Benjamin Franklin on living wisely and well

On time, friends, flatterers, speech, happiness, and other subjects

American founding father Benjamin Franklin began publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1732, when he was 47, and continuing publishing it for 25 years. It proved both popular and profitable. Besides the usual contents of an almanac, like weather predictions, news stories, poems, and astrological reports, it included short sayings, over the years attributed to different speakers, including Poor Richard. Franklin took them from many sources, and said he wrote only one in ten, but he shortened and sharpened many that he took from others. These are taken from the first quarter of a collection titled Poor Richard’s Almanack, published in 1914, offering “selections from the apothegms and proverbs.”

A child thinks 20 shillings and 20 years can scarce ever be spent

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

A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.

A flatterer never seems absurd: The flatter’d always takes his word.

A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one.

A lie stands on one leg, truth on two.

All blood is alike ancient.

All would live long, but none would be old.

A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.

A mob’s a monster; heads enough, but no brains.

An old young man will be a young old man.

As charms are nonsense, nonsense is a charm.

As we must account for every idle word, so we must for every idle silence.

Better slip with foot than tongue.

Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship.

Blessed is he that expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.

Content is the philosopher’s stone, that turns all it touches into gold.

Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.

Different sects like different clocks, may be all near the matter, though they don’t quite agree.

Do me the favor to deny me at once.

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

For age and want save while you may; no morning sun lasts a whole day.

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