Abraham Lincoln comes from nothing, has no education, no money, lives in the middle of nowhere on the frontier. And despite the fact that he suffers one tragedy and one setback after another, through sheer force of will, he becomes something extraordinary: not only the president but the person who almost single-handedly united the country.

I think any period in history can be adapted into interesting fiction, as long as you approach the actual history with respect.

Most men have no purpose but to exist, Abraham; to pass quietly through history as minor characters upon a stage they cannot even see

What makes a good book and what makes a good movie are totally different things.

I would much prefer their minds to be engaged in the deadly arts than clouded with dreams of marriage and fortune, as your own so clearly is!

Any man who has seen the face of death knows better than to seek him out a second time.

I want to be judged harshly because that forces me to really sit down and focus.