Garfield's tragic story is a distinctly American one.

Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice.

He was not a man to be passively molded by events.

The pursuit of power does not always lead to its attainment.

The arc of history bends toward justice, but it does not bend on its own.

Garfield was a man of unwavering principle.

Sometimes ambition can be a double-edged sword.

In the end, it was not just the assassin's bullet that killed Garfield, but public ignorance and arrogance.

Even the most intelligent men can fall victim to their own beliefs.

It is not the bullet that kills, but the response that follows.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President