This recently appeared on my Facebook feed. As my mind
absorbed the words, my fake quote senses went wild. Sure enough, there exists
no legitimate source connecting any part of this to President Abraham Lincoln. According
to Snopes.com,
the quote was actually penned by a Presbyterian minister, Rev. William John
Henry Boetcker as the “Industrial Decalogue” (among other titles).
Interestingly, many believe the quote came to be
attributed to Lincoln in the same way last week’s Jessica Dovey quote came
to be the famous words of Martin Luther King Jr. This is yet another case of a
simple mistake attaching itself to historical legend, destined to be forever
romanticized and propagated by those with contemporary agendas.
It’s no surprise that this quote resurfaced today of all
days—four days after the 2012 election. Currently, it’s making its way around social
media sites as the new favorite quote of disgruntled Mitt Romney supporters. I’m
not quite sure how Obama’s philosophy that “the wealthiest Americans pay a
little more” is akin to “destroying the rich,” but you guys can think what you
will about that…
The point, though, is that Abraham Lincoln did not think
this way (at least as far as we can prove).
Thoughts? How come so many people find it difficult to own
their ideas without a quote by a historical figure?
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