Doris Kearns Goodwin Quote

The key to Lincoln’s success was his uncanny ability to break down the most complex case or issue into its simplest elements. He never lost a jury by fumbling with or reading from a prepared argument, relying instead on his well-trained memory. He aimed for intimate conversations with the jurors, as if conversing with friends. Though his arguments were logical and profound, they were easy to follow, fellow lawyer Henry Clay Whitney observed. His language was composed of plain Anglo-Saxon words and almost always absolutely without adornment. An Illinois judge captured the essence of Lincoln’s appeal: He had the happy and unusual faculty of making the jury believe they—and not he—were trying the case.