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12

Which person is responsible for each of the following quotations? a. "We don't pay taxes. The little people pay taxes." b. "The medium is the message" c. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

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A powerful line from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address in 1933, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," was delivered to rally a nation gripped by the economic despair of the Great (Review) Depression. Roosevelt’s words were a direct call for confidence and action, urging Americans to reject the paralyzing panic that was worsening the crisis. The phrase became an iconic expression of his leadership and the hopeful spirit of his New Deal era.

Decades later, a far more cynical sentiment was attributed to hotel magnate Leona Helmsley. Her infamous declaration, "We don't pay taxes. The little people pay taxes," was not made in a public speech but was reported by her housekeeper during her 1989 trial for tax evasion. The quote, whether exact or paraphrased, perfectly captured the public's perception of her as the "Queen of Mean" and became a symbol of 1980s corporate greed.

The final quotation comes not from politics or business, but from academia. Canadian philosopher and media theorist Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase "The medium is the message" in his 1964 book. His influential idea proposed that the technology used to convey information—whether print, radio, or television—fundamentally shapes society and human consciousness more than the actual content it delivers. McLuhan's work was remarkably prescient, offering a framework for understanding the internet's impact long before its invention.