According to historian Richard Hofstadter, Abraham Lincoln was "the exemplar of the self-made man," having come from a humble background to rapidly ascend through the political ranks, gaining success and power but not forgetting humanity and moral responsibility. Hofstadter also contends that Lincoln was a very simple man and wished to keep it that way - "[i]t was precisely in his attainments as a common man that Lincoln felt himself to be remarkable, and in this light that he interpreted to the world the significance of his career." The conflict of Lincoln's political career, states Hofstadter, is the incompatibility between his religious beliefs and his goal of becoming successful - "[t]he motivating force in the mythology of success is ambition, which is closely akin to the cardinal Christian sin of pride ... [H]ow can an earnest man, a public figure living in a time of crisis...