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Why do we say "You Cannot Fool All the People All the Time"?

Well-Known Expressions

You Cannot Fool All the People All the Time

Meaning:

Self-explanatory

Background:

This expression is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln but, in fact, there is no contemporary evidence that he ever said or wrote it. The earliest known attribution to Lincoln is in Abe Lincoln's Yarns and Other Stories by Alexander K. McClure, published in 1904, almost 40 years after Lincoln's death:

"If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you cannot fool all of the people all the time."

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