
"He was a great lawyer in that way... He made them understand the arguments. So it was natural." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [45:38]
- Quote:
9. The Writer and the Speaker: Discipline and Restraint
- Lincoln labored intensively over every word—contrary to myths, the Gettysburg Address was not dashed off quickly.
- Quote:
"He’d been thinking about it... and he would make little notes...then he'd bring them out when it was time to do it. So he labored over everything he wrote." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [41:18]
- Quote:
- His brevity and precision remain a model for communicators: "Lincoln speaks for two minutes. And we remember one and not the other." – Brian Balogh [41:39]
- Lincoln avoided spontaneous remarks and speeches, understanding the impact and potential harm of words.
10. Mortality, Meaning, and the Value of Time
- Discussion transitions to memento mori in Stoicism—awareness of mortality as central to a meaningful life.
- Quote:
"The Stoic practice of memento mori is the kind of active meditation on the fragility and ephemerality of life." – Brian Balogh [51:00]
- Quote:
- Goodwin reflects on aging, prioritizing meaningful work and relationships.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the comfort of history:
"We know that. So that's why we have to get strength from having been through those tough times before. But nothing more than Lincoln." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [06:17] -
On Lincoln’s emotional intelligence:
"He doesn't look like he laughs, except when he laughed his whole body changed evidently..." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [08:32] -
On humility in leadership:
"You can't give a person more talent necessarily, but they can expand it and develop it. And you can't give them more discipline if they're not going to work hard. But democracy should allow it." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [10:24] -
On team-building:
"The country's in peril. These are the strongest and most able people in the country. I need them by my side." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [12:43] -
On Lincoln’s emotional restraint:
"But then he knew it would paralyze the general in the field. And he put it aside, and it was never sent." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [37:53] -
On the duality in Lincoln’s character:
"That combination of confidence and humility, that's what's so special in him because he's humble enough to know to surround himself with all these characters, but he's confident enough to know I'm going to make them a team and I'm going to be their leader." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [27:06] -
On the importance of deliberate communication:
"Words can hurt as well as heal. Words can divide as well as unite. So that would be a lesson for everybody today who just talks immediately and then tries to take it back." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [39:51] -
On mortality, meaning, and aging:
"I have to decide how I'm going to spend the days, which I'm not sure you think about when you're younger." – Doris Kearns Goodwin [51:43]
Key Timestamps
- [06:17] – Why studying history is comforting and instructive
- [08:32] – Lincoln’s use of humor and literature for coping with hardship
- [10:22] – Lincoln’s hunger for self-education and democracy’s role in human potential
- [12:43] – Story behind Lincoln’s “team of rivals” cabinet selection
- [13:52] – The "inside the tent" analogy (Lyndon Johnson's version)
- [15:18] – Lincoln and Plutarch—pursuit of learning the classics
- [29:01] – Parallels between Lincoln and Stoic philosophy: control and response
- [37:53] – Lincoln’s “never sent letters” and his self-mastery in leadership
- [41:18] – The labor and artistry behind the Gettysburg Address
- [44:20] – Lincoln’s “public opinion baths” and sensing public mood
- [51:00] – The Stoic practice of memento mori in modern and historical context
- [51:43] – Personal reflections on time, mortality, and meaningful work
Closing Thoughts
This episode masterfully highlights that Lincoln’s “secret weapon” was not raw power but the combination of humility, self-education, restraint, compassion, and communication—virtues that resonate deeply with Stoic philosophy. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s insights, reinforced by stories and quotes, reveal that Lincoln’s greatness grew from his capacity for reflection, learning, and empathy, and his understanding of both his own limitations and the needs of those he served. The episode is a call to reconnect with both the wisdom of the past and the inner work of mastering oneself—a timeless lesson for leaders and citizens alike.