“Presidential biography is, by its nature, out of scale; no character i...” — Jill Lepore Quote

“Presidential biography is, by its nature, out of scale; no character is bigger, no action greater, than the person and the doings of the American president.”

“Book reviewing dates only to the eighteenth century, when, for the first time, there were so many books being printed that magazines - they were new, too - started printing essays about them.”

“History's written from what can be found; what isn't saved is lost, sunken and rotted, eaten by earth.”

“I just love biography, and I'm fascinated by people who have shifted our destinies or our points of view.”

“When I was 8 years old, I made my own encyclopedia of American biography - Johnny Appleseed, Jim Bowie, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Charles Lindbergh, my pantheon of favorite heroes. Then I would write my own things and sew them together and try to make my own book.”

“I don't put myself into the category of 'rock star writing his biography.' That's because we live our lives by falling into experiences. Things happen to us. Something you do takes hold of you, and then you do a lot of it.”