Israel David

“Humor also gave Lincoln a way to connect with people. Withdrawal is an essential feature of depression, and once withdrawn a person can grow steadily more awkward in company. Many chronic depressives find simple small talk to be a Herculean challenge. By his late thirties and early forties, Lincoln frequently withdrew into spells of gloom, but he had a sure-fire method to socialize when he wanted to. Herndon, who poignantly described how Lincoln fell into depressions at the law office, said that these spells often ended with him gathering himself up, saying something or other, and then continuing, “Billy, that reminds me of a story.”
― Joshua Wolf Shenk, Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness