I Think Confidence Comes From Doing Something

When I Do Research, I Have Done - 90 Percent Of My Time Is The Research, The Other Ten Percent Is The Writing. So I Don't Have To Face A Blank Piece Of Paper. I Can Look At This As A Quote That I Have From Somewhere.

Even Though Lyndon Johnson's Presidency Was In Many Ways Scarred Forever By The War In Vietnam, And Destroyed In A Lot Of Ways, He - As A Character - Was Even Larger Than His Presidency. Being Able To Get To Know Him Well, That Firsthand Relationship With This Large Character, I Think Is What Drew Me To Writing Books About Presidents.

The Past Is Not Simply The Past, But A Prism Through Which The Subject Filters His Own Changing Self-image.

One Of The Important Qualities That I Think Is Often Overlooked Is Just Energy. It's Vitality, And Sort Of A Life Force That Some People Have And Others Don't. Probably That Is Connected To A Love Of Whatever It Is That They're Doing. Another Quality That I Think Is Central Is Confidence. Again, Some People Are More Blessed With That Than Others.

My Books Are Written With A Strong Chronological Spine.