Bush Botches Folk Adage, Declares 'Can't Get Fooled Again'

Bush "Fool Me Once..." — godsroundtable

godsroundtable

President Bush falters on the traditional proverb to avoid admitting vulnerability with 'shame on me,' abruptly reconfiguring the line into an assertive vow that the public cannot be fooled.

AI-assisted summary of Bush "Fool Me Once..." — original source. Check the original for full context.

Source published:

Key ideas

  • President George W. Bush attempts to establish common ground with his audience using a folksy proverb about deception. (0:00)
  • Bush deliberates publicly over whether the saying originates in Tennessee or Texas before delivering the first half of the line. (0:00)
  • He stumbles when approaching the traditional conclusion ('shame on me'), hesitating after saying 'shame on, shame on you.' (0:00)
  • Bush reconfigures the aphorism mid-delivery into an assertive declaration: 'If you fool me, we can't get fooled again.' (0:00)

Detailed notes

## Background Published on YouTube by the channel godsroundtable on June 25, 2006, this short clip features an excerpt of an address by President George W. Bush. The video's show notes simply describe it as a "Speech From Bush."

## TL;DR President George W. Bush attempts to engage his audience by reciting a well-known folksy proverb, musing over whether it originates in Texas or Tennessee. He begins the adage with "fool me once, shame on, shame on you," but falters before uttering the customary "shame on me" conclusion. To avoid expressing personal vulnerability, he abruptly pivots and emphatically rephrases the line into "If you fool me, we can't get fooled again."

## Atmosphere & style The brief clip has an awkward, hesitant tone that transitions rapidly into unintended humor and bluster. Bush's deliberate pauses expose the gears turning as he realizes he has lost the thread of the common saying, creating a moment of palpable rhetorical suspense. The delivery concludes with a sudden shift in energy, exchanging a folksy cadence for a loud, assertive recovery that feels abrupt and disjointed.

## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) President George W. Bush attempts to establish common ground with his audience using a folksy proverb about deception. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) Bush deliberates publicly over whether the saying originates in Tennessee or Texas before delivering the first half of the line. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) He stumbles when approaching the traditional conclusion ('shame on me'), hesitating after saying 'shame on, shame on you.' - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) Bush reconfigures the aphorism mid-delivery into an assertive declaration: 'If you fool me, we can't get fooled again.'

## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) Bush opens his remark with an attempt to share a familiar folksy adage with the audience. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) He hesitates over the exact origin of the proverb, debating between Tennessee and Texas. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) Bush delivers the premise: 'There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee...' - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) He introduces the first half of the traditional proverb: 'fool me once, shame on, shame on you.' - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) He falters upon reaching the conventional completion of the adage, which traditionally concludes with 'shame on me.' - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) Bush abruptly alters and reconstructs the aphorism in mid-speech rather than finishing the standard phrase. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) The mid-speech reconfiguration avoids admitting the vulnerability inherent in the phrase 'shame on me.' - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) Bush opts for a firm, assertive conclusion instead of the proverb's self-deprecating traditional ending. - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) He emphatically delivers his revised phrasing: 'If you fool me, we can't get fooled again.'

## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) The Stumble on an Old Saying

President George W. Bush begins to invoke a familiar adage, pausing to deliberate over its origins before delivering the line to the audience. He starts out attempting to establish common ground with a folksy reference: “There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once, shame on, shame on you.”

As he reaches the traditional conclusion of the proverb—typically finished as "shame on me"—he falters and abruptly reconfigures the aphorism in mid-speech. Seeking a firm and assertive wrap-up instead of admitting vulnerability, he emphatically declares, “If you fool me, we can't get fooled again.”

## Mentioned George W. Bush, Tennessee, Texas

## Video description Speech From Bush

[Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A)

中文简报

布什念错民间谚语，改称“绝不会再上当” 布什总统因不愿以“是我不知羞”承认自身弱点而在传统谚语上卡壳，随后突然改口，坚决表示公众绝不会再次被骗。 乔治·W·布什总统试图引用一句广为人知的民间谚语与听众互动，期间还琢磨这句谚语究竟是出自得克萨斯州还是田纳西州。他先念出“骗我一次，是你不知羞，不知羞”，但在说出惯用的后半句“骗我两次，是我不知羞”前卡住了。为了避免流露出个人的脆弱，他突然话锋一转，断然改口为“要是你骗了我，我们就绝不会再上当”。 乔治·W·布什总统试图用一句关于受骗的民间谚语拉近与听众的距离。 (0:00) 在说出前半句之前，布什当众琢磨这句话究竟是出自田纳西州还是得克萨斯州。 (0:00) 在说到传统结语（“是我不知羞”）时他结巴起来，念完“是你不知羞，不知羞”后显得犹豫不决。 (0:00) 布什在讲话中途临时改动了这句警句，坚定地改称：“要是你骗了我，我们就绝不会再上当。” (0:00)

Detailed notes — zh

## Background 该视频由频道 godsroundtable 于 2006 年 6 月 25 日发布在 YouTube 平台上。页面描述非常简短，仅标注为“布什的演讲”（Speech From Bush）。 ## TL;DR 视频记录了美国前总统乔治·W·布什在公开演讲中发生的一次经典口误。布什试图引用谚语“骗我一次算你狠，骗我两次算我蠢”来表达警惕，并在开头犹豫地提及该谚语在得州和田纳西州的流传。然而在念出前半句后，他因试图避免说出“算我蠢”而明显卡壳结巴，仓促改口之下打乱了句式。最终他硬生生脱口说出逻辑断层的“你骗了我，我们就不会再被骗了”，让这一口误成为其任内最具代表性的名场面之一。 ## Atmosphere & style 片段充满了微妙的尴尬感与戏剧性的幽默氛围。画面直观呈现了演讲者从试图引经据典到突然意识到言语陷阱、继而在极短时间内手足无措地强行圆场的心理拉扯。从迟疑结巴到最后掷地有声却逻辑混乱的转折，给观众带来了极强的生活喜剧式荒谬感与戏剧张力。 ## Bulletin - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 美国总统乔治·W·布什在公开演讲中尝试引用民间经典谚语以警示公众，却演变成其任期内最著名的口误现场之一。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 布什在引述俗语出处时便出现犹豫与言语卡壳，在得克萨斯州与田纳西州之间反复纠结，打乱了句式节奏。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 原谚语为“骗我一次算你狠，骗我两次是我蠢”（shame on me），布什疑因顾忌为媒体提供不利镜头把柄而临时改口，造成严重逻辑断层。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 最终该谚语被硬生生改为了“被你骗了一次，我们就不会再被骗了”，在现场引发轰动并成为风靡全网的经典名场面。 ## Key takeaways - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 乔治·W·布什在一次公开讲话中意图引用民间谚语来表达对被欺骗的警惕立场。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 布什在铺垫俗语来源时表现出不确定性，犹豫称该说法流传于得克萨斯州，随后又改称可能在田纳西州。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 原版经典民间谚语为“骗我一次，算你狠；骗我两次，是我蠢”（Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me）。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 布什在尝试念出这句谚语的过程中遭遇严重口误，中途伴随明显的停顿与结巴。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 在说到“算你狠”（shame on you）后，布什突然卡壳，未按惯例说出下半句“算我蠢”（shame on me）。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 分析指出布什当时的临时止步，很可能是因为突然意识到说出“是我蠢”会成为媒体大肆利用和剪辑的话柄。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 由于现场仓促尝试挽回措辞，布什彻底颠覆了谚语原有的对称结构与修辞逻辑。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 布什最终硬生生将句子总结为“如果骗了我，我们就不会再被骗了”（If you fool me, we can't get fooled again）。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 这一戏剧性的发言和逻辑断层随即引起了台下观众的强烈反响。 - [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 该失误片段在此后多年被反复传播，演变为布什总统任内最具代表性、最具辨识度的公开演讲口误之一。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A&t=0s) 布什总统关于“骗我一次”谚语的经典口误 美国总统乔治·W·布什（George W. Bush）在公开讲话中试图引用一句经典的民间谚语来表达警惕之意，却在演讲过程中出现了广为人知的言语卡壳与口误。布什首先有些犹豫地铺垫这句俗语的出处，称自己知道它在得克萨斯州有流传，可能田纳西州也有。接着他开始念出这句谚语的前半句，但在试图连贯说出整句话时明显停顿并结巴起来。 原本家喻户晓的谚语应为“骗我一次，算你狠；骗我两次，是我蠢”（Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me），然而布什在说到中途时突然卡住，似乎意识到如果按原话说出“算我蠢”（shame on me），可能会给媒体留下不当的镜头或把柄。结果他在仓促修正措辞时彻底打乱了句式，最后硬生生地转折并脱口而出：“There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once, shame on, shame on you. If you fool me, we can't get fooled again.” 这一充满戏剧性和逻辑断层的表述随即引发了台下的广泛反响，并成为其总统任期内最具代表性的语录片段之一。 ## Mentioned 乔治·W·布什, 得克萨斯州, 田纳西州 ## Video description Speech From Bush [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKgPY1adc0A)

Original transcript

[0:00] There's an old saying in Tennessee, I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee, that says, fool me once, shame on, shame on you. If you fool me, we can't get fooled again.