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| (A Daniel Mackie illustration) |
As the Chief Executive of a split nation, Abraham Lincoln faced relentless criticism by the media. One day, after reading some particularly scathing articles, his aide, John Hay, recalled Lincoln telling this story:
“A frontiersman lost his way in an uninhabited region on a dark and tempestuous night. The rain fell in torrents, accompanied by terrible thunder and more terrific lightning. To increase his trouble his horse halted, being exhausted with fatigue and fright. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck a neighboring tree, and the crash brought the man to his knees. He wasn't much for prayer, but his appeal was short and to the point: ‘Oh, good Lord, if it is all the same to you, give us a little more light, and a little less noise.’”
Lincoln told that story to highlight the absurdity of political noise—how bluster often drowns out clarity. It was classic Lincoln: funny, vivid, and pointed. He didn’t tell stories just to entertain. He told them to cut through confusion, to persuade, to teach. Whether in a courtroom, on the campaign trail, or in the Oval Office, Lincoln used storytelling as a scalpel—always aimed at the heart of the matter.
🎭 The Art of the Anecdote
While all storytelling is generally interesting, only some are captivating, glued-to-the-seat presentations – humorous or otherwise. That element of drama depends on an author’s ability to tell the story.
Henry C. Whitney, a contemporary, explained it this way:
"His stories may be literally retold—every word, period, and comma—but the real humor perished with Lincoln. He provoked as much laughter by the grotesque expression of his homely face as by the abstract fun of his stories." [1]
Although Whitney’s description may sound unflattering, he actually nailed something essential: Lincoln didn’t just tell stories—he performed them. He knew how to pour himself into the tale, shaping every pause, every expression, every twist of tone to match the moment. Whether the story called for drama, irony, or belly-laugh comedy, Lincoln delivered it with theatrical precision. Even a century later, Lincoln scholars still recognize this rare gift. As historian Benjamin P. Thomas observed, the power of Lincoln’s stories often lay not in the words themselves, but in the way he told them.
"...the effectiveness of a joke depends in large measure upon the manner of its telling. We may not be at all amused by reading some of Lincoln's jokes or hearing them at second-hand; whereas we might have split our sides had we heard them as he told them. For Lincoln was a master of the story-telling art; and when told by a master, even a dull joke may be irresistible." [1]
🎯 Stories With Purpose
Some scholars have suggested that Lincoln’s storytelling was a way to compensate for his physical awkwardness and social discomfort—a promotional tool, or the harmless musings of a whimsical, good-natured philosopher. There’s a kernel of truth in that. Lincoln did use humor to connect with people, and he often leaned into self-deprecation.
But those interpretations are far too shallow to capture the full picture. Lincoln was a complex man, and so were his stories—especially the intent behind them.
He didn’t tell stories just to entertain. He told them to teach, to persuade, to clarify. His humor always had a purpose. As many of his contemporaries observed, Lincoln’s anecdotes were funny—but they carried weight.
John H. Littlefield, a former law clerk in Lincoln’s office, recalled:,
"Often I have seen him look up from a case into which he was studying, with the remark, ‘This fellow reminds me of such and such a story’ – and the little anecdote always fitted, like a lady’s glove.” [3]
James S. Ewing, a fellow attorney, agreed:
“Mr. Lincoln wasn’t a story teller in the sense that people tell stories for the thing in the story. I doubt if he ever told a story just because it was a story. If he told an anecdote it was to illustrate or make more clear some point he wanted to impress. He had a marvelous aptitude for that…” [4]
Even modern historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin recognize Lincoln’s ”extraordinary ability to convey practical wisdom in the form of humorous tales his listeners could remember and repeat.” [5]
👂Tailored to the Listener
Lincoln understood that the true art of storytelling wasn’t just in the words—it was in the delivery. He believed a story should be shaped to fit the listener, not the other way around. The Rev. Phineas Gurley, pastor of the Presbyterian church in Washington, D.C., where Lincoln occasionally worshiped, once witnessed the president explain his technique.
"'There are two ways of relating a story,'” Mr. Lincoln [said]. 'if you have an auditor [listener] who has the time, and is inclined to listen, lengthen it out, pour it out slowly as if from a jug. If you have a poor listener, hasten it, shorten it, shoot it out of a pop-gun.'” [6]
Sometimes Lincoln inserted himself into the story—never as the hero, but as the foil. During his 1861 inauguration trip, he told a crowd in Columbus, Ohio:
“Two friends of mine in Illinois were talking about me. One said, ‘Mr. Lincoln is a self-made man, isn’t he?’ to which the other said, ‘Yes, but I didn’t know that he ever took much pains about it.'" [7]
He used self-deprecation to disarm, connect, and teach.
📚 The Scholar of the Tall Tale
In her 1992 work, Abraham Lincoln, the Orator, rhetoric scholar Lois Einhorn offers one of the most comprehensive analyses of Lincoln’s storytelling technique—examining everything from his delivery style . . .
“Lincoln’s pragmatic attitude toward life and speaking and his need to be understood – to reach the people — help explain the homespun nature of his humor…his stories were colloquial, concrete, colorful, and occasionally off-color. They included commonplace details, vivid imagery, frontier vernacular, and short, straightforward sentences that sometimes deviated from the formal rules of grammar.
to the deeper intent behind his anecdotes:
The simplicity of his stories made them easier to digest. They usually employed analogical logic and sometimes used the techniques of exaggeration, distortion, and caricature often associated with the ‘tall tales’ of the West. Few of his stories were uproariously funny; they sought to make listeners smile while understanding a serious point.” [8]
✍️ My Take
I grew up with Abe Lincoln’s stories, and I still enjoy retelling my favorites. They amuse me—and they help make sense of the man, his times, and even our own.
That was his gift: to make us laugh, reflect, and understand.
He was, after all - Abe Lincoln, Storyteller
Food for thought.
Mac
📚 Works Cited
[1] Thomas, Benjamin P. (1981) "Lincoln's Humor: An Analysis". Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Volume 3, Issue 1: pp. 28-47.
[2] Sandburg, Carl. (1954). Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years. (Book Club Edition). New York: Harcourt Brace & World.
[3] Newton, Joseph Fort. (1910). Lincoln and Herndon. New York: Torch Press. p. 250.
[4] Stevens, Walter B. (1916) A Reporter’s Lincoln. Lincoln, NE: Bison Press. p. 61.
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