---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the beginning, Lincoln was so…"
description: "\"At the beginning, Lincoln was so inexperienced he had reverence for military expertise, not realizing that there wasn't any military expertise, that th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c16/david-herbert-donald-27496_expertise_at-the-beginning-lincoln-was-so-inexperi_1122676.jpg"
---

#  At the beginning, Lincoln was so inexperienced he had…

![“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 anybody had commanded up to that point had been somebody, some troops in the Mexican War, and it had been years ago.” quote by David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c16/david-herbert-donald-27496_expertise_at-the-beginning-lincoln-was-so-inexperi_1122676.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c16/david-herbert-donald-27496_expertise_at-the-beginning-lincoln-was-so-inexperi_1122676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c16/david-herbert-donald-27496_expertise_at-the-beginning-lincoln-was-so-inexperi_1122676.jpg)

> “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 anybody had commanded up to that point had been somebody, some troops in the Mexican War, and it had been years ago.”

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

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Lincoln initially trusted military leaders despite their lack of experience, highlighting the danger of assuming expertise without evidence.

**In simple terms:** Lincoln trusted inexperienced military leaders.

Key Takeaway

Question expertise before relying on it.

Themes

leadership trust expertise history politics

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

historical analytical

When to use this quote

- political decision making
- military planning
- leadership selection
- public expectations

Key Concepts

overconfidence authority historical analysis

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you verify expertise before trusting?
- What are the risks of overvaluing reputation?

A Different Perspective

Assuming expertise can lead to poor decisions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beginning Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning-lincoln-3046241/) [Expertise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expertise/) [Inexperienced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inexperienced/) [Inexperienced Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inexperienced-reverence-3046240/) [Lincoln Inexperienced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lincoln-inexperienced-3046239/) [Mexican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexican/) [Mexican War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mexican-war/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Military Expertise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military-expertise-1528456/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) [Troops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troops/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/)

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