Lincoln's melancholy: how depression challenged a president and fueled his greatness

Description

[The author] reveals how the sixteenth president harnessed his depression to fuel his astonishing success. Lincoln found the solace and tactics he needed to deal with the nation's worst crisis in the coping strategies he had developed over a lifetime of persevering through depressive episodes and personal tragedies ... This book unveils a wholly new perspective on how our greatest president brought America through its greatest turmoil ... By consciously shifting his goal away from personal contentment (which he realized he could not attain) and toward universal justice, Lincoln gained the strength and insight that he, and America, required to transcend profound darkness.-Dust jacket.;Community said he was crazy -- Fearful gift -- I am now the most miserable man living -- Self-made man -- Misfortune, not a fault -- Reign of reason -- Vents of my moods and gloom -- Its precise shape and color -- Fiery trial through which we pass -- Comes wisdom to us -- "What everybody knows."