lincoln, though a much more public man, carefully cultivated a bumpkin persona that encouraged both friends and enemies to underestimate his considerable, almost machiavellian skill as a politician.
林肯虽然更是一位公众人物,但他却谨慎地保持着自己乡巴佬的形象,以至于他的朋友和对手都低估了他作为一个政治家所具有的巨大的、几乎是马基雅弗利式的才能。