Joshua Wolf Shenk’s thesis of the article on Abraham Lincoln is “His condition was indeed a character issue: it gave him the tools to save the nation”. The author explores how depression was not a deterrent but a condition that helped Lincoln achieve great work as a United
States President (Shenk).
The first habit that Lincoln had, which helped him use depression to achieve greatness was composing, reading, and reciting poetry. Shenk argues that President Lincoln obtained relief from indulging in poetry. Lincoln was especially inclined towards poems that dwelt on despair and death. Poetry was his way of venting his feelings of hopelessness and despair.
The second strategy that Abraham Lincoln used to cope with depression was telling
stories