Those who have known both men will not wonder at this; for two men could hardly be more unlike in their motives and manners than the two thus brought together.
One was a proud man; the other was a humble man.

One was princely in his bearing; the other was lowly.

One was distant and dignified; the other was as simple and approachable as a child.

One received the deference of men as his due; the other received it with an uncomfortable sense of his unworthiness.

A friend of Lincoln, who had a long conversation with him after his return from Ashland, found that his old enthusiasm was gone.
Lincoln said that though Clay was polished in his manners, and very hospitable, he betrayed a consciousness of superiority that none could mistake." For two years after the Presidential contest between Clay and Polk, Lincoln devoted himself assiduously to his law practice.