Truer Words May Have Never Been Spoken

By Michael Norton | June 16, 2021

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
— Falsely attributed to Abraham Lincoln

When I researched this famous quote, I found some interesting facts, great insights about its origin, and who may have uttered some version of this for the very first time. Up until this week, I had always attributed this quote to our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln.

With increased frequency, it seems that many of us these days are finding out that we may have been fooled or misinformed about lots of things over the years. Maybe even in very recent history. Perhaps even today. If we see it, it must be true. If we read it, it must be fact. If we hear it from a reliable source, it must be indisputable. If it appears on social media, there must be no doubt about its authenticity.

“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story”
— Falsely attributed to Mark Twain

Sadly, many of us now filter everything we see, hear, read or experience through the lens of potentially being duped. Our trusted sources are no longer trustworthy. Opinions have become facts. And no longer is it just the deemed famously important politicians, celebrities, athletes, and others who previously held the title of influencer, it is anyone and everyone propagating misinformation or disinformation to further an agenda or action whether that agenda or action is good or evil…