What I Learned About Heroes From Abraham Lincoln

By Julie Rowe

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. - Abraham Lincoln.

During his lifetime, Abraham Lincoln worked as a farmer, rail-splitter, flatboatman, storekeeper, postmaster, surveyor, the elected Captain of his company in the Black Hawk War (where he only fought mosquitoes), a self-taught lawyer and finally a President of the United States.  Elected President twice, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared all slaves within the Confederacy forever free on January 1, 1863.  He was assassinated on Good Friday, April 14, 1865.

There is much to admire in Lincoln’s life and legacy.  He’s been the subject of numerous books and articles, and he continues to be the subject of research and study by scholars to this day.  But, none of this is what put him on my romance-writer’s “hero radar”.  What started the pinging were the words he left us with.  He wasn’t just smart, compassionate and idealistic; he was also self-sacrificing, courageous and a true student of human nature.  He knew, down to the last atom, right from wrong; truth from falsehood; oppression from liberation.

Here’s some of what I’ve learned about heroes from reading the spoken words and writings of Abraham Lincoln – my favorite kind of hero, a man of integrity, intelligence and insight.

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. - Abraham Lincoln.

A hero searches for justice, honesty and integrity, and when he finds it, defends it with everything he is.  Sometimes that means putting himself physically between the innocent, vulnerable and weak, and those who would oppress, harm or use them.  Other times that means defending an ideal through honorable actions.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. - Abraham Lincoln.

Heroes don’t let their mouths get away from them.  Their dialogue is sharp, short and to the point.

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. - Abraham Lincoln.

Real heroes are complex characters, composed of a lifetime of highs, lows, successes and regrets.  It’s the writer’s job to consider, create and show the true depth of their hero in their writing.

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. - Abraham Lincoln.

Heroes are very, very good at what they do because they’ve spent large chucks of time working toward excellence in their chosen field.  They’ve tested themselves, practiced and worked until they are the best they can be and then some.  This leads to an unconscious confidence that carries over into the rest of the man.

I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. - Abraham Lincoln.

Real heroes accept that they’re not perfect, learn from their mistakes and grow to become a better person by the end of the book.

Important principles may, and must, be inflexible. - Abraham Lincoln.

Real heroes don’t compromise their moral code.  Ever.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. - Abraham Lincoln.

Real heroes resist the temptation to use power for their own gain.  Instead they use it to help others and protect those he loves or is responsible for.

No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens. - Abraham Lincoln.

Real heroes have conflicts within themselves and with their heroine, but this doesn’t change his desire for her or hers for him.  Conflict adds to the sexual and emotional tension, and can take an average love scene and make it sizzle.

Julie Rowe is a Canadian romance writer and quote addict who’s been writing for over ten years.