“Be prepared to swim against the current. After all, any dead fish can swim with it.” - Anonymous

From “Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst

August 7

Lincoln could be, and often was, the very picture of contradiction[s]. “He dressed like a farmer but read books on geometry and poetry.  He told witty stories and yet could successfully prosecute a dry or boringly technical case…” Jonathan Birch, a fellow lawyer, witnessed Lincoln holding forth in the court clerk’s office, surrounded by other lawyers and telling some story. “His eyes would sparkle with fun,” Birch remembered, “and when he had reached the point in his narrative which invariably evoked the laughter of the crowd, nobody’s enjoyment was greater than his.” An hour later, however, Birch would see Lincoln seated on a chair with the back leaned against the wall, “his hat tipped slightly forward as if to shield his face, his eyes no longer sparkling with fun or merriment, but sad and downcast and his hands clasped around his knees.” Birch thought him “the very picture of dejection and gloom. Thus absorbed have I seen him sit for hours at a time defying the interruption of even his closest friends… It was a strange picture.” - Brian Dirck