Benjamin Franklin
write worth reading do worth writing worth
"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
tell, teach, involve
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
wine beer water bacteria
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.”
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
born ignorant - educated stupid
“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.”
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
failing to prepare
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
thinking alike
“If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
question authority
“It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Liberty - Safety
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither, and will lose both."
—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
beer - god
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
early bed rise healthy wealthy wise
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
gain pain
“There are no gains without pains.”
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
one today two tomorrow
“One today is worth two tomorrows.”
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
blessed expect nothing disappoint
"Blessed is he that expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed."
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
eyes other luxury
"But the Eyes of other People are the Eyes that ruin us. If all but myself were blind, I should want neither fine Clothes, fine Houses, nor fine Furniture."
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
death taxes
"Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes."
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
ant preach say nothing
"None preaches better than the ant, and she says nothing."
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
history discovery truth uniform narrow error diverse
"Perhaps the history of the errors of mankind, all things considered, is more valuable and interesting than that of their discoveries. Truth is uniform and narrow; it constantly exists, and does not seem to require so much an active energy, as a passive aptitude of the soul in order to encounter it. But error is endlessly diversified; it has no reality, but is the pure and simple creation of the mind that invents it. In this field the soul has room enough to expand herself, to display all her boundless faculties, and all her beautiful and interesting extravagancies and absurdities."
― Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
nation wealth war robbery commerce cheating agriculture
"There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth. The first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbors. This is robbery. The second by commerce, which is generally cheating. The third by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry."
— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)