I just came across a listing of "The Ten Cannots," a pamphlet published in 1916 by an outspoken advocate for liberty, William J. H. Boetcker. Quite a bit of wisdom and insight here.
- You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
- You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
- You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
- You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
- You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
- You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
- You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
- You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
- You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
- You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.
2 comments:
Hmmm. The third-to-last and second-to-last "cannot" scare me, considering I have no income and borrowed a lot of money to go to school. I'll pretend those aren't on there.... : )
That's probably wise. It's like closing your eyes to avoid monsters, I guess - if I can't see them, then they can't see me, right?
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