Ten Cannots Quote by William J. H. Boetcker
With money tight and the Presidential election less than a week away, we’ve been hearing a lot about the economy, taxation, government and so forth. Somebody posted a very interesting quote in the comments section on a news site and I wanted to share it with our readers. Although this quote is sometimes wrongly attributed to Abraham Lincoln, it actually came from a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots that was first published in 1916 by William J. H. Boetcker (1873-1962). And though written 92 years ago, I think its wisdom is relevant for all times.
- You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
- You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
- You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
- You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
- You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
- You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
- You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
- You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
- You cannot build character and courage by destroying men’s initiative and independence.
- And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.
What do you think?
i agree to the 10 cannots..
Excellent food for thought!