Human Quotes
The man who murdered his parents, and then pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan.
"The man who murdered his parents, and then pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan."— Abraham Lincoln
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Meaning of this quote
The absurd plea exposes someone asking for sympathy over the consequences of their own wrongdoing. The joke criticizes an attempt to use a self-created disadvantage as an excuse for avoiding responsibility.
Key takeaway:
Consider how someone contributed to the hardship used to excuse misconduct.
Origin of the quote
A related story is attributed to Lincoln in Alexander K. McClure's posthumous Lincoln's Yarns and Stories (1901). The uploaded wording compresses that anecdote.
Who actually said this?
Commonly attributedThe collection records a much longer story, not this exact sentence or a verified dictionary definition of hypocrisy. A contemporary first-hand account establishing the condensed wording was not found.
