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Quotes attributed to Lincoln (argument against taxes and social programs) - FICTION!

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Lasher Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jun-01-08 10:54 AM
Original message
Quotes attributed to Lincoln (argument against taxes and social programs) - FICTION!
Edited on Sun Jun-01-08 10:57 AM by Lasher
The propaganda email looks like this:

Seven Basic Lessons That Democrats & Other Liberals Never Learned:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
You Cannot
by Abraham Lincoln

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.

You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.

You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.

You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.

You cannot build character and courage by taking away
people's initiative and independence.

You cannot help people permanently by doing for them
what they could and should do for themselves.

President Abraham Lincoln 1860


But Lincoln never said these things.

Summary of the eRumor:
Alleged quotes from Abraham Lincoln about the poor, the weak, prosperity, workers, class hatred, and character.

The Truth:
These words are often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but according to the book They Never Said it: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, & Misleading Attributions, they are not from Lincoln.

The quotes were published in 1942 by William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian minister. He released a pamphlet titled Lincoln On Limitations, which did include a Lincoln quote, but also added 10 statements written by Boetcker himself.

They were:

1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
2. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong
3. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
4. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
5. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
6. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
7. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
8. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
9. You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
10 You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.

People who got the pamphlet thought the 10 statements were written by Lincoln and they have been distributed widely under Lincoln's name.

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/l/lincoln-quotes.htm
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