Why people recommend it
Lincoln's Virtues by William Lee Miller is a political biography examining the moral character, political acumen, and rhetorical genius of Abraham Lincoln. On an episode of The Daily Stoic titled Journalist Kati Marton on Angela Merkel’s Remarkable Stoicism, host Ryan Holiday explained that he found the book to be immensely important. Holiday used the text to draw a compelling historical parallel between Abraham Lincoln and modern political figures like Angela Merkel, emphasizing their shared political resilience and moral virtues. Furthermore, in another episode of The Daily Stoic titled Dr. Randall Stutman on Being a Student of Leadership, Holiday brought up the book once again, noting that he keeps a copy close at hand. He elaborated that the work focuses less on a standard chronological recounting of Lincoln's life and more on exploring the underlying philosophy of how a principled leader actually gets things done within a messy political system. Across both podcast appearances, Holiday presented the publication as an essential study in leadership, ethical fortitude, and the complexities of navigating high-stakes political environments with grace, patience, and unwavering moral clarity.
Who recommended it
- Ryan Holiday Recommended
Ryan Holiday — 2 mentions
“I thought the book was so important that I I read a few books a book a few years ago uh called Lincoln's virtues by William Lee Miller and and he was saying that you know we forget”
“there's actually a book i love i have it up here called lincoln's virtues yeah it's less about lincoln and and more about the idea”