The Eloquent President Quotes

“AN EARLY FOUNDATION of Lincoln’s ability to speak was laid in his reading of William Scott’s Lessons in Elocution.”
― Ronald C. White Jr., The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words

“In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict, without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to “preserve, protect and defend” it.”
― Ronald C. White Jr., The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words

“Lincoln enhanced the ability of his audience to hear him by his practice of speaking slowly.”
― Ronald C. White Jr., The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words

“LINCOLN WROTE for the ear. Most politicians and academics write for the eye. Lincoln often spoke or whispered out loud before putting his Faber pencil to paper. He was fascinated by the sound of words. I contend that even his written communications, such as the conclusions of his annual messages to Congress, even when he knew they were to be read by clerks, contained the marks of his best oratory. Lincoln’s pattern was to speak or read his addresses slowly. The average person speaks at about 150 or 160 words per minute. Lincoln spoke 105 to 110 words per minute.4 His slower speed was an aid to hearers, especially in an outdoor environment without the aid of the technology of loudspeakers. Before starting this journey, may I suggest taking the time to hear the selection of Lincoln’s words from each speech at the beginning of each chapter. Speak them aloud. Do so slowly, as Lincoln would have done. This simple exercise will be helpful preparation to enter more fully into a portrait of Lincoln’s eloquence.”
― Ronald C. White Jr., The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words

“I, Abraham Lincoln, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Never, before or since, has there been such congruence between a speech addressing the meaning of the oath and the taking of the oath.”
― Ronald C. White Jr., The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words