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I Have 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 They Labor In Vain That 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

-Benjamin Franklin

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I Have Lived, Sir,

Benjamin Franklin

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I Have 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 They Labor In Vain That 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

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Passion Governs, And She Never Governs Wisely.

Our Constitution Is In Actual Operation; Everything Appears To Promise That It Will Last; But In This World Nothing Is Certain But Death And Taxes.

All Cats Are Gray In The Dark.

Most Fools Think They Are Only Ignorant.

They That Will Not Be Counseled, Cannot Be Helped. If You Do Not Hear Reason She Will Rap You On The Knuckles.

If You Want To Be Loved, Love And Be Loveable.

The Cunning Man Steals A Horse, The Wise Man Lets Him Alone.

Mine Is Better Than Ours.

All Highly Competent People Continually Search For Ways To Keep Learning, Growing, And Improving. They Do That By Asking Why. After All, The Person Who Knows How Will Always Have A Job, But The Person Who Knows Why Will Always Be The Boss.

Your Best Investment Is To Pour Your Purse Into Your Head, And No One Can Take It Away From You.

There's No Gain, Without Pain.

I Hope...that Mankind Will At Length, As They Call Themselves Reasonable Creatures, Have Reason And Sense Enough To Settle Their Differences Without Cutting Throats; For In My Opinion There Never Was A Good War, Or A Bad Peace.

Getting It Done Is My Reward.

Time Management

He That's Content Hath Enough.

The Doors Of Wisdom Are Never Shut.

The Worst Wheel Of The Cart Makes The Most Noise.

Man Is A Tool-making Animal

Speak And Speed: The Close Mouth Catches No Flies.

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.

I Have Thought That Wild Flowers Might Be The Alphabet Of Angels, — Whereby They Write On Hills And Fields Mysterious Truths, Which It Is Not Given Our Fallen Nature To Understand.

I Think Vital Religion Has Always Suffered When Orthodoxy Is More Regarded Than Virtue. The Scriptures Assure Me That At The Last Day We Shall Not Be Examined On What We Thought But What We Did.

Look Round The Habitable World, How Few Know Their Own Good, Or, Knowing It, Pursue!

Singularity In The Right Hath Ruined Many; Happy Those Who Are Convinced Of The General Opinion.

Would Thou Confound Thy Enemy, Be Good Thyself.

When You Are In Debt, Then You Are A Slave.

Happiness Depends More On The Inward Disposition Of Mind Than On Outward Circumstances.

He That Takes A Wife, Takes Care

Love And Marriage

In Order For Three People To Keep A Secret, Two Must Be Dead.

Energy And Persistence Conquer All Things.

Do Not, However, Mistake Me. It Is Not To My Good Friend's Heresy That I Impute His Honesty. On The Contrary, 'tis His Honesty That Brought Upon Him The Character Of A Heretic.

Perhaps I Was Too Saucy And Provoking.

Industry, Perseverance, And Frugality Make Fortune Yield.

Life's Tragedy Is That We Get Old Too Soon And Wise Too Late.

He's Gone, And Forgot Nothing But To Say Farewell To His Creditors

Never Contradict Anybody.

He That Best Understands The World, Least Likes It

He That Lieth Down With Dogs, Shall Rise Up With Fleas.

Half The Truth Is Often A Great Lie.

That As We Enjoy Great Advantages From The Inventions Of Others, We Should Be Glad Of An Opportunity To Serve Others By Any Invention Of Ours, And This We Should Do Freely And Generously.

My Father's Little Library Consisted Chiefly Of Books In Polemic Divinity, Most Of Which I Read, And Have Since Often Regretted That, At A Time When I Had Such A Thirst For Knowledge, More Proper Books Had Not Fallen In My Way Since It Was Now Resolved I Should Not Be A Clergyman.

It Is Therefore Wish'd That All Commerce Were As Free Between All The Nations Of The World As It Is Between The Several Counties Of England.

The Way To Be Safe Is Never To Be Secure.

Do You Sincerely Declare That You Love Mankind In General, Of What Profession Or Religion Soever? Do You Think Any Person Ought To Be Harmed In His Body, Name, Or Goods, For Mere Speculative Opinions, Or His External Way Of Worship? Do You Love Truth For Truth's Sake; And Will You Endeavor Impartially To Find And Receive It Yourself, And Communicate It To Others.

Nine Men In Ten Are Suicides.

If You Would Have A Faithful Servant, And One That You Like, Serve Yourself.

Faithful Servants

One Man May Be More Cunning Than Another, But Not More Cunning Than Every Body Else.

Only A Virtuous People Are Capable Of Freedom.

Where There's No Law, There's No Bread.

A Full Belly Brings Forth Every Evil.

He That Won't Be Counseled Can't Be Helped.

Sloth, Like Rust, Consumes Faster Than Labor Wears, While The Used Key Is Always Bright.

A Little Religion, And A Little Honesty, Goes A Great Way In Courts.

He That Is Of The Opinion Money Will Do Everything May Well Be Suspected Of Doing Everything For Money.

Greatest Wealth

You Can Do Anything You Set Your Mind To

It Is Foolish To Lay Out Money For The Purchase Of Repentance.

I Wish It Were Possible, From This Instance, To Invent A Method Of Embalming Drowned Persons In Such A Manner That They May Be Recalled To Life At Any Period, However Distant; For Having A Very Ardent Desire To See And Observe The State Of America A Hundred Years Hence, I Should Prefer To Any Ordinary Death The Being Immersed In A Cask Of Madeira Wine With A Few Friends Till That Time, To Be Then Recalled To Life By The Solar Warmth Of My Dear Country!

You Have Two Choices, Write About Something Of Significance Or Do Something Someone Wants To Write About.

Constant Complaint Is The Poorest Sort Of Pay For All The Comforts We Enjoy.

Quacks Are The Greatest Liars In The World Except Their Patients.

Wine Is Constant Proof That God Loves Us And Likes To See Us Happy.

All Wars Are Follies, Very Expensive And Very Mischievous Ones. In My Opinion, There Never Was A Good War Or A Bad Peace. When Will Mankind Be Convinced And Agree To Settle Their Difficulties By Arbitration?

The Man That Walks Wit Crowd, Will Get No Farther Than The Crowd. The Man That Walks Alone, Will Reach Places Unknown.

The Discovery Of A Wine Is Of Greater Moment Than The Discovery Of A Constellation. The Universe Is Too Full Of Stars.

Each Year One Vicious Habit Discarded, In Time Might Make The Worst Of Us Good.

Drive Your Business. Let Not Your Business Drive You.

The Poor Man Must Walk To Get Meat For His Stomach, The Rich Man To Get A Stomach To His Meat.

I Believe There Is One Supreme Most Perfect Being.

My List Of Virtues Contain'd At First But Twelve: But A Quaker Friend Having Kindly Inform'd Me That I Was Generally Thought Proud; That My Pride Show'd Itself Frequently In Conversation; That I Was Not Content With Being In The Right When Discussing Any Point, But Was Overbearing & Rather Insolent; Of Which He Convinc'd Me By Mentioning Several Instances; - I Determined Endeavouring To Cure Myself ..., And I Added Humility To My List, Giving An Extensive Meaning To The Word.

I Never Turned To Drink. It Seemed To Turn To Me.

Two Passions Have Powerful Influence On The Affairs Of Men: The Love Of Power And The Love Of Money.

Little Strokes Fell Great Oaks.

Eyes And Priests Bear No Jests.

Drive Thy Business Or It Will Drive Thee.

Be Not Sick Too Late, Nor Well Too Soon

There Seem To Be But Three Ways For A Nation To Acquire Wealth. The First Is By War, As The Romans Did, In Plundering Their Conquered Neighbors. This Is Robbery. The Second By Commerce, Which Is Generally Cheating. The Third By Agriculture, The Only Honest Way, Wherein Man Receives A Real Increase Of The Seed Thrown Into The Ground, In A Kind Of Continual Miracle, Wrought By The Hand Of God In His Favor, As A Reward For His Innocent Life And His Virtuous Industry.

The Borrower Is A Slave To The Lender And The Debtor To The Creditor.

He Who Would Trade Liberty For Some Temporary Security, Deserves Neither Liberty Nor Security.

By The Word Simplicity, Is Not Always Meant Folly Or Ignorance; But Often, Pure And Upright Nature, Free From Artifice, Craft Or Deceitful Ornament.

Wish Not So Much To Live Long As To Live Well.

Here Skugg Lies Snug As A Bug In A Rug.

Tis Easy To See, Hard To Foresee.

'tis True There Is Much To Be Done, . . . But Stick To It Steadily, And You Will See Great Effects, For Constant Dropping Wears Away Stones . . . And Little Strokes Fell Great Oaks, As Poor Richard Says. . . .

When You Taste Honey, Remember Gall.

The Key That Unlocks A Door Is A Key To Keep If You Want To Go Through That Door Again.

The Body Of B. Franklin, Printer Like The Cover Of An Old Book Its Contents Turn Out And Stript Of Its Lettering & Guilding Lies Here. Food For Worms For, It Will As He Believed Appear Once More In A New And More Elegant Edition Corrected And Improved By The Author.

Little Minds Think And Talk About People. Average Minds Think And Talk About Things And Actions. Great Minds Think And Talk About Ideas.

From A Child I Was Fond Of Reading, And All The Little Money That Came Into My Hands Was Ever Laid Out In Books.

It Is Much Easier To Suppress A First Desire Than To Satisfy Those That Follow.

Trouble Knocked At The Door, But, Hearing Laughter, Hurried Away

Lost Time Is Never Found Again.

Nothing Is So Tiresome To One's Self, As Well As So Odious To Others, As Disguise And Affectation.

I Believe There Is One Supreme Most Perfect Being. [...] I Believe He Is Pleased And Delights In The Happiness Of Those He Has Created; And Since Without Virtue Man Can Have No Happiness In This World, I Firmly Believe He Delights To See Me Virtuous.

The Best Doctor Gives The Least Medicines.

Whoever Would Overthrow The Liberty Of A Nation Must Begin By Subduing The Freeness Of Speech.

If You Desire Many Things, Many Things Will Seem Few.

The Only Certain Things In Life Are Death And Taxes!

Lighthouses Are More Helpful Than Churches.

I Wish The Bald Eagle Had Not Been Chosen As The Representative Of Our Country; He Is A Bird Of Bad Moral Character; Like Those Among Men Who Live By Sharping And Robbing, He Is Generally Poor, And Often Very Lousy. The Turkey Is A Much More Respectable Bird, And Withal A True Original Native Of America.

Duty Is Not Beneficial Because It Is Commanded, But Is Commanded Because It Is Beneficial.

Doing Your Best Means Never Stop Trying.

Beware Of Little Expenses. A Small Leak Will Sink A Great Ship.

Be Civil To All; Serviceable To Many; Familiar With Few; Friend To One; Enemy To None.

Then Plough Deep While Sluggards Sleep, And You Shall Have Corn To Sell And To Keep.

God Works Wonders Now And Then; Behold A Lawyer, An Honest Man.

The Ordaining Of Laws In Favor Of One Part Of The Nation, To The Prejudice And Oppression Of Another, Is Certainly The Most Erroneous And Mistaken Policy. An Equal Dispensation Of Protection, Rights, Privileges, And Advantages, Is What Every Part Is Entitled To, And Ought To Enjoy.

Our New Constitution Is Now Established, And Has An Appearance That Promises Permanency; But In The World Nothing Can Be Said To Be Certain Except Death And Taxes.

The Two Most Beautiful Sights I Have Witnessed In My Life Are A Full Blown Ship At Sail And The Round-bellied Pregnant Female.

By Playing At Chess Then, We May Learn... First: Foresight. Second: Circumspection. Third: Caution.

If Principle Is Good For Anything, It Is Worth Living Up To.

A Quarrelsome Man Has No Good Neighbours.

Freedom Of Speech Is A Principal Pillar Of A Free Government; When This Support Is Taken Away, The Constitution Of A Free Society Is Dissolved, And Tyranny Is Erected On Its Ruins. Republics And Limited Monarchies Derive Their Strength And Vigor From A Popular Examination Into The Action Of The Magistrates.

Tomorrow, Every Fault Is To Be Amended; But That Tomorrow Never Comes.

Tomorrow Never Comes

Blame-all And Praise-all Are Two Blockheads.

The Most Trifling Actions That Affect A Man's Credit Are To Be Regarded. The Sound Of Your Hammer At Five In The Morning, Or At Nine At Night, Heard By A Creditor, Makes Him Easy Six Months Longer; But If He Sees You At The Billiard-table, Or Hears Your Voice At A Tavern, When You Should Be At Work, He Sends For His Money The Next Day.

He That Resolves To Mend Hereafter, Resolves Not To Mend Now.

One Day Is Worth A Thousand Tomorrows.

A Father's A Treasure; A Brother's A Comfort; A Friend Is Both.

The Honest Man Takes Pains, And Then Enjoys Pleasures; The Knave Takes Pleasure, And Then Suffers Pains.

History Will Also Give Occasion To Expatiate On The Advantage Of Civil Orders And Constitutions; How Men And Their Properties Are Protected By Joining In Societies And Establishing Government; Their Industry Encouraged And Rewarded, Arts Invented, And Life Made More Comfortable; The Advantages Of Liberty, Mischiefs Of Licentiousness, Benefits Arising From Good Laws And A Due Execution Of Justice. Thus May The First Principles Of Sound Politics Be Fixed In The Minds Of Youth.

Who Is Wise? He That Learns From Everyone.

We Are Spirits. That Bodies Should Be Lent Us While They Afford Us Pleasure, Assist Us In Acquiring Knowledge Or In Doing Good To Our Fellow-creatures, Is A Kind Of Benevolent Act Of God. When They Become Unfit For These Purposes And Afford Us Pain Instead Of Pleasure, Instead Of An Aid Become An Encumbrance And Answer None Of These Intentions For Which They Were Given, It Is Equally Kind And Benevolent That A Way Is Provided By Which We Get Rid Of Them. Death Is That Way.

Never Confuse Motion With Action.

Give Me Yesterday's Bread, This Day's Flesh, And Last Year's Cider

To Whom You Betray Your Secret You Sell Your Liberty.

Remember, That Six Pounds A Year Is But A Groat A Day.

Keep Thy Shop, And Thy Shop Will Keep Thee.

As We Must Account For Every Idle Word, So Must We Account For Every Idle Silence.

All Human Situations Have Their Inconveniences. We Feel Those Of The Present But Neither See Nor Feel Those Of The Future; And Hence We Often Make Troublesome Changes Without Amendment, And Frequently For The Worse.

He That Speaks Ill Of The Mare Will Buy Her.

Never Ruin An Apology With An Excuse.

An Iron Rod Being Placed On The Outside Of A Building From The Highest Part Continued Down Into The Moist Earth, In Any Direction Strait Or Crooked, Following The Form Of The Roof Or Other Parts Of The Building, Will Receive The Lightning At Its Upper End, Attracting It So As To Prevent It's Striking Any Other Part; And, Affording It A Good Conveyance Into The Earth, Will Prevent Its Damaging Any Part Of The Building.

A Ship Under Sail And A Big-bellied Woman, Are The Handsomest Two Things That Can Be Seen Common.

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.

Some Books We Read, Tho' Few There Are That Hit The Happy Point Where Wisdom Joins With Wit.

To Be Thrown Upon One's Own Resources, Is To Be Cast In The Very Lap Of Fortune.

The Most Acceptable Service Of God Is Doing Good To Man.

The Noblest Question In The World Is: 'what Good May I Do In It?'

We Are All Born Ignorant, But One Must Work Hard To Remain Stupid.

I Have 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 They Labor In Vain That 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

Who Is Rich? He That Is Content. Who Is That? Nobody.

Do You Love Truth For Truth's Sake, And Will You Endeavor Impartially To Find And Receive It Yourself, And Communicate It To Others?

Who Has Deceived Thee As Oft As Thyself.

That Is Simple. In The Colonies We Issue Our Own Money. It Is Called Colonial Scrip. We Issue It In Proper Proportion To The Demands Of Trade And Industry To Make The Products Pass Easily From The Producers To The Consumers. In This Manner Creating For Ourselves Our Own Paper Money, We Control Its Purchasing Power, And We Have No Interest To Pay.

Whenever We Attempt To Mend The Scheme Of Providence And To Interfere In The Government Of The World, We Had Need Be Very Circumspect Lest We Do More Harm Than Good.

Covetousness Is Ever Attended With Solicitude And Anxiety.

...it Is Prodigious The Quantity Of Good That May Be Done By One Man If He Will Make A Business Of It.

Anyone Willing To Give Up Liberty In Exchange For Security Deserves Neither.

In This World Nothing Can Be Said To Be Certain, Except Death And Taxes.

Content And Riches Seldom Meet Together, Riches Take Thou, Contentment I Had Rather.

Those Who Would Give Up Essential Liberty, To Purchase A Little Temporary Safety, Deserve Neither Liberty Nor Safety.

If You Wish Information And Improvement From The Knowledge Of Others, And Yet At The Same Time Express Yourself As Firmly Fix'd In Your Present Opinions, Modest, Sensible Men, Who Do Not Love Disputation, Will Probably Leave You Undisturbed In The Possession Of Your Error.

I Think That Humanity Brings Much Misery On Itself By The False Value They Put On Things.

Trouble Springs From Idleness.

A Man Of Knowledge Like A Rich Soil, Feeds If Not A World Of Corn, A World Of Weeds.

To Be Proud Of Virtue, Is To Poison Yourself With The Antidote.

By Failing To Prepare, You Are Preparing To Fail.

Men's Minds Do Not Die With Their Bodies But Are Made More Happy Or Miserable After This Life According To Their Actions.

To Be Proud Of Knowledge Is To Be Blind With Light.

Clean Your Finger Before You Point At My Spots.

In Short, I Conceive That 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.

To Succeed, Jump As Quickly At Opportunities As You Do At Conclusions.

If We Give Up Freedom For Security, We Are In Danger Of Losing Both.

Whether A Commonwealth Suffers More By Hypocritical Pretenders To Religion Or By The Openly Profane? The Most Dangerous Hypocrite In A Commonwealth Is One Who Leaves The Gospel For The Sake Of The Law. A Man Compounded Of Law And Gospel Is Able To Cheat A Whole Country With His Religion And Then Destroy Them Under Color Of Law.

You May Sometimes Be Much In The Wrong, In Owning Your Being In The Right.

I Believe In One God, Creator Of The Universe In That He Ought To Be Whipped From Pilar To Post And Back Again For His Shameful Actions Toward Humanity.

Pity And Forbearance Should Characterize All Acts Of Justice.

Grace Thou Thy House And Let Not That Grace Thee.

Mankind Are Very Odd Creatures: One Half Censure What They Practice, The Other Half Practice What They Censure; The Rest Always Say And Do As They Ought.

Look Before, Or You'll Find Yourself Behind.

Finding Yourself

Glass, China, And Reputation, Are Easily Cracked, And Never Well Mended.

I Am A Mortal Enemy To Arbitrary Government And Unlimited Power. I Am Naturally Very Jealous For The Rights And Liberties Of My Country, And The Least Encroachment Of Those Invaluable Privileges Is Apt To Make My Blood Boil.

Tis A Great Confidence In A Friend To Tell Him Your Faults; Greater To Tell Him His.

Games Lubricate The Body And The Mind.

Remember This Saying, 'that The Good Paymaster Is Lord Of Another Man's Purse.' He That Is Known To Pay Punctually And Exactly To The Time He Promises, May At Any Time, And On Any Occasion, Raise All The Money His Friends Can Spare.

You Can't Tell Anyone Anything. You Have To Teach People For Them To Remember. Let The Person Experience What You Are Teaching And They Will Learn.

If You Have Something To Do Tomorrow, Do It Today.

There Are Two Ways To Increase Your Wealth. Increase Your Means Or Decrease Your Wants. The Best Is To Do Both At The Same Time.

America Cultivates Best What Germany Brought Forth.

Strict Punctuality Is A Cheap Virtue.

Do Not Fear Mistakes. You Will Know Failure. Continue To Reach Out.

A Man Is Not Completely Born Until He Is Dead. Why Then Should We Grieve That A New Child Is Born Among The Immortals, A New Member Added To Their Happy Society?

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.

An Autobiography Usually Reveals Nothing Bad About Its Writer Except His Memory.

Believe None Of What You Hear And Half Of What You See.

Nothing Is More Fatal To Health Than An Over Care Of It.

The Busy Man Has Few Idle Visitors; To The Boiling Pot The Flies Come Not.

A Good Conscience Is A Continual Christmas.

Wars Are Not Paid For In Wartime. The Bill Comes Later.

Let The Experiment Be Made.

If You Teach A Poor Young Man To Shave Himself, And Keep His Razor In Order, You May Contribute More To The Happiness Of His Life Than In Giving Him A Thousand Guineas. This Sum May Be Soon Spent, The Regret Only Remaining Of Having Foolishly Consumed It; But In The Other Case, He Escapes The Frequent Vexation Of Waiting For Barbers, And Of Their Sometimes Dirty Fingers, Offensive Breaths, And Dull Razors.

A Nod From A Lord Is A Breakfast For A Fool.

Who Is Strong? He That Can Conquer His Bad Habits.

A Bible And A Newspaper In Every House, A Good School In Every District; All Studied And Appreciated As They Merit; Are The Principal Support Of Virtue, Morality, And Civil Liberty.

The Longer I Live The More Convinced I Become That God Governs In The Affairs Of Men. And Have We Now Forgotten That Powerful Friend? Or Do We Imagine We No Longer Need His Assistance.

Fear To Do Ill, And You Need Fear Else.

Out Of Adversity Comes Opportunity.

Employ Thy Time Well, If Thou Meanest To Gain Leisure.

Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.

Christianity Commands Us To Pass By Injuries; Policy, To Let Them Pass By Us.

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