Benjamin Franklin Quotes

He that is conscious of a stink in his breeches is [suspicious] of every wrinkle in another's nose.

By my rambling digressions I perceive myself to be growing old.

an enormous proportion of property vested in a few individuals is dangerous to the rights, and destructive of the common happiness of mankind, and, therefore, every free state hath a right by its laws to discourage the possession of such property.

Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.

Those who are content have enough; those that complain, have too much.

If you would not be laughed at, be the first to laugh at yourself.

In a discreet man's mouth, a public thing is private.

Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor liberty to purchase power.

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

That the vegetable creation should restore the air which is spoiled by the animal part of it, looks like a rational system, and seems to be of a piece with the rest.

A perfect character might be attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated; and that a benevolent man should allow a few faults in himself, to keep his friends in countenance.

If you wou'd be reveng'd of your enemy, govern your self

Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves.

Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.

Governments having failed the people, the people are entirely justified in assuming for themselves an essential role in government. Where a government takes proper measures to protect the people under its care, such a proceeding might have been thought both unnecessary and unjustifiable: But here it is quite the Reverse.

The doors of wisdom are never shut.

An old man in a house is a good sign.

America cultivates best what Germany brought forth.

Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.

Do not do that which you would not have known.

It is wonderful how preposterously the affairs of the world are managed. We assemble parliaments and councils to have the benefit of collected wisdom, but we necessarily have, at the same time, the inconvenience of their collected passions, prejudices and private interests: for regulating commerce an assembly of great men is the greatest fool on earth

A Republic, if you can keep it.

Many foxes grow gray but few grow good.

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

The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.

The height of foolishness is to discard an opportunity without full investigation

The nearest I can make it out, "Love your Enemies" means, "Hate your Friends"

All things are cheap to the saving, dear to the wasteful

Men differ daily about things which are subject to sense, is it likely then they should agree about things invisible.

Life is rather a state of embryo, a preparation for life; a man is not completely born till he has passed through death.

What is the recipe for successful achievement? Choose a career you love. Give it the best there is in you. Seize your opportunities. And be a member of the team.

You can not pluck roses without fear of thorns, Nor enjoy a fair wife without danger of horns.

Eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation.

If you can't pay for a thing, don't buy it. If you can't get paid for it, don't sell it.

We can defer, yet time is most certainly not.

What is best for people is what they do for themselves.

My dear friend, do not imagine that I am vain enough to ascribe our success [Revolution] to any superiority . . . If it had not been for the justice of our cause, and the consequent interposition of Providence, in which we had faith, we must have been ruined. If I had ever before been an atheist, I should now have been convinced of the being and government of a Deity!

The only things of certainty are Death and Taxes.

The use of money is all the advantage there is in having money.

There's no gain, without pain.

An old young man, will be a young old man.

Blame-all and Praise-all are two blockheads.

Happiness consists more in small conveniences or 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.

When will mankind be convinced and agree to settle their difficulties by arbitration?

When men and woman die, as poets sung, his heart's the last part moves, her last, the tongue.

He that's content hath enough.

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

Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into execution new projects. The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forced by the occasion.