Lincoln used stories to communicate and teach

Lincoln used stories to be happy, to avoid sadness, to communicate a lesson, to put somebody at ease. He was always using stories for entertainment and fun for everybody around him.

He told stories to teach a lesson. His stories were to-the-point and relevant for the situation. He could convey practical wisdom while telling a funny story that people remembered and repeated.

Lincoln was the master at communicating complex topics in simple, entertaining language. He used metaphors and stories to educate. For example, when the topic was about the South desiring the ability to extend slavery into new western states, while the North opposed the expansion but was willing to allow the South to keep slavery where it already existed, the South was willing to secede from the Union on this point, and Lincoln used a simple metaphor which anybody could understand to illustrate the ridiculousness of it: “because I may have refused to build an addition to my house, I thereby have decided to destroy the existing house!”