Stories about President Lincoln and His Ego

Two moments from the White House that show how Lincoln wore power lightly—and sometimes laughed at it.

President Abraham Lincoln in his White House office [*]
No throne, no Oval, just a desk, a chair, and the weight of a nation.

While leading a fractured nation through war, Abraham Lincoln carried not only the burdens of command, but also the gift of lightness. These two brief stories reflect the humor, humility, and self-awareness that made him not just a great president—but a rare kind of human.

“I Hope to Have More Influence With the Next Administration”

Judge Baldwin of California once sought a pass from Washington to visit his brother behind Union lines. A loyal Union man himself, Baldwin assumed it would be a quick matter. But he was swiftly denied by General Halleck, then by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.

Exasperated, Baldwin took his case to Lincoln himself, expecting presidential authority to sweep the obstacles aside. Instead, Lincoln listened patiently, asked if the others had refused—and then, with a dry smile, replied:

“Well then, I can do nothing; for you must know that I have very little influence with this Administration, although I hope to have more with the next.”

It was a moment that revealed Lincoln’s sly wit—but also his deep awareness of his own limits. He was President, yes, but he governed not with an iron fist, but with collaboration, persuasion—and often, a well-placed joke.

“Then I Must Be One”

On another occasion, Congressman Owen Lovejoy and a group of Westerners visited Lincoln to present a plan requiring War Department approval. Lincoln gave his blessing and directed them to Stanton, the Secretary of War.

But Stanton was in no mood for diplomacy. Upon seeing Lincoln’s order, he barked, “Did Lincoln give you an order of that kind?”

When they affirmed he had, Stanton growled, “Then he is a d——d fool.”

Lovejoy, stunned, hurried back to Lincoln and reported the exchange.

Lincoln paused, looked up, and said:

“If Stanton said I was a d——d fool, then I must be one, for he is nearly always right, and generally says what he means. I will slip over and see him.”

Again—no outrage, no wounded pride. Just a president who recognized that good leadership sometimes meant letting others speak freely - even sharply. And more than that, it meant answering egos with grace.

Lincoln’s genius wasn’t only in his words, but in how lightly he wore the heavy coat of power. In a time of chaos, he remained unpretentious, quick to laugh at himself, and unwilling to trade humility for authority. If the Republic survived its gravest test, it did so in part because its leader didn’t see himself as untouchable—but as a man who could “slip over” and listen.

While the ancients had Aesop and his fables, the moderns have Abraham Lincoln and his stories. These were two more about Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.

Mac

[*] 🏛️ Why Lincoln Didn’t Use the Oval Office?

Simple reason: it didn’t exist yet.

The Oval Office wasn’t built until 1909, during the presidency of William Howard Taft. He was the first to move the president’s working space into the newly constructed West Wing and adopt the Oval Office as the symbolic and functional heart of the presidency.

During Lincoln’s time, the president worked in the second-floor southeast corner of the White House, in a room that today is known as the Lincoln Bedroom. It was his office, his Cabinet meeting space, and where he signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

So when we see those rare photos of Lincoln seated or standing in that room, we’re looking at the real seat of power in 1863—no ovals, no Resolute Desk, just resolve.

Works Cited

[1] McClure, Colonel Alexander K. (1901) Lincoln's Yarns and Stories. New York, NY: Western W. Wilson Company.