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Benjamin Franklin quotes (170) The heart of a fool is in his mouth but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart. Benjamin Franklin Category: Heart To find out a girls faults praise her to her girlfriends. Benjamin Franklin Category: Woe Half a truth is often a great lie. Benjamin Franklin Category: Lever Never leave that till to-morrow which you can do to-day. Benjamin Franklin Category: Present Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. Benjamin Franklin Category: Complacency Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day. Benjamin Franklin Category: Happiness The use of money is all the advantage there is in having money. Benjamin Franklin Category: Money Success has ruin'd many a man. Benjamin Franklin Category: Success After three days men grow weary of a wench a guest and weather rainy. Benjamin Franklin Category: Guest Pain wastes the Body Pleasures the Understanding. Benjamin Franklin Category: Pain Ere you consult your fancy consult your purse. Benjamin Franklin Category: Fashion That it is better 100 guilty persons should escape than that one innocent person should suffer is a maxim that has been long and generally approved. Benjamin Franklin Category: Justice A long life may not be good enough but a good life is long enough. Benjamin Franklin Category: Good The man who does things makes many mistakes but he never makes the biggest mistake of all doing nothing. Benjamin Franklin Category: Mistake Many have quarreled about religion that never practice it. Benjamin Franklin Category: Religion Let the childs first lesson be obedience and the second will be what thou wilt. Benjamin Franklin Category: Children Ben Franklin was a little stout later in life and it was said that in Paris a young woman tapping him on his protruding abdomen saidDr. Franklin if this were on a woman wed know what to think. And Franklin repliedHalf an hour ago Mademoiselle it was on a woman and now what do you think? Benjamin Franklin Category: Abdomen Applause waits on success. Benjamin Franklin Category: Applause Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his passions. Benjamin Franklin Category: Man All would live long but none would be old. Benjamin Franklin Category: Age Three removes are as bad as a fire. Benjamin Franklin Category: Fire Distrust and caution are the parents of security. Benjamin Franklin Category: Security A cheerful face is nearly as good for an invalid as healthy weather. Benjamin Franklin Category: Cheerful If a man could have just half of his wishes he would double his troubles. Benjamin Franklin Category: Wish The most trifling actions that affect a mans credit are to be regarded. The sound of your hammer at five in the morning or at nine at night heard by a creditor makes him easy six months longer; but if he sees you at the billiard-table or hears your voice at a tavern when you should be at work he sends for his money the next day. Benjamin Franklin Category: Credit Sometime we may learn more from a mans errors than from his virtues. Benjamin Franklin Category: Error If passion drives you let reason hold the reins. Benjamin Franklin Category: Passion Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame. Benjamin Franklin Category: Anger None preaches better than the ant and she says nothing. Benjamin Franklin Category: Preach Sin is not harmful because it is forbidden but it is forbidden because it is harmful. Benjamin Franklin Category: Sin A false friend and a shadow stay around only while the sun shines. Benjamin Franklin Category: Friendship Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead. Benjamin Franklin Category: Secret Man is a tool-making animal. Benjamin Franklin Category: Tools Our necessities never equal our wants. Benjamin Franklin Category: Want Most people return small favors acknowledge medium ones and repay greater ones with ingratitude. Benjamin Franklin Category: Favors It is the eyes of other people that ruin us. If all but myself were blind I should want neither a fine house nor fine furniture. Benjamin Franklin Category: Envy Where there is marriage without love there will be love without marriage. Benjamin Franklin Category: Love He thats secure is not safe. Benjamin Franklin Category: Safety There are no gains without pains. Benjamin Franklin Category: Dream When the well is dry we know the worth of water. Benjamin Franklin Category: Prepare I shall never ask never refuse nor ever resign an office. Benjamin Franklin Category: Public A good conscience is a continual Christmas. Benjamin Franklin Category: Conscience Little strokes Fell great oaks. Benjamin Franklin Category: Gravity Waste neither time nor money but make the best use of both. Benjamin Franklin Category: Waste A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats. Benjamin Franklin Category: Lawyers He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. Benjamin Franklin Category: Excuse To be proud of knowledge is to be blind with light. Benjamin Franklin Category: Knowledge He that displays too often his wife and his wallet is in danger of having both of them borrowed. Benjamin Franklin Category: Borrow Clean your finger before you point at my spots. Benjamin Franklin Category: Hypocrisy What maintains one vice would bring up two children. Benjamin Franklin Category: Vice Here comes the orator with his flood of words and his drop of reason. Benjamin Franklin Category: Word Trouble springs from idleness. Benjamin Franklin Category: Proverb A good example is the best sermon. Benjamin Franklin Category: Example Proclaim not all thou knowest all thou hast nor all thou canst. Benjamin Franklin Category: Chance Be sober and temperate and you will be healthy. Be in general virtuous and you will be happy. Benjamin Franklin Category: Temperance Mine is better than ours. Benjamin Franklin Category: Property Pride that dines on vanity sups on contempt. Benjamin Franklin Category: Contempt Well done is twice done. Benjamin Franklin Category: Begin The discontented man finds no easy chair. Benjamin Franklin Category: Discontent We must indeed all hang together or most assuredly we shall all hang separately. Benjamin Franklin Category: Hanging Would you live with ease Do what you ought and not what you please. Benjamin Franklin Category: Please An old young man will be a young old man. Benjamin Franklin Category: Theory Our friend and we were invited aboard on a party of pleasure which is to last forever. His chair was ready first and he has gone before us. We could not all conveniently start together; and why should you and I be grieved at this since we are soon to follow and know where to find him. Benjamin Franklin Category: Death He that hath a trade hath an estate; he that hath a calling hath an office of profit and honor. Benjamin Franklin Category: Labor If you want to keep a secret from an enemy tell it not to a friend. Benjamin Franklin Category: Endure He does not possess wealth that allows it to possess him. Benjamin Franklin Category: Wealth Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion. Benjamin Franklin Category: Rich To bear other peoples afflictions everyone has courage and enough to spare. Benjamin Franklin Category: Courage Admiration is the daughter of ignorance. Benjamin Franklin Category: Administration It is easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it. Benjamin Franklin Category: Desire There are three faithful friends an old wife an old dog and ready money. Benjamin Franklin Category: Dog If you know how to spend less than you get you have the philosophers stone. Benjamin Franklin Category: Thrift Fatigue is the best pillow. Benjamin Franklin Category: Sleep The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands. Benjamin Franklin Category: Eyes Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste. Benjamin Franklin Category: Haste Industry pays debts despair increases them. Benjamin Franklin Category: Industry Don't judge men's wealth or godliness by their Sunday appearance. Benjamin Franklin Category: Dogma Happiness consists more in small conveniences of pleasures that occur every day than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life. Benjamin Franklin Category: Day Despair ruins some presumption many. Benjamin Franklin Category: Despair If you do what you should not you must bear what you would not. Benjamin Franklin Category: Attain You can not pluck roses without fear of thorns Nor enjoy a fair wife without danger of horns. Benjamin Franklin Category: Wife After crosses and losses men grow humbler and wiser. Benjamin Franklin Category: Trouble Pride breakfasted with Plenty dined with Poverty supped with Infamy. Benjamin Franklin Category: Breakfast Beauty and folly are old companions. Benjamin Franklin Category: Beauty Necessity never made a good bargain. Benjamin Franklin Category: Necessity Humility makes great men twice honorable. Benjamin Franklin Category: Humanitarian Any fool can criticize condemn and complain and most fools do. Benjamin Franklin Category: Condemn Kill no more pigeons than you can eat. Benjamin Franklin Category: Kill Idleness and pride tax with a heavier hand than kings and parliaments. If we can get rid of the former we may easily bear the latter. Benjamin Franklin Category: Idleness A little house well filled A little field well tilled And a little wife well willed Are great riches. Benjamin Franklin Category: House Pride is said to be the last vice the good man gets clear of. Benjamin Franklin Category: Pride At twenty years of age the will reigns; at thirty the wit; and at forty the judgment. Benjamin Franklin Category: Youth It is easy to see hard to foresee. Benjamin Franklin Category: See Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech. Written when he was 16. Benjamin Franklin Category: Freedom Are you angry that others disappoint you? Remember you cannot depend on yourself. Benjamin Franklin Category: Self He that riseth late must trot all day and shall scarce overtake his business at night. Benjamin Franklin Category: Morning Tis against some mens principle to pay interest and seems against others interest to pay the principle. Benjamin Franklin Category: Debt The proud hate pride in others. Benjamin Franklin Category: Unsorted The morning hour has gold in its mouth. Benjamin Franklin Category: Gold He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals. Benjamin Franklin Category: Conceit One today is worth two tomorrows. Benjamin Franklin Category: Time Each year one vicious habit rooted out in time ought to make the worst man good. Benjamin Franklin Category: Habit There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Benjamin Franklin Category: Alcohol A man may if he knows not how to save as he gets keep his nose to the grindstone. Benjamin Franklin Category: Save In the Affairs of the World Men are saved not by Faith but by the Want of it. Benjamin Franklin Category: Faith Don't think to hunt two hares with one dog. Benjamin Franklin Category: Loyalty Vessels large may venture more But little boats should keep near shore. Benjamin Franklin Category: Inferior Many a man thinks he is buying pleasure when he is really selling himself to it. Benjamin Franklin Category: Pleasure The cat in gloves catches no mice. Benjamin Franklin Category: Cat Ill customs and bad advice are seldom forgotten. Benjamin Franklin Category: Advice It is hard for an empty bag to stand upright. Benjamin Franklin Category: Substance A good conscience is a continued Christmas. Benjamin Franklin Category: Christmas Haste makes waste. Benjamin Franklin Category: Cause When confronted with two courses of action I jot down on a piece of paper all the arguments in favor of each one then on the opposite side I write the arguments against each one. Then by weighing the arguments pro and con and canceling them out one against the other I take the course indicated by what remains. Benjamin Franklin Category: Argument Clearly spoken Mr. Fogg; you explain English by Greek. Benjamin Franklin Category: Ambiguity Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. Benjamin Franklin Category: Anticipation He that waits upon Fortune is never sure of a Dinner. Benjamin Franklin Category: Fortune If a man empties his purse into his head no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin Category: If He that has done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged. Benjamin Franklin Category: Kindness God heals and the doctor takes the fee. Benjamin Franklin Category: Doctor One should eat to live not live to eat. Benjamin Franklin Category: Easy An egg today is better than a hen tomorrow. Benjamin Franklin Category: Egg Experience keeps a dear school but fools will learn in no other. Benjamin Franklin Category: Experience The best of all medicines are rest and fasting. Benjamin Franklin Category: Medicine Never confuse motion with action. Benjamin Franklin Category: Action Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin Category: Certainty He that raises a large family does indeed while he lives to observe them stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too. Benjamin Franklin Category: Family Trickery and treachery are the practices of fools that have not wits enough to be honest. Benjamin Franklin Category: Honest Content makes poor men rich; Discontent makes rich men poor. Benjamin Franklin Category: Potential 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 Category: Earth I should have no objection to go over the same life from its beginning to the end: requesting only the advantage authors have of correcting in a second edition the faults of the first. Benjamin Franklin Category: Life He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities. Benjamin Franklin Category: Rest Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none. Benjamin Franklin Category: Civil He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. Benjamin Franklin Category: Judge He that can have patience can have what he will. Benjamin Franklin Category: Worse I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad immoral character: like those among men who live by sharping and robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. The turkey is a much more respectable bird and withal a true original native of America. Benjamin Franklin Category: Bird Be at war with your vices; at peace with your neighbors and let every new year find you a better man. Benjamin Franklin Category: War The absent are never without fault nor the present without excuses. Benjamin Franklin Category: Absent Hear reason or she'll make you feel her. Benjamin Franklin Category: Reason At the working mans house hunger looks in but dares not enter. Benjamin Franklin Category: Work Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it. Benjamin Franklin Category: Fool Employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure. Benjamin Franklin Category: Leisure He that lives upon hope will die fasting. Benjamin Franklin Category: Hope He who shall introduce into public affairs the principle of primitive Christianity will change the face of the world. Benjamin Franklin Category: Christianity Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience. Benjamin Franklin Category: Genius The solution of problems is one of the lowest forms of mathematical research ... yet its educational value cannot be overestimated. It is the ladder by which the mind ascends into higher fields of original research and investigation. Many dormant minds have been aroused into activity through the mastery of a single problem. Benjamin Franklin Finkel Category: Unsorted All mankind is divided into three classes: those who are immovable those who are movable; and those who move. Benjamin Franklin Category: Change Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him. Benjamin Franklin Category: Lazy Search others for virtues thyself for thy vices. Benjamin Franklin Category: Virtue In general mankind since the improvement of cookery eats twice as much as nature requires. Benjamin Franklin Category: Gluttony Nothing gives an author so much pleasure as to find his works respectfully quoted by other learned authors. Benjamin Franklin Category: Author If you would not be forgotten As soon as you are dead and rotten Either write things worthy reading Or do things worth the writing. Benjamin Franklin Category: False Fish and visitors smell in three days. Benjamin Franklin Category: Fish A spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar. Benjamin Franklin Category: More By heaven we understand a state of happiness infinite in degree and endless in duration. Benjamin Franklin Category: Heaven They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. This sentence was much used in the Revolutionary period. It occurs even so early as November 1755 in an answer by the Assembly of Pennsylvania to the Governor and forms the motto of Franklins Historical Review 1759 appearing also in the body of the work. Frothingham: Rise of the Republic of the United States p. 413. Benjamin Franklin Category: Deserve If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody there would be very little printed. Benjamin Franklin Category: Newspaper The first mistake in public business is the going into it. Benjamin Franklin Category: Business It is better to be thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt. Benjamin Franklin Category: Stupidity God helps those who help themselves. Benjamin Franklin Category: God God works wonders now and then; Behold a lawyer an honest man. Benjamin Franklin Category: Epitaphs The best is the cheapest. Benjamin Franklin Category: Best No gains without pains. Benjamin Franklin Category: Gains Industry perseverance and frugality make fortune yield. Benjamin Franklin Category: Frugal There never was a good war or a bad peace. Benjamin Franklin Category: Peace Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. Benjamin Franklin Category: Resolution A place for everything everything in its place. Benjamin Franklin Category: Order Plough deep while sluggards sleep. Benjamin Franklin Category: Ambition Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe seldom executed. Benjamin Franklin Category: Law To lengthen thy life lessen thy meals. Benjamin Franklin Category: Diet |
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