Cubicle findings

You find interesting things hanging up in your co-workers cubicles. I recently came across the following two sayings and just had to get a copy. Of course I tried to verify that they were actual and true and like many things there is some doubt about the authenticity or the true author but for the most part they seem genuine. In any instance, they tend to strike a chord with many in our present days and maybe there really is a lesson to be learned.

The first saying is attributable to Theodore Roosevelt and though this might be a composite of quotes made by the former president it still resonates today.

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag…We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” Theodore Roosevelt 1907

The second quote comes from Alexander Tyler

Subject: The Fall of a Republic

When the 13 colonies were still a part of England, Professor Alexander Tyler wrote about the fall of the Athenian republic over 2000 years previous to that time.

A democracy cannot exist as permanent form of government. It can until the voters discover that they can vote themselves money from the public treasure. From that moment on the majority always votes for the candidates that are promising the most money from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy followed by a dictatorship.

The average age of the world’s great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith, from spiritual faith to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependency, from dependency back to bondage.

Alexander Tyler

Wikipedia entry
The following unverified quotation has been attributed to Tyler, most notably as part of a longer piece which began circulating on the Internet shortly after the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.
The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:
From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage.
This passage actually consists of two quotes (the first paragraph being one, and the second paragraph and list, known as the Tyler cycle, being the other). Both can be traced back to the 1950's, and they began to appear together in the 1970's. No original author can reliably be determined for either quote.


If the quotes are actual or not they still make one pause and wonder. How far have we travelled from the roots and wisdom of our founding fathers? Is this a warning that needs to be heard? Or are we just a more enlightened modern society? Have we learned the lessons of history or are we doomed to repeat them?

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.

PS. The above references were verified at www.snopes.com and www.wikipedia.com which are wonderful places for the checking of the myths of the web, and especially all the inbox clutter that gets passed around.