So I said to him, “Barack, I know Abe Lincoln,
and you ain’t Abe 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.
…..Abraham Lincoln
This came to me from Chaplain John down in Surprise, AZ. To me this is a captivating picture of something not really possible, as all depicted here are former U.S. Presidents over close to a 150 year time-span. Only two depicted here are still living today, George Herbert Walker Bush, and the recent former president G.W. Bush. Quite sure that most folks should be able to identify the president with his back to the camera/artist. The saying here may have originated around 20 years ago, with another name, when Senator Lloyd Bentsen debated vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle in regards to President John F. Kennedy. Bentsen easily won that particular debate point since he had indeed been a personal friend of President Kennedy. The saying has been repeated in more recent political contests, and now once again in regards to our current president.
