Who Said This?

[David Lockmiller]

(09-16-2018 03:33 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Oh, but the press are professionals who should check and know what they publish as a matter of responsibility. Especially such a prestigious paper should. (And then another German proverb says that ignorance doesn't protect from punishment, meaning it doesn't make the deed undone.)

But this was a New York Times Op-Ed. Mr. Egan was trying to make a persuasive argument against President Trump. It was the perfect "authoritative" argument for Mr. Egan to use against President Trump.

How many readers of the New York Times are going to question his Lincoln scholarship? Do you think that there is any real possibility that the New York Times is going to publish my letter to the editor that is legitimately critical of this New York Times columnist when the New York Times itself is in a feud with Mr. Trump, who defends himself with his Twitter account cannonade?

Timothy Egan wrote that Abraham Lincoln said: “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar." That is President Trump's weakness. He lies and then doubles down on his lies when called out for his falsehoods and, at the same time, personally attacks his accuser, even the New York Times.

By the way, I found in my readings last night what I believe to be the basis for the Lincoln misquote utilized by the New York Times columnist. In Caroline Thomas Harnsberger's book, "The Lincoln Treasury" of Lincoln quotations, I first looked under the topic "Lies" but did not find a direct reference to the quotation in question. But this topic referenced two other topic sources for consideration within the book, "Morals" and "Truth."

The first quotation under "Truth" is the following Lincoln quotation: "I never encourage deceit, and falsehood, especially if you have got a bad memory, is the worst enemy a fellow can have."

I believe that someone in the intervening years expansively created the Lincoln misquote from this source. And, as Roger stated: "I have seen that quote attributed to Lincoln on the Internet but never have found a legitimate original source for it."

Ironically, Harnsberger notes the following disclaimer regarding the original quotation: "From a letter to George E. Pickett, Feb. 22, 1842, often quoted, but considered by the Abraham Lincoln Association to be spurious -- Complete Works, volume I, p. 191"