Selected Quotes By Benjamin Franklin
"To be content, look backward on those who possess less than yourself, not forward on those who possess more. If this does not make you content, you don’t deserve to be happy."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"Where liberty is, there is my country."
Benjamin Franklin, Freedom
"There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"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."
Benjamin Franklin, Kindness
"Speak ill of no man, but speak all the good you know of everybody."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"Better slip with foot than tongue."
Benjamin Franklin, Mistakes
"No nation was ever ruined by trade."
Benjamin Franklin, Anger and Fighting
"If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"There is much difference between imitating a man and counterfeiting him."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother."
Benjamin Franklin, Friendship
"To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it."
Benjamin Franklin, Kindness
"When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"Creditors have better memories than debtors."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands."
Benjamin Franklin, Management
"If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect."
Benjamin Franklin, Management
"If you would know the value of money, go try to borrow some; for he that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"A true Friend is the best possession."
Benjamin Franklin, Friendship
"Employ your time well, if you mean to get leisure."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"I don’t believe in stereotypes. I prefer to hate people on a more personal basis."
Benjamin Franklin, Friendship
"Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"Common sense is something that everyone needs, few have, and none think they lack."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"Having been poor is no shame, being ashamed of it is."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"When you are finished changing, you’re finished."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"Don’t misinform your Doctor nor your Lawyer."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"Don’t go to the doctor with every distemper, nor to the lawyer with every quarrel, nor to the pot for every thirst."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"Be not sick too late, nor well too soon."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"A fat kitchen makes a lean will."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds."
Benjamin Franklin, Goals
"A new truth is a truth; an old error is an error."
Benjamin Franklin, Truth
"It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it."
Benjamin Franklin, Mistakes
"Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him."
Benjamin Franklin, Laziness
"Success has ruined many a man."
Benjamin Franklin, Success
"Those that won’t be counseled can’t be helped."
Benjamin Franklin, Arrogance
"Genius without education is like silver in the mine."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing!"
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"When you’re good to others, you’re best to yourself."
Benjamin Franklin, Kindness
"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing."
Benjamin Franklin, Goals
"The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"Search others for their virtues, thy self for thy vices."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else."
Benjamin Franklin, Management
"You may delay, but time will not."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals."
Benjamin Franklin, Eating
"A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines."
Benjamin Franklin, Friendship
"One today is worth two tomorrows."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions."
Benjamin Franklin, Opportunities
"When you’re testing to see how deep water is, never use two feet."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"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."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"Words may show a man’s wit but actions his meaning."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"Never confuse motion with action."
Benjamin Franklin, Goals
"Well done is better than well said."
Benjamin Franklin, Goals
"It is better to take many Injuries than to give one."
Benjamin Franklin, Kindness
"For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"Lost time is never found again."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
Benjamin Franklin, Problems
"Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"He that rises late must trot all day."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"Security without liberty is called prison."
Benjamin Franklin, Freedom
"If a man could have half of his wishes, he would double his troubles."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech."
Benjamin Franklin, Freedom
"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."
Benjamin Franklin, Happiness
"Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances."
Benjamin Franklin, Happiness
"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin, Freedom
"Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom – and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom, Freedom
"Most men die from the neck up at age twenty-five because they stop dreaming."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."
Benjamin Franklin, Success
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
Benjamin Franklin, Goals
"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man."
Benjamin Franklin, Life
"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them."
Benjamin Franklin, Courage
"Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead."
Benjamin Franklin, Secrets
"Honesty is the best policy."
Benjamin Franklin, Honesty
"Never leave ’till tomorrow which you can do today."
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"Tis a great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him his."
Benjamin Franklin, Friendship
"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship."
Benjamin Franklin, Wealth
"The only thing that is more expensive than education is ignorance."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff that life is made of. "
Benjamin Franklin, Time
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."
Benjamin Franklin, Intelligence/Wisdom
"There never was a good war or a bad peace."
Benjamin Franklin, Anger and Fighting
"Don’t throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass."
Benjamin Franklin, Anger and Fighting
"He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals."
Benjamin Franklin, Arrogance
"Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man."