In Lincoln on Leadership for Today: Abraham Lincoln’s Approach to Twenty-First-Century Issues, to be published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (February 2017), Donald Phillips observes:

“Abraham Lincoln was a technology geek. He was fascinated with all kinds of new gadgets and equipment. As a lawyer traveling the circuit in Illinois, he examined new farming machinery to see how it worked. As president, he screened all kinds of weaponry to see if it might give the Union army an edge. When he recognized that the telegraph could revolutionize communications, he quickly had it installed in the War Department — and the telegraph office became one of his favorite hangouts.”

A mindset driven by curiosity is what all lifelong learners share in common and the sixteenth president of the United States offers a superb example.

Another key point is that lifelong learners read books rather than read about them.

Which would your prefer, consuming your favorite meal or reading a recipe?