Benjamin Franklin

In rivers and bad governments, the lightest things swim at the top.

A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

A democracy is two wolves and a small lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Freedom under a constitutional republic is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.

He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.

Educate your children to self-control, to the habit of holding passion and prejudice and evil tendencies subject to an upright and reasoning will, and you have done much to abolish misery from their future and crimes from society.

Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.

He is a fool that cannot conceal his wisdom.

Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.

Dost thou love life? Than do not squander time, for it is the stuff life is made of.

Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy.

Drive thy business or it will drive thee.

Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.

All human situations have their inconveniences. We feel those of the present but neither see nor feel those of the future; and hence we often make troublesome changes without amendment, and frequently for the worse.

He that is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else.

Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.

So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.

It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.

Critics are our friends, they tell us our faults.

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.

When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic. Sell not liberty to purchase power.

Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.
Benjamin Franklin - In response to the situation of the colonists
Passion governs, and she never governs wisely.

We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall hang separately.

He that lives upon hope will die fasting.
Benjamin Franklin - Letter to Jean Baptiste Le Roy (1789)
But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.

He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

At 20 years of age the will reigns, at 30 the wit, at 40 the judgment.

He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.

Lost time is never found again.

Distrust and caution are the parents of security.

To follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.

I believe I shall,in some shape or other,always exist; and, with all the inconveniences human life is liable to, I shall not object to a new edition of mine, hoping, however, that the errata of the last may be corrected.

If you would be loved, love and be lovable.

A good conscience is a continual Christmas.

A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.

It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.

An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten,
either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.

He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.

God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.

If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.

To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Benjamin Franklin - Card
Tell me....And I Forget,
Teach me.....And I Learn,
Involve Me.....And I Remember.

Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to get leisure.
Benjamin Franklin - ?
To be proud of virtue is to poison oneself with the antidote.

They that will not be counseled, cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason she will rap you on the knuckles.

There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.

Who is rich? He who is content. Who is that? Nobody.

Well done is better than well said.

If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.

We must hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately.

Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.

You may delay, but time will not.

Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry, all things easy. He that rises late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night, while laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him.

The first mistake in public business is the going into it.

An investment in knowledge still yields the best returns.

A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.

Rules too soft are seldomly followed; rules too harsh are seldomly executed.

The absent are never without fault, nor the present without excuse.

Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.

All cats are gray in the dark.

He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees.

God heals, and the doctor takes the fee.

Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of its filling a vacuum, it makes one. If it satisfies one want, it doubles and trebles that want another way. That was a true proverb of the wise man, rely upon it; "Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure, and trouble therewith."

He who multiplies riches multiplies cares.

Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.

Experience is a dear teacher, but fools will learn at no other.

Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices.

If you wouldst live long, live well, for folly and wickedness shorten life.

Glass, china and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended.

Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed.

Think what you do when you run into debt; you give another power over your liberty.

If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.

Whoever feels pain in hearing a good character of his neighbor, will feel a pleasure in the reverse. And those who despair to rise in distinction by their virtues, are happy if others can be depressed to a level of themselves.

He that has done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged.

Genius without education is like silver in the mine.

He that can have patience can have what he will.

The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.

Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.

He is ill clothed that is bare of virtue.

I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it.

Three people can keep a secret so long as two of them are dead.

Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble.
Benjamin Franklin - 1759
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!

I am in the prime of senility.

All would live long, but none would be old.

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Where sense is wanting, everything is wanting,

Early morning hath gold in its mouth.

Our critics are our friends; they show us our faults.

Five thousand balloons, capable of raising two men each, could not cost more than five ships of the line; and where is the prince who can afford so to cover his country with troops for its defense as that 10,000 men descending from the clouds might not in many places do an infinite deal of mischief before a force could be brought together to repel them?

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.

He that blows the coals in quarrels that he has nothing to do with, has no right to complain if the sparks fly in his face
Benjamin Franklin - Poor Richard?s Almanac (1758)
Creditors have better memories than debtors.

Energy and persistence conquer all things.

Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.

To lengthen thy Life, lessen thy meals

Necessity never made a good bargain.

Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.

Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to get leisure.

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.

Read much, but not many books.

For the want of a nail, the shoe was lose; for the want of a shoe the horse was lose; and for the want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care about a horseshoe nail.

The strictest law sometimes becomes the severest injustice.
Benjamin Franklin - letter to David Hartley, December 4, 1789
God grant that not only the love of liberty but a thorough knowledge of the rights of man may pervade all the nations of the earth, so that a philosopher may set his foot anywhere on its surface and say: "This is my country."
Benjamin Franklin - Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.

Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.

Genius without education is like silver in the mine.

You may delay, but time will not.

- Benjamin Franklin