Life of Benjamin Franklin |
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
able advantage agreed America appeared become called carried common consequence considerable considered continued desire effect employed engaged England entered established Europe expense experiments expressed father favour Franklin frequently friends gave give given governor hands hope hundred important improved industry inhabitants interest kind known land learned less letters liberty lived manner master means meet ment mind natural necessary never obliged observed obtained occasion offered opinion pass perhaps persons Philadelphia piece pleasure poor pounds present printing produced proposed quakers reason received remain respect says shillings soon taken thing thought tion took town trade turn whole wish writing young
Popular passages
Page 193 - Master will do more Work than both his Hands; and again, Want of Care does us more Damage than want of Knowledge; and again, Not to oversee Workmen is to leave them your Purse open. Trusting too much to others...
Page 176 - We are, however, not the less obliged by your kind offer, though we decline accepting it: and to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take great care of their education, instruct them in all we know, and make men of them.
Page 192 - Methinks I hear some of you say, Must a Man afford himself no Leisure? I will tell thee, my friend, what Poor Richard says, Employ thy Time well, if thou meanest to gain Leisure; and, since thou art not sure of a Minute, throw not away an Hour.
Page 197 - This Doctrine, my Friends, is Reason and Wisdom; but after all, do not depend too much upon your own Industry, and Frugality, and Prudence, though excellent Things, for they may all be blasted without the Blessing of Heaven; and therefore ask that Blessing humbly, and be not uncharitable to those that at present seem to want it, but comfort and help them. Remember Job suffered, and was afterwards prosperous.
Page 191 - Lost Time is never found again; and what we call Time enough, always proves little enough: Let us then up and be doing, and doing to the Purpose; so by Diligence shall we do more with less Perplexity. Sloth makes all Things difficult, but Industry all easy...
Page 195 - Pride breakfasted with Plenty, dined with Poverty, and supped with Infamy. And after all, of what Use is this Pride of Appearance, for which so much is risked, so much is suffered? It cannot promote Health, or ease Pain; it makes no Increase of Merit in the Person, it creates Envy, it hastens Misfortune.
Page 129 - In short, the way to wealth, if you desire it, is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality ; that is, waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both.
Page 191 - Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears; while the used key is always bright, as Poor Richard says. But dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of, as Poor Richard says. How much more than is necessary do we spend in sleep, forgetting, that The sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that There will be sleeping enough in the grave, as Poor Richard says.
Page 193 - And again, Three Removes is as bad as a Fire; and again, Keep thy Shop, and thy Shop will keep thee; and again, If you would have your Business done, go; if not, send. And again, He that by the Plough would thrive. Himself must either hold or drive.
Page 193 - For want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost, and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy; all for want of care about a horseshoe nail.
Bibliographic information
| Title | Life of Benjamin Franklin |
| Author | Benjamin Franklin |
| Publisher | Derby, 1846 |
| Original from | the New York Public Library |
| Digitized | 5 Dec 2006 |
| Length | 224 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |