Quote: You cannot fool all the people all the time (Jacques Abbadie; Prohibitionists)

[Jonathan Lighter]

It was in the early '80s that I first encountered the extended version
exemplified below.  My students loved it, possibly because it gave them
hope.

1915 E. A. Ross in _Publication of the American Sociological Society_ IX
131: Someone has amended Lincoln's optimistic aphorism, "You can't fool all
the people all of the time," with the saying: "But you can fool enough of
the people enough of the time."

JL


On Sat, Dec 7, 2013 at 8:39 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com
> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Quote: You cannot fool all the people all the time (Jacques
>               Abbadie; Prohibitionists)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> A famous adage attributed to Abraham Lincoln was discussed on this
> list in 2010 and 2012. Here is the version listed at Wikiquote:
>
> You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people
> some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the
> time.
>
> The earliest currently known strong match for the saying appeared on
> July 5, 1886 in the "Springfield Globe-Republic" of Ohio, I believe.
> Steve Goranson found this excellent citation. Further below I list
> some earlier matches.
>
> The Yale Book of Quotations has an important precursor expression in
> French from Denis Diderot in 1754. I've located a nearly identical
> statement in 1684 employed by Jacques Abbadie in an influential
> treatise of Christian apologetics.
>
> Year: 1684 (MDCLXXXIV),
> Title: Traité de la Vérité de la Religion Chrétienne,
> Author: Jacques Abbadie,
> Quote Page 11,
> Publisher: Chez Reinier Leers, Rotterdam,
> (The original text used "tems" instead of "temps" which is given in
> the excerpt here)
> (Google Books Full View)
> http://books.google.com/books?id=JNF8mfdKl90C&q=%22tous+dans%22#v=snippet&
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> ... ont pű tromper quelques hommes, ou les tromper tous dans certains
> lieux & en certains temps, mais non pas tous les hommes, dans tous les
> lieux & dans tous les siécles.
> [End excerpt]
>
> [Begin translation from YBQ]
> One can fool some men, or fool all men in some places and times, but
> one cannot fool all men in all places and ages.
> [End translation]
>
>
> On September 9, 1885 "The Syracuse Daily Standard" of Syracuse, New
> York published an article about a convention of Prohibitionists during
> which a speech was delivered by a judge named William. J. Groo who
> complained about the actions of state politicians. He spoke a version
> of the adage without attribution:
>
> [ref] 1885 September 9, The Syracuse Daily Standard, Prohibitionists
> in Arms: The Third Party Declare War  to the Knife on Democrats and
> Republicans, Quote Page 4, Column 4, Syracuse, New York. (Old
> Fulton)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> You can fool all the people part of the time, or you can fool some
> people all the time, but you cannot fool all people all the time.
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> On March 8, 1886 "The Albany Times" of Albany, New York published an
> article titled "Prohibitionists Not Fooled" that included an interview
> with Fred. F. Wheeler who was the chairman of the prohibition state
> committee. Wheeler was in favor of submitting a prohibition amendment
> to the general electorate for a vote. He criticized politicians who he
> thought were attempting to fool the public and impede the movement
> toward such a referendum. In the following excerpt Wheeler attributed
> an instance of the adage to Lincoln:
>
> [ref] 1886 March 8, The Albany Times (Albany Evening Times),
> Prohibitionists Not Fooled: By Advances of the Republican
> Party—Interesting Interview with Chairman Wheeler, Quote Page 3,
> Column 4, Albany, New York. (Old Fulton)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> They should remember Abraham Lincoln's famous saying: "You can fool
> part of the people some of the time, you can fool some of the people
> all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time,"
> and take their stand boldly and fearlessly on this question and abide
> the result at the ballot box.
> [End excerpt]
>
>
> On May 4, 1886 "The Brooklyn Daily Eagle" printed "Coquetting with
> Prohibitionists" which consisted of an extended excerpt from "The
> Voice" a periodical operated by prohibitionists. A version of the
> expression under investigation was credited to Lincoln:
>
> [ref] 1886 May 4, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Coquetting with
> Prohibitionists, (Acknowledgement "From the Voice, the Prohibition
> Organ"), Quote Page 2, Column 2, Brooklyn, New York. (Old
> Fulton)[/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> But, as Lincoln used to say, you can fool all of the people some of
> the time, and you can fool some of the people all of the time; but you
> can't fool all the people all the time.
> [End excerpt]
>
> The text above was also printed on May 5, 2013 in the "The Genesee
> Valley Post" of Belmont, New York
>
> [ref] 1886 May 5, The Genesee Valley Post (Belmont Genesee Valley
> Post), The Prohibitionists Ask No Favors But Demand Their Rights,
> (Acknowledgement to the Voice), Quote Page 2, Column 2, Belmont, New
> York. (NewspaperArchive)[/ref]
>
> Garson
>
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