--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lincoln, steeped in the Bible and…" description: "\"Lincoln, steeped in the Bible and Shakespeare, set an impossibly high bar for presidential prose.\" — Jonathan Raban" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/jonathan-raban-11981_bars_lincoln-steeped-in-the-bible-and-shakesp_2249315.jpg" --- # Lincoln, steeped in the Bible and Shakespeare, set an… ![“Lincoln, steeped in the Bible and Shakespeare, set an impossibly high bar for presidential prose.” quote by Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/jonathan-raban-11981_bars_lincoln-steeped-in-the-bible-and-shakesp_2249315.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/jonathan-raban-11981_bars_lincoln-steeped-in-the-bible-and-shakesp_2249315.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/jonathan-raban-11981_bars_lincoln-steeped-in-the-bible-and-shakesp_2249315.jpg) > “Lincoln, steeped in the Bible and Shakespeare, set an impossibly high bar for presidential prose.” [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lincoln's prose set an unattainably high literary standard for presidents. **In simple terms:** Lincoln's writing is a lofty benchmark. Key Takeaway Strive for clarity and depth in communication. Themes politics literature eloquence Mood respectful contemplative Type historical literary When to use this quote - public speeches - policy addresses - campaign rhetoric Key Concepts rhetoric historical influence presidential speech Questions to Reflect On - Can modern leaders meet this standard? - What makes prose truly great? A Different Perspective High standards may be unrealistic for future leaders. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I want to be caught off guard and swept impossibly too high off my feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-be-caught-off-guard-and-swept-impossibly-too-high-off-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do have impossibly high standards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-do-have-impossibly-high-standards/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Mother set impossibly high standards for us, creating tremendous pressures and undermining our ability to accomplish whatever modest aims we may have set for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-graham/mother-set-impossibly-high-standards-for-us-creating-tremendous/) [Katharine Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-graham/) > [If you know your Bible and your Shakespeare and can shoot craps, you have a liberal education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tallulah-bankhead/if-you-know-your-bible-and-your-shakespeare-and-can-shoot-craps-you/) [Tallulah Bankhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tallulah-bankhead/) > [It is no exaggeration to say that the English Bible is, next to Shakespeare, the greatest work in English literature, and that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lafcadio-hearn/it-is-no-exaggeration-to-say-that-the-english-bible-is-next-to/) [Lafcadio Hearn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lafcadio-hearn/) > [There is only one writer in whom I find something that reminds me of the directness of style which is found in the Bible.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/there-is-only-one-writer-in-whom-i-find-something-that-reminds-me-of/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [England has two books, the Bible and Shakespeare. England made Shakespeare,but the Bible made England.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/england-has-two-books-the-bible-and-shakespeare-england-made/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I used to just sit down and read the dictionary, and I read the Bible and Shakespeare from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-used-to-just-sit-down-and-read-the-dictionary-and-i-read-the-bible/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [No president has come near to rivaling Lincoln as a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/no-president-has-come-near-to-rivaling-lincoln-as-a-writer/) [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) > [Everybody faces obstacles. And I looked to people who had been through many to succeed in life. 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