---
title: "1 Like Focus Quotes By David Herbert Donald"
description: "1 Like Focus quotes by David Herbert Donald. Plus more from David Herbert Donald and more Like Focus sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/david-herbert-donald-27496_book_what-i-thought-we-ought-to-try-to-do-in_3049023.jpg"
---

> [What I thought we ought to try to do in a book like this is to focus closely on Lincoln, himself, to see what he knew, how he knew it, how he came to make the decisions that he did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/what-i-thought-we-ought-to-try-to-do-in-a-book-like-this-is-to-focus/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/david-herbert-donald-27496_book_what-i-thought-we-ought-to-try-to-do-in_3049023.jpg)

## More by David Herbert Donald

> [Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/maybe-i-will-write-a-memoir-perhaps-i-ll-do-some-essays-or-maybe-i/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [In Lincoln's day a President's religion was a very private affair. There were no public prayer meetings, no attempts to woo the Religious Right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/in-lincoln-s-day-a-president-s-religion-was-a-very-private-affair/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [But I have tried to go over it very carefully, not merely what the evidence is, but with psychoanalysts and psychologists, and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/but-i-have-tried-to-go-over-it-very-carefully-not-merely-what-the/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [“Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was 272 words and he delivered it under three minutes. He labored on it for days. The "featured speaker," Edward Everett,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/lincoln-s-gettysburg-address-was-272-words-and-he-delivered-it-under/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [And, finally, Lincoln was not a good impromptu speaker; he was at his best when he could read from a carefully prepared manuscript. Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/and-finally-lincoln-was-not-a-good-impromptu-speaker-he-was-at-his/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [Well, it seems to me Lincoln, I suppose, is kind of a model of a particular sort of presidency, a presidency that first of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/well-it-seems-to-me-lincoln-i-suppose-is-kind-of-a-model-of-a/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [“Sumner’s mind keeping the peace abroad was connected with freeing the slaves at home. Repeatedly he tried to convince Lincoln that by issuing an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/sumner-s-mind-keeping-the-peace-abroad-was-connected-with-freeing-the/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [The more I have studied Lincoln, the more I have followed his thought processes, the more I am convinced that he understood leadership better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/the-more-i-have-studied-lincoln-the-more-i-have-followed-his-thought/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [At the beginning, Lincoln was so inexperienced he had reverence for military expertise, not realizing that there wasn't any military expertise, that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/at-the-beginning-lincoln-was-so-inexperienced-he-had-reverence-for/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [I love mysteries, and I read them every night before I go to bed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/i-love-mysteries-and-i-read-them-every-night-before-i-go-to-bed/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [Lincoln was not a good impromptu speaker; he was at his best when he could read from a carefully prepared manuscript, though maybe a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/lincoln-was-not-a-good-impromptu-speaker-he-was-at-his-best-when-he/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [I think, with the gay liberation movement has had need for heroes and heroines, and it would be rather nice to have Abraham Lincoln…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/i-think-with-the-gay-liberation-movement-has-had-need-for-heroes-and/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [I was able to sit at Lincoln's side and see how he thought and how he acted, and how he felt about what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/i-was-able-to-sit-at-lincoln-s-side-and-see-how-he-thought-and-how-he/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [Lincoln had no such person that he could talk with. Often, as a result, he debated with himself, and he would draw up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/lincoln-had-no-such-person-that-he-could-talk-with-often-as-a-result/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/if-you-think-about-it-the-historian-s-task-is-like-that-of-the/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

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