Josh Billings

Josh Billings is the pen name of humorist and writer Henry Wheeler Shaw. He is considered only second to Mark Twain in his era.

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Speech Relevance

In 'A Time For Choosing' Reagan says:

Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn't so.

Turns out, Reagan is re-purposing one of Billings lines:

The trouble with people is not that they don't know but that they know so much that ain't so.

Billings is also responsible for popularizing the expression "The squeaky wheel gets the grease." through a poem he wrote.

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