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General discussion

Looks like you CAN fool all of the people some of the time

Nov 30, 2003 10:15PM PST
Historians expose quotes wrongly attributed to Lincoln

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (AP) -- When it comes to Abraham Lincoln, some of the people are fooled all of the time.

Remarks attributed to the quotable 16th president have popped up in everything from television commercials to speeches by famous generals, presidents and even recent anti-war protesters. Too often, they are phrases that Lincoln never uttered, experts at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency say.

The preservation agency has added a page to its Web site that exposes famous sayings Lincoln never made. Among them:

-- "To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men."

-- "There's no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There's nothing good in war except its ending."

-- "The strength of the nation lies in the homes of its people."

And then there's this one: "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time."

Allegedly part of a September 1858 speech in Clinton, the sentence does not show up in the text printed in the local newspaper, Schwartz said. The best evidence available comes from two people in 1910 recollecting that Lincoln said it in 1856.

Discussion is locked

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Bill sure tried!
Dec 1, 2003 1:56AM PST

"I did not have sex..."

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Let's try to stay on topic, OK?
Dec 1, 2003 2:03AM PST

I just thought this might be an interesting thing to read; I wasn't looking to provide a launch pad for a volley of partisan cheap shots.

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Re: Bill sure tried! (Sorry, Josh -- devil made me do it!)
Dec 1, 2003 12:37PM PST

Hi, KP.

And I'm still waiting for those massive caches of WMDs to turn up in Iraq...
-- Dave K.
Speakeasy Moderator
click here to email semods4@yahoo.com

The opinions expressed above are my own,
and do not necessarily reflect those of CNET!

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Not the same!
Dec 1, 2003 10:35PM PST

BushCo only fooled the FauxNews viewers!

Wink

Dan