Benjamin Franklin

Quotes

He that is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else.
Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its Faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no Form of Government but what may be a Blessing to the People if well administered; and I believe farther that this is likely to be well administered for a Course of Years, and can only end in Despotism as other Forms have done before it, when the People shall become so corrupted as to need Despotic Government, being incapable of any other.
We must hang together, gentlemen...else, we shall most assuredly hang separately.
An investment in knowledge still yields the best returns.
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.
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.
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 is a fool that cannot conceal his wisdom.
All would live long, but none would be old.
An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
At 20 years of age the will reigns, at 30 the wit, at 40 the judgment.
Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Energy and persistence conquer all things.
We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall hang separately.
All cats are gray in the dark.
We'll either hang together or we'll hang separately.
When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic. Sell not liberty to purchase power.
Dost thou love life? Than do not squander time, for it is the stuff life is made of.
The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended.
God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.
He is ill clothed that is bare of virtue.
He that can have patience can have what he will.
He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.
He that would live in peace and at ease, must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees.
Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.
The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.
How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts! O! 'tis easier to keep Holidays than Commandments.
I am in the prime of senility.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!
Rules too soft are seldomly followed; rules too harsh are seldomly executed.
Tell me....And I Forget,
Teach me.....And I Learn,
Involve Me.....And I Remember.
If you would know the value of money, go try to borrow some; for he that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing.
Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; to severe, seldom executed.
Anger is never without Reason, but seldom with a good One.
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.
Old boys have their playthings as well as young ones; the difference is only in the price.
Who is wise? He that learns from every One.
Who is powerful? He that governs his Passions.
Who is rich? He that is content.
Who is that? Nobody.
Take it from Richard, poor and lame,
what's begun in anger ends in shame.
Content makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.
If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
At twenty years of age the will reigns; at thirty the wit; at forty the judgement.
By my rambling digressions I perceive myself to be growing old.
Love your enemies; for they shall tell you all your faults.
Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.
Were it offered to my choice, I should have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults in the first.
Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.
Fish and visitors smell in three days.
Wish not so much to live long as to live well.
If you wouldst live long, live well, for folly and wickedness shorten life.
If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher's stone.
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.
If your head is wax, don't walk in the sun.
Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.
If you would be wealthy, think of saving as well as getting.
Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?
Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.
If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are rotten,
either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.
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."
To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Necessity never made a good bargain.
They that will not be counseled, cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason she will rap you on the knuckles.
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.
Read much, but not many books.
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.
Early morning hath gold in its mouth.
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.
Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.
Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
To lengthen thy Life, lessen thy meals
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.
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?
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."
Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.
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.
Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy.
He who multiplies riches multiplies cares.
Where sense is wanting, everything is wanting,
It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.
God heals, and the doctor takes the fee.
A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.
In rivers and bad governments, the lightest things swim at the top.
Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.
To be proud of virtue is to poison oneself with the antidote.
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.
Passion governs, and she never governs wisely.
Who is rich? He who is content. Who is that? Nobody.
Three people can keep a secret so long as two of them are dead.
Think what you do when you run into debt; you give another power over your liberty.
Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
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.
Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.
But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.
He that has done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged.
To follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.
Write injuries in dust, benefits in marble.
Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
Distrust and caution are the parents of security.
The absent are never without fault, nor the present without excuse.
The strictest law sometimes becomes the severest injustice.
Our critics are our friends; they show us our faults.
Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.
Plough deep while sluggards sleep.
The sleeping fox catches no poultry.
A little neglect may breed great mischief.
Genius without education is like silver in the mine.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Never confuse motion with action.
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.
I think vital religion has always suffered when orthodoxy is more regarded than virtue. The scriptures assure me that at the last day we shall not be examined on what we thought but what we did.
If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that's the stuff life is made of.
To be thrown upon one's own resources, is to be cast into the very lap of fortune; for our faculties then undergo a development and display an energy of which they were previously unsusceptible.
Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade.
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.
For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; 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.
Well done is better than well said.
To find out a girl's faults, praise her to her girl friends.
If Jack's in love, he's no judge of Jill's beauty.
A good conscience is a continual Christmas.
A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.
All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Anger is one of the sinews of the soul; he that wants it hath a maimed mind.
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.
Beauty and folly are old companions.
Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Creditors have better memories than debtors.
Diligence is the mother of good luck.
Even peace may be purchased at too high a price.
Experience is a dear teacher, but fools will learn at no other.
For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise.
Games lubricate the body and the mind.
Half a truth is often a great lie.
He does not possess wealth; it possesses him.
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
He that lives upon hope will die fasting.
He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees.
How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts! O! 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments.
I guess I don't so much mind being old, as I mind being fat and old.
I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand.
I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up.
If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him.
If you would be loved, love and be lovable.
In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
It is a grand mistake to think of being great without goodness and I pronounce it as certain that there was never a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.
It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.
Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed.
Life's Tragedy is that we get old to soon and wise too late.
Lost time is never found again.
Many a long dispute among divines may be thus abridged: It is so. It is not so. It is so. It is not so.
Marriage is the most natural state of man, and the state in which you will find solid happiness.
Money can help you to get medicines but not health. Money can help you to get soft pillows, but not sound sleep. Money can help you to get material comforts, but not eternal bliss. Money can help you to get ornaments, but not beauty. Money will help you to get an electric earphone, but not natural hearing. Attain the supreme wealth, wisdom, and you will have everything.
Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.
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.
The art of acting consists in keeping people from coughing.
The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
The doors of wisdom are never shut.
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.
The first mistake in public business is the going into it.
The greatest monarch on the proudest throne is obliged to sit upon his own arse.
There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.
Time is money.
Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.
Words may show a man's wit but actions his meaning.
You can bear your own faults, and why not a fault in your wife?
You may delay, but time will not.
So convienent 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.
Where there's marriage without love, there will be love without marriage.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.
Some are weather-wise, some are otherwise.
Drive thy business or it will drive thee.
Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.
Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to get leisure.
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.
He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
There is no such thing as a good war and there is no such thing as a bad peace.
When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God Governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?
Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.
Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants.
There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.
Would you live with ease? Do what you ought, not what you please.
He that cannot obey, cannot command.
'Tis a common observation here that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.
A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.
A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
I didn't fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.
If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write something worth reading or do things worth the writing.
Many people die at twenty five and arent buried until they are seventy five.
Never ruin an apology with an excuse.
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.