'the biggest liar in Washington' – an Abe Lincoln story

One day, an old friend of Abraham Lincoln’s stopped by the White House. As he was ushered to the President’s office, he passed an obnoxious politician who was just leaving.

When he asked Lincoln who the man was, Lincoln confided,

He’s the biggest liar in Washington. You can’t believe a word he says. He reminds me of an old fisherman I used to know who got such a reputation for stretching the truth that he bought a pair of scales and insisted on weighing every fish in the presence of witnesses. One day a baby was born next door, and the doctor borrowed the scales to weigh the newborn. It weighed forty-seven pounds. [1]

This was another tale from Abe Lincoln, Storyteller.

Mac

Works Cited

[1] Leidner, Gordon (2015), Lincoln’s Gift: How Humor Shaped Lincoln’s Life & Legacy. Naperville, IL: Cumberland House. p.185.