Eliot Spitzer Plagiarizes in Resignation Speech
March 14th, 2008 . by MartyInteresting that Eliot Spitzer could afford the talents of Ashley Alexander Dupre (aka “Kristen“), but he obviously had no money left for a decent speechwriter when it came time for his resignation. Loyal readers know that we’ve dwelled here in the last couple weeks on “plagiarism” and “misappropriation” of quotes. The lesson is, when there’s a dispute, then attribute. But maybe Eliot Spitzer should have been reading the blog.
In his resignation speech the other day, he said “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.” At first I thought that was from Spiderman, but actually it’s from Bill Gates’ mother. As Bill put it in his commencement speech to Harvard on June 7, 2007:
My mother was very ill with cancer at the time, but she saw one more opportunity to deliver her message, and at the close of the letter she said: “From those to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Of course, the similar quote appears elsewhere - from George Bush to John F. Kennedy, Jr. In fact, there’s a fascninating history of the phrase posted by Mark Lieberman at Penn.
Spitzer continues in the speech: “our greatest glory consists not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.” A terrific line. And one that sounded great when British writer Oliver Goldsmith said it in the 18th Century.
