An outspoken political conservative , Rev. Boetcker is perhaps best remembered for his authorship of a pamphlet entitled '' The Ten Cannots '' , originally published in 1916 , that emphasizes freedom and responsibility of the individual on himself . It is often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln . The error apparently stems from a leaflet printed in 1942 by a conservative political organization called the Committee for Constitutional Government . The leaflet bore the title " Lincoln on Limitations " and contained some genuine Lincoln quotations on one side and the " Ten Cannots " on the other , with the attributions switched . The mistake of crediting Lincoln for " The Ten Cannots " has been repeated , notably by Ronald Reagan in his address to the 1992 Republican National Convention in Houston , and by John Kasich on '' Fox News Sunday '' in 2015
1992 Republican National Convention
1992 Republican National Convention
William J. H. Boetcker