Words of Wisdom

The following words of wisdom are not mine, but I think they are worth repeating over and over again.   These words are sometimes referred to as “the ten cannots.”   You may have heard or read them before, but I encourage you to read them again and to think about the wisdom contained in these simple statements:  

(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 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 could and should do for themselves. 

The “ten cannots” are frequently attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but they do not represent Lincoln’s words, although Lincoln would probably agree with them.   According to the Association for Rational Thought, the words of wisdom quoted above were written in 1916 by the Rev. William J. H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian minister.   The website of the Association for Rational Thought contains the following explanation:  “In 1942, a group called the Committee for Constitutional Government gave out a great many leaflets entitled ‘Lincoln on Limitations’ that contained on one side a real Lincoln quote and on the other side the 10 Boetcker statements.   Boetcker was credited with his statements on the leaflet, but their proximity in print to one real quote by Lincoln, plus the title of the leaflet, led people to think that Lincoln had said the ten listed statements.  They were repeated in many printed sources, and are still regarded by many as authentic Lincoln quotes.  Carl Sandburg, Lincoln's most famous biographer, dismissed them as spurious.” 

Regardless of who wrote the “ten cannots,” it seems to me that we have violated virtually every one of them during the last several decades both through our government policies and our own individual practices and philosophies.    Our failure to follow these words of wisdom may explain the severe economic problems our country is facing today.