Sunday, January 25, 2015
In the
autumn of 1842 Lincoln ridiculed a vain, pugnacious politician by the name of James
Shields. Lincoln lammed him through an anonymous letter published in
Springfield Journal. The town roared with laughter. Shields, sensitive and
proud, boiled with indignation. He found out who wrote the letter, leaped on
his horse, started after Lincoln, and challenged him to fight a duel. Lincoln
didn't want to fight. He was opposed to dueling, but he couldn't get out of it
and save his honor. He was given the choice of weapons.
Since he had
very long arms, he chose cavalry broadswords and took lessons in sword fighting
from a West Point graduate; and, on the appointed day, he and Shields met on a
sandbar in the Mississippi River, prepared to fight to the death; but, at the
last minute, their seconds interrupted and stopped the duel.
That was the
most lurid personal incident in Lincoln's life. It taught him an invaluable lesson in the art of dealing
with people. Never again did he write an
insulting letter. Never again did he ridicule anyone. And from that time on, he almost never
criticized anybody for anything.
Reference: How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
Labels:
Incidents
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“It is obliged for the bright person to use his ears twice as much in stead of his tongue and to realise that he has received two ears and just one mouth, so that he will be listening more than that he speaks.
"Rawdah Al-Uqala: 1/45
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