Political Conventions & Wisdom

A quote from Abraham Lincoln
Posted by F_Neuman_MD |
Posted in Uncategorized |
Posted on 29-08-2012-05-2008 

Listening to the political conventions, I am reminded of something Abraham Lincoln was supposed to have said:

You can fool some of the people all the time.
And you can fool all of the people some of the time.
But you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
But actually that quote is not quite accurate. Lincoln was in the White House at the time, and there was a great deal of noise coming from the street where ambulances were rushing back from the Second Battle of Bull Run, clattering over the cobblestones. There were the sounds of cannon in the distance. Mrs. Lincoln was in the next room complaining loudly to someone about the new drapes, and one of the kids was yelling in the next room. It was hard to hear. 

What he actually said was this:
You can fool some of the people all the time.
And you can fool all of the people some of the time.
But you can’t fool all of the people all of the time
But you can fool most of the people most of the time—especially if you spend a lot of money. 
(c) Fredric Neuman

Fredric Neuman, M.D. is the Director of the Anxiety and Phobia Treatment Center, the oldest hospital-affiliated program in the country to treat phobias. After serving as Associate Director for 21 years, Dr. Neuman assumed the directorship in 1994. Educated at Princeton University and the NYU College of Medicine, Dr. Neuman specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders. He is the author of the following books: Caring: Home Treatment for the Emotionally Disturbed, Fighting Fear: An Eight Week Guide to Treating Your Own Phobias, Worried Sick?: The Exaggerated Fear of Physical Illness, and Worried Sick? The Workbook. Dr. Neuman is also the author of numerous magazine and newspaper articles on the efficacy of Cognitive/Behavioral Therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Dr. Neuman is a member of the American Psychiatric Society, The American Association for the Advancement of Science and the New York Academy of Science. Dr. Neuman has published five novels, the first two of which, The Seclusion Room and Maneuvers received international acclaim.