"A house divided against itself cannot stand...half smart and half stupid."

In addition to doing quotation-related posts on this blog and on my www.ThisDayinQuotes.com blog, I sometimes turn a set of quotes and counterquotes into short videos that I post on YouTube.

My latest quote video has some variations on the famous quotation by Abraham Lincoln: “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.”

The counterquotes I used included:

“A cultural system divided against itself cannot behave in a rational manner.” — A counterquote by American anthropologist Leslie Alvin White (1900-1975);

“A house divided against itself cannot stand, but it’s worth squat in this market anyway.” — A quip made by Stephen Colbert on his Colbert Report TV show, on January 13, 2009; and,

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half smart and half stupid.” — A political observation made by Keith Olbermann on his MSNBC TV show, Countdown, on September 10, 2009.

As I often do, I posted a link to my video on Reddit.com, using Olbermann’s quote as the heading.

This morning, I received an email saying Reddit.com is offering a t-shirt for sale that features my post’s headline.

I suspect other Reddit.com fans get similar emails about their posts, but it did give me a chuckle to start my day.

And, I think Olbermann’s remark makes a good t-shirt slogan in these politically divided times. So, of course, I had to get one for myself (and one for Mom). Thanks, Keith. Thanks, Reddit.

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“A House Divided”

FAMOUS BIBILICAL QUOTE: “Every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.”        Jesus        Quoted in the Bible, Matthew 12:25        The inspiration for Abraham Lincoln’s famous quote

STUDENT COUNTERQUOTE: “A horse divided against itself cannot stand.”         A “student blooper”         Quoted by Richard Lederer in The Bride of Anguished English

ANTHROPOLIGIST’S VERSION: “A cultural system divided against itself cannot behave in a rational manner.”        Leslie Alvin White (1900-1975)        American anthropologist        Comment in 1975, quoted by Jack P. Gibbs in Control: Sociology’s Central Notion

GEORGE DIVIDED VARIATION: “You see, right now I have Relationship George. But there is also Independent George...If Relationship George walks through this door, he will kill Independent George. A George divided against itself cannot stand!”         George Costanza (actor Jason Alexander)         In the “Pool Guy” episode of Seinfeld (Season 7, Episode 8, 1995)

More from Richard Lederer and Leslie A. White…

“A House Divided” – the Political Pundits Versions

LINCOLN’S FAMOUS QUOTE: “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.”        Abraham Lincoln         Speech at the Republican State Convention, June 16, 1858

OBERMANN’S VERSION: “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half smart and half stupid.”        Keith Olbermann        Liberal media pundit        Comment on Republican Congressman Joe Wilson yelling "You lie! at President Obama        On MSNBC's Countdown TV show, Sept. 10, 2009

BECK’S ODD VERSION: “Over 50% of the African-American community now believes that the cure of AIDS exists but the Government won’t release it because AIDS kills poor people. That’s frightening. A house divided against itself cannot fail.”        Glenn Beck        Conservative media pundit        On his radio show, March 24, 2008

COLBERT QUIP: “A house divided against itself cannot stand, but it's worth squat in this market anyway.”        Stephen Colbert        The supposedly faux political pundit        On his Colbert Report TV show, Jan. 13, 2009

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