Benjamin Franklin Quotes

510 Sourced Quotes

Be at War with your Vices, at Peace with your Neighbours, and let every New-Year find you a better Man.

Benjamin Franklin
Avarice and happiness never saw each other, how then should they become acquainted.

Benjamin Franklin
Think What You Do When You Run in Debt: You Give to Another Power over Your Liberty

Benjamin Franklin
The people heard it, and approved the doctrine, and immediately practiced the contrary.

Benjamin Franklin
Dangerous, therefore, is it to take shelter under a tree, during a thunder-gust. It has been fatal to many, both men and beasts.

Benjamin Franklin
There's small Revenge in Words, but Words may be greatly revenged

Benjamin Franklin
The next thing most like living one's life over again seems to be a recollection of that life, and to make that recollection as durable as possible by putting it down in writing.

Benjamin Franklin
If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality.

Benjamin Franklin
At the workingman's house hunger looks in but dares not enter.

Benjamin Franklin
Let me resolve to be virtuous, that I may be happy, that I may please Him, who is delighted to see me happy. Amen.

Benjamin Franklin
Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.

Benjamin Franklin
A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things. There will be sleeping enough in the grave.

Benjamin Franklin
[New Jersey is like] a beer barrel, tapped at both ends, with all the live beer running into Philadelphia and New York.

Benjamin Franklin
Be studious in your profession, and you will be learned. Be industrious and frugal, and you will be rich. Be sober and temperate, and you will be healthy. Be in general virtuous, and you will be happy. At least you will, by such conduct, stand the be.

Benjamin Franklin
I look upon death to be as necessary to our constitution as sleep. We shall rise refreshed in the morning.

Benjamin Franklin
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.

Benjamin Franklin
And as to the Cares, they are chiefly what attend the bringing up of Children; and I would ask any Man who has experienced it, if they are not the most delightful Cares in the World; and if from that Particular alone, he does not find the Bliss of a double State much greater, instead of being less than he expected.

Benjamin Franklin
In short, I conceive that a great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by the false estimates they have made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles.

Benjamin Franklin
The great secret of succeeding in conversation is to admire little, to hear much; always to distrust our own reason, and sometimes that of our friends; never to pretend to wit, but to make that of others appear as much as possibly we can; to hearken to what is said and to answer to the purpose.

Benjamin Franklin
Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really and truly of no great use; a right heart exceeds all

Benjamin Franklin
He that sells upon Credit expects to lose 5 per Cent. By bad Debts; therefore he charges, on all he sells upon Credit, an Advance that shall make up that Deficiency.

Benjamin Franklin
God works wonders now and then; Behold a lawyer, an honest man.

Benjamin Franklin
I've lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth — That God governs in 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? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that except the Lord build the House they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, — and I also believe that without his concurring Aid, we shall succeed in this political Building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our Projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a Reproach and Bye word down to future Ages.

Benjamin Franklin
Glass, China, and Reputation, are easily cracked, and never well mended.

Benjamin Franklin
It is the will of God and Nature that these mortal bodies be laid aside, when the soul is to enter into real life; 'tis rather an embrio state, a preparation for living; a man is not completely born until he be dead: Why then should we grieve that a new child is born among the immortals?

Benjamin Franklin
There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.

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

Benjamin Franklin
Blessed is he that expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. expect nothing - get nothing! but expect something - get something!!

Benjamin Franklin
On the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet as I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been had I not attempted it

Benjamin Franklin
Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.

Benjamin Franklin