Doris Kearns Goodwin on Presidential Character

Doris Kearns Goodwin reflects on the qualities that define great presidential leadership, anchored by Teddy Roosevelt’s belief that a president’s greatest contribution is the display of character. She emphasizes timeless virtues — humility, empathy, resilience, accountability, kindness, and ambition beyond self-interest — as the traits we should demand of leaders at every level. Drawing from the presidents she’s spent her career studying, she highlights Lincoln’s humility in surrounding himself with rivals and his empathy toward the South after the war; Theodore Roosevelt’s commitment to being president for all people; and FDR’s transformative optimism during the Depression. Her core message: character matters more than any single policy achievement, and that standard is even more urgent today.