Benjamin Franklin Quotes

How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts!

Those things that hurt instruct.

Success has ruined many a man.

In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had compleatly overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.

Thirteen virtues necessary for true success: temperance silence order resolution frugality industry sincerity justice moderation cleanliness tranquility chastity and humility.

The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.

If you desire many things many things will seem but a few.

People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.

But in this world nothing is sure but death and taxes.

If Jack's in love, he's no judge of Jill's beauty.

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

For my own Part, when I am employed in serving others, I do not look upon myself as conferring Favours, but as paying Debts. In my Travels, and since my Settlement, I have received much Kindness from Men, to whom I shall never have any Opportunity of making the least direct Return. And numberless Mercies from God, who is infinitely above being benefited by our Services. Those Kindnesses from Men, I can therefore only Return on their Fellow Men; and I can only shew my Gratitude for these mercies from God, by a readiness to help his other Children and my Brethren. For I do not think that Thanks and Compliments, tho’ repeated weekly, can discharge our real Obligations to each other, and much less those to our Creator.

If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.

Slavery is such an atrocious debasement of human nature, that its very extirpation, if not performed with solicitous care, may sometimes open a source of serious evils. The unhappy man who has been treated as a brute animal, too frequently sinks beneath the common standard of the human species. The galling chains, that bind his body, do also fetter his intellectual faculties, and impair the social affections of his heart… To instruct, to advise, to qualify those, who have been restored to freedom, for the exercise and enjoyment of civil liberty… and to procure for their children an education calculated for their future situation in life; these are the great outlines of the annexed plan, which we have ad

A man who would sacrifice freedom for security deserves neither.

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.

The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.

He that drinks his cider alone, let him catch his horse alone.

Does't thou love life? Then do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of.

Were I a Roman Catholic, perhaps I should on this occasion vow to build a chapel to some saint, but as I am not, if I were to vow at all, it should be to build a light-house.[Letter to his wife, 17 July 1757, after narrowly avoiding a shipwreck; often misquoted as "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches."]

Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until they are seventy five.

If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.

To all apparent beauties blind, each blemish strikes an envious mind.

We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.

Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.[misquote of a letter about wine, see quotes/831031]

Carelessness does more harm than a want of knowledge.

Would you persuade speak of interest not of reason.

Great hopes make everything great possible.

Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other, and scarce in that.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

A little neglect may breed great mischief. ... For want of a nail the shoe was lost for want of a shoe the horse was lost for want of a horse the battle was lost for want of the battle the war was lost.

A child thinks twenty shillings and twenty years can scarce ever be spent.

Be slow in choosing a friend slower in changing.

If principle is good for anything it is worth living up to.

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.