# What is the Real source of this quotation?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-source-of-this-quotation/536339>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 16, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-source-of-this-quotation/536339 "2010-04-16T13:25:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-source-of-this-quotation/536339/1 "2010-04-16T13:25:23Z")

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I’m trying to find the true source and exact wording of a quotation that goes something like:

“Deomcracy can only exist until the people figure out that they can vote themselves money out of the public treasury.”

I think it’s been attributed to Ben Franklin, but that might or might not be right. Can anyone point me to the true source …

with CITE.

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-source-of-this-quotation/536339/2 "2010-04-16T13:31:46Z")

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Here’s what [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/politics/ballot/athenian.asp) had to say about it.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-source-of-this-quotation/536339/3 "2010-04-16T15:49:03Z")

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The “logic” in the email in that Snopes article in delicious. After first accusing people of voting for the candidates who promise them the most of the public treasury, the writer then goes on to purportedly show conclusively that Bush proponents far outnumbered Gore proponents. But somehow that is intended to mean the opposite of voting their own interests because… Well, evidently because the government only hands out welfare to deadbeats while defense contracts pushed by local representatives in Congress over the wishes of the DoD aren’t from the government at all, but sky pixies.

How anyone can read that and not react with jaw-dropped laughter is a far worse indictment of the populace than anything the writer intended.

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**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-source-of-this-quotation/536339/4 "2010-04-16T16:03:25Z")

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The is a derivation from [a Ronald Reagan speech giving credit to Alexander Fraser Tytler](http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Fraser_Tytler).

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**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-real-source-of-this-quotation/536339/5 "2010-04-16T16:11:44Z")

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Nevermind. Off topic.