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There Are Three Sorts Of People In The World: Those Who Are Immovable, People Who Don't Get It, Or Don't Want To Do Anything About It; There Are People Who Are Movable, People Who See The Need For Change And Are Prepared To Listen To It; And There Are People Who Move, People Who Make Things Happen.

-Benjamin Franklin

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There Are Three Sorts

Benjamin Franklin

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There Are Three Sorts Of People In The World: Those Who Are Immovable, People Who Don't Get It, Or Don't Want To Do Anything About It; There Are People Who Are Movable, People Who See The Need For Change And Are Prepared To Listen To It; And There Are People Who Move, People Who Make Things Happen.

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More From Benjamin Franklin

The Good Will Of The Governed Will Be Starved If Not Fed By The Good Deeds Of The Governors.

The First Degree Of Folly, Is To Conceit One's Self Wise; The Second To Profess It; The Third To Despise Counsel.

If By The Liberty Of The Press Were Understood Merely The Liberty Of Discussing The Propriety Of Public Measures And Political Opinions, Let Us Have As Much Of It As You Please: But If It Means The Liberty Of Affronting, Calumniating And Defaming One Another, I, For My Part, Own Myself Willing To Part With My Share Of It, Whenever Our Legislators Shall Please So To Alter The Law And Shall Chearfully Consent To Exchange My Liberty Of Abusing Others For The Privilege Of Not Being Abused Myself.

Political Opinions

When Circumstances Don't Fit Our Ideas They Become Our Difficulties

Waste Neither Time Nor Money, But Make The Best Use Of Both.

Idle Hands Are The Devil's Playthings.

The Person Who Deserves Most Pity Is A Lonesome One On A Rainy Day Who Doesn't Know How To Read.

Whoever Shall Introduce Into Public Affairs The Principles Of Primitive Christianity Will Change The Face Of The World.

We Have Been Assured, Sir, In The Sacred Writings, That 'except The Lord Build The House, They Labor In Vain That Build It' I Firmly Believe This; By Our Partial Local Interests; Our Projects Will Be Confounded, And We Ourselves Shall Become A Reproach And A By Word Down To Future Ages.

Much Virtue In Herbs, Little In Men.

Vice Knows [its] Ugly, So [it] Puts On [a] Mask.

To Be Humble To Superiors Is A Duty, To Equals Courtesy, To Inferiors Nobleness.

Those Who Are Willing To Forfeit Liberty For Security Will Have Neither.

Willows Are Weak, But They Bind The Faggot.

When I See Nothing Annihilated, And Not Even A Drop Of Water Wasted, I Cannot Suspect The Annihilation Of Souls Thus Finding Myself To Exist In The World, I Believe I Shall, In Some Shape Or Other, Always Exist; With All The Inconveniences Human Life Is Liable To, I Shall Not Object To A New Edition Of Mine; Hoping, However, That The Errata Of The Last May Be Corrected.

Don't Go To The Doctor With Every Distemper, Nor To The Lawyer With Every Quarrel, Nor To The Pot For Every Thirst.

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

I Didn't Fail The Test, I Just Found 100 Ways To Do It Wrong.

Freedom Is Not A Gift Bestowed Upon Us By Other Men, But A Right That Belongs To Us By The Laws Of God And Nature.

Graft Good Fruit All, Or Graft Not At All.

How Do You Become Better Tomorrow? By Improving Yourself, The World Is Made Better. Be Not Afraid Of Growing Too Slowly. Be Afraid Of Standing Still. Forget Your Mistakes, But Remember What They Taught You. So How Do You Become Better Tomorrow? By Becoming Better Today.

Becoming Better

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?

The Only Time Not Wasted Is Wasted Time.

If Men Are So Wicked As We Now See Them With Religion What Would They Be If Without It?

The Apostle Paul Very Seriously Advised Timothy To Put Some Wine In His Water For Health's Sake, But Not One Of The Apostles Nor Any Of The Holy Fathers Have Ever Recommended Putting Water In Wine

When Religion Is Good, It Will Take Care Of Itself. When It Is Not Able To Take Care Of Itself, And God Does Not See Fit To Take Care Of It, So That It Has To Appeal To The Civil Power For Support, It Is Evidence To My Mind That Its Cause Is A Bad One.

I Have Conceived A Higher Opinion Of The Natural Capacities Of The Black Race Than I Had Ever Before Entertained. Their Apprehension Seems As Quick, Their Memory As Strong, And Their Docility In Every Respect Equal To That Of White Children.

None Are Deceived But They That Confide.

Presumption First Blinds A Man, Then Sets Him A Running.

Chess Is So Interesting In Itself, As Not To Need The View Of Gain To Induce Engaging In It; And Thence It Is Never Played For Money

Pen, Wax And Parchment Govern The World.

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

Pride Is As Loud A Beggar As Want, And A Great Deal More Saucy

Outside Independence Hall When The Constitutional Convention Of 1787 Ended

After Getting The First Hundred Pounds, It Is More Easy To Get The Second.

The Best Doctor Gives The Least Medicines.

The Honey Is Sweet, But The Bee Has A Sting.

Take Time For All Things: Great Haste Makes Great Waste.

Haste Makes Waste

To All Apparent Beauties Blind, Each Blemish Strikes An Envious Mind.

But In This World Nothing Is Sure But Death And Taxes. [fr., Mais Dons Ce Monde, Il N'y A Rien D'assure Que Le Mort Et Les Impots.]

I Believe There Is One Supreme Most Perfect Being.

A Flatterer Never Seems Absurd: The Flatter'd Always Takes His Word.

Blame-all And Praise-all Are Two Blockheads.

Diligence Overcomes Difficulties; Sloth Makes Them.

While The Path To Wealth Is Clearly Marked, Few Are Willing To Adapt Themselves To The Modest Discipline That The Journey Requires. Instead, Most Choose The Shinier Track Of Debt-driven Consumption, Which They Find Further Along Is Covered In Vines And Thorns.

Without Justice, Courage Is Weak.

It Is A Bad Temper Of Mind That Takes Delight In Opposition.

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

Tis A Well Spent Penny That Saves A Groat.

If You'd Lose A Troublesome Visitor, Lend Him Money.

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

There Is No Little Enemy

There Have Been As Great Souls Unknown To Fame As Any Of The Most Famous.

That Which Resembles Most Living One's Life Over Again, Seems To Be To Recall All The Circumstances Of It; And, To Render This Remembrance More Durable, To Record Them In Writing.

A Good Conscience Is A Continual Christmas.

Acquire Riches By Industry And Frugality.

Laws Without Morals Are In Vain.

You Will Find The Key To Success Under The Alarm Clock.

He's A Fool Who Cannot Conceal His Wisdom.

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.

If The Elbow Had Been Placed Closer To The Hand, The Forearm Would Have Been Too Short To Bring The Glass To The Mouth; And If It Had Been Closer To The Shoulder, The Forearm Would Have Been So Long That It Would Have Carried The Glass Beyond The Mouth.

Those Who In Quarrels Interpose, Must Often Wipe A Bloody Nose.

I Cannot Conceive Otherwise Than That He, The Infinite Father, Expects Or Requires No Worship Or Praise From Us, But That He Is Even Infinitely Above It.

At The Working Man’s House, Hunger Looks In But Dares Not Enter.

Among The Numerous Luxuries Of The Table...coffee May Be Considered As One Of The Most Valuable. It Excites Cheerfulness Without Intoxication; And The Pleasing Flow Of Spirits Which It Occasions...is Never Followed By Sadness, Languor Or Debility.

We Must Hang Together, Gentlemen...else, We Shall Most Assuredly Hang Separately.

Keep Out Of The Sight Of Feasts And Banquets As Much As May Be; For 'tis More Difficult To Refrain Good Cheer, When It's Present, Than From The Desire Of It When It Is Away; The Like You May Observe In The Objects Of All The Other Senses.

One Today Is Worth Two Tomorrows. Lost Time Is Never Found Again. Time Is Money. Dost Thou Love Life? Then Do Not Squander Time, For That's The Stuff That Life Is Made Of. You May Delay, But Time Will Not.

The Only Time A Question Should Be Asked Is When All Other Possibilities Of Finding The Answer For Yourself Have Been Eliminated.

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

To Whom You Betray Your Secret You Sell Your Liberty.

As Sore Places Meet Most Rubs, Proud Folks Meet Most Affronts.

If You Want A Neat Wife, Choose Her On A Saturday.

If You Do Not Exclude Them, In Less Than 200 Years Our Descendants Will Be Working In The Fields To Furnish Them Substance, While They Will Be In The Counting Houses Rubbing Their Hands. I Warn You, Gentlemen, If You Do Not Exclude Jews For All Time, Your Children Will Curse You In Your Graves.

For Age And Want Save While You May; No Morning Sun Lasts A Whole Day.

If We Look Back Into History For The Character Of The Present Sects In Christianity, We Shall Find Few That Have Not In Their Turns Been Persecutors, And Complainers Of Persecution. The Primitive Christians Thought Persecution Extremely Wrong In The Pagans, But Practised It On One Another.

Tolerate No Uncleanliness In Body, Clothes, Or Habitation.

Many Have Quarreled About Religion That Never Practice It.

A Lighthouse Is More Useful Than A Church.

If You'd Be Wealthy, Think Of Saving, More Than Of Getting: The Indies Have Not Made Spain Rich, Because Her Outgoes Equal Her Incomes.

A Full Belly Brings Forth Every Evil.

If We Are Industrious, We Shall Never Starve; For, At The Workingman's House Hunger Looks In, But Dares Not Enter. Nor Will The Bailiff Or The Constable Enter, For Industry Pays Debts, While Despair Increaseth Them.

Keep Conscience Clear, Then Never Fear.

Keep Your Eyes Wide Open Before Marriage, Half Shut Afterwards.

There Is Always Room For The Man Of Force.

It Is Ill-manners To Silence A Fool And Cruelty To Let Him Go On

I Imagine It Great Vanity In Me To Suppose That The Supremely Perfect Does In The Least Regard Such An Inconsiderable Nothing As Man. More Especially, Since It Is Impossible For Me To Have Any Positive, Clear Idea Of That Which Is Infinite And Incomprehensible, I Cannot Conceive Otherwise Than That He, The Infinite Father, Expects Or Requires No Worship Or Praise From Us, But That He Is Even Infinitely Above It.

I Looked Around For God's Judgments, But Saw No Signs Of Them.

Paintings And Fightings Are Best Seen At A Distance.

If A Man Empties His Purse Into His Head, No One Can Take It From Him.

An Investment In Knowledge Pays The Best Interest. When It Comes To Investing, Nothing Will Pay Off More Than Educating Yourself. Do The Necessary Research, Study And Analysis Before Making Any Investment Decisions.

All The Heavenly Bodies, The Stars And Planets, Are Regulated With The Utmost Wisdom! And Can We Suppose Less Care To Be Taken In The Order Of The Moral Than In The Natural System?

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.

Where Sense Is Wanting, Everything Is Wanting.

Here's To Our Beloved George Washington, The Joshua Of America, Who Commanded The Sun And The Moon To Stand Still - And They Obeyed.

'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. . . .

Keep Flax From Fire, And Youth From Gaming.

There's Many Witty Men Whose Brains Can't Fill Their Bellies.

People Willing To Trade Their Freedom For Temporary Security Deserve Neither And Will Lose Both.

Security And Freedom

There Never Was A Good Knife Made Of Bad Steel.

Outside Independence Hall When The Constitutional Convention Of 1787 Ended, Mrs. Powel Of Philadelphia Asked Benjamin Franklin, "well, Doctor, What Have We Got, A Republic Or A Monarchy?" With No Hesitation Whatsoever, Franklin Responded, "a Republic, If You Can Keep It."

Cunning Proceeds From Want Of Capacity.

By Failing To Prepare, You Are Preparing To Fail.

Hot Things, Sharp Things, Sweet Things, Cold Things All Rot The Teeth, And Make Them Look Like Old Things.

A Virtuous Heretic Shall Be Saved Before A Wicked Christian.

Little Leaks Sink The Ship.

Your Argument Is Sound, Nothing But Sound.

Virtue And Happiness Are Mother And Daughter.

When You Are Good To Others, You Are Best To Yourself.

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

Those Who Are Content Have Enough; Those That Complain, Have Too Much.

Why Does The Blind Man's Wife Paint Herself.

I Was Surprised To Find Myself So Much Fuller Of Faults Than I Had Imagined, But I Had The Satisfaction Of Seeing Them Diminish.

Games Lubricate The Body And The Mind.

Industry And Patience Are The Surest Means Of Plenty.

Our Necessities Never Equal Our Wants.

The One Who Fails To Prepare Is Preparing To Fail.

Preparing To Fail

Guests, Like Fish, Begin To Smell After Three Days.

Would You Persuade, Speak Of Interest, Not Of Reason.

The Sleeping Fox Catches No Poultry.

You Must Not, When You Have Gained A Victory, Use Any Triumphing Or Insulting Expressions, Nor Show Too Much Of The Pleasure You Feel; But Endeavour To Console Your Adversary, And Make Him Less Dissatisfied With Himself By Every Kind And Civil Expression That May Be Used With Truth; Such As, You Understand The Game Better Than I, But You Are A Little Inattentive, Or, You Play Too Fast; Or, You Had The Best Of The Game, But Something Happened To Divert Your Thoughts, And That Turned It In My Favour.

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.

Most People Dislike Vanity In Others, Whatever Share They Have Of It Themselves.

The Same Man Cannot Be Both Friend And Flatterer.

I Consent Sir, To This Constitution Because I Expect No Better, And Because I Am Not Sure, That It Is Not The Best.

The Misers Cheese Is Wholesomest

It Is Easier To Build Two Chimneys Than To Keep One In Fuel.

The Poor Have Little; Beggars, None; The Rich, Too Much; Enough, Not One.

Great Spenders Are Bad Lenders.

In Free Governments The Rulers Are The Servants, And The People Their Superiors And Sovereigns.

To Cease To Think Creatively Is To Cease To Live

Display Is As False As It Is Costly.

When About 16 Years Of Age, I Happened To Meet With A Book Written By One Tryon, Recommending A Vegetable Diet. I Determined To Go Into It.... My Refusing To Eat Flesh Occasioned An Inconveniency, And I Was Frequently Chid For My Singularity.

He That Is Conscious Of A Stink In His Breeches Is [suspicious] Of Every Wrinkle In Another's Nose.

[it Was] The Poverty Caused By The Bad Influence Of The English Bankers On The Parliament Which Has Caused In The Colonies Hatred Of The English And . . . The Revolutionary War.

Reckless Youth Makes Rueful Age.

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

Beer Is God's Way Of Telling Us That He Loves Us And Wants Us To Be Happy.

A Lonely Man On A Rainy Night Who Cannot Read.

Wherever Desirable Superfluities Are Imported, Industry Is Excited, And Thereby Plenty Is Produced. Were Only Necessaries Permitted To Be Purchased, Men Would Work No More Than Was Necessary For That Purpose.

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

When A Religion Is Good, I Conceive It Will Support Itself; And When It Does Not Support Itself, And God Does Not Take Care To Support It So That Its Professors Are Obliged To Call For Help Of The Civil Power, 'tis A Sign, I Apprehend, Of Its Being A Bad One.

No Better Relation Than A Prudent And Faithful Friend.

It Is Better To Take Many Injuries Than To Give One.

Some Are Weatherwise, Some Are Otherwise.

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

Out Of Adversity Comes Opportunity.

I Never Knew A Man Who Was Good At Making Excuses Who Was Good At Anything Else.

Resolve To Perform What You Ought; Perform Without Fail What You Resolve.

What Signifies Knowing The Names, If You Know Not The Natures Of Things.

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.

He Is Ill Clothed That Is Bare Of Virtue.

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.

Time Is The Stuff Life Is Made Of.

Temperance Puts Wood On The Fire, Meal In The Barrel, Flour In The Tub, Money In The Purse, Credit In The Country, Contentment In The House, Clothes On The Back, And Vigor In The Body.

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.

Mankind Are Dastardly When They Meet With Opposition.

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

In The Beginning Of The Contest With Britain, When We Were Sensible Of Danger, We Had Daily Prayers In This Room For Divine Protection," He Stated. "our Prayers, Sir, Were Heard, And They Were Graciously Answered. ... Do We Imagine We No Longer Need His Assistance?

Be Temperate In Wine, In Eating, Girls, & Sloth; Or The Gout Will Seize You And Plague You Both.

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

The United States Constitutional Convention, Except For Three Or Four Persons, Thought Prayers Unnecessary.

He That Would Fish, Must Venture His Bait.

Little Rogues Easily Become Great Ones.

The King's Cheese Is Half Wasted In Parings: But No Matter, 'tis Made Of The People's Milk.

Masonic Ideas Are The Precious Jewels Of Speculative Masons; The Should Be Kept Bright And Sparkling For All The Brethren To See And To Admire. As Such, They Should Be The Special Care Of Masonic Leaders Particularly Those Who Teach And Interpret The Philosophy Of Freemasonry.

A Good Example Is The Best Sermon.

Be In General Virtuous, And You Will Be Happy.

She Laughs At Everything You Say. Why? Because She Has Fine Teeth.

The Eye Of The Master Will Do More Work Than Both His Hands.

I Am For Doing Good To The Poor, But I Differ In Opinion About The Means. I Think The Best Way Of Doing Good To The Poor Is Not Making Them Easy In Poverty, But Leading Or Driving Them Out Of It.

Write With The Learned, Pronounce With The Vulgar.

Forewarn'd, Forearm'd.

A Wise Man Will Desire No More Than What He May Get Justly, Use Soberly, Distribute Cheerfully, And Leave Contently.

Mary's Mouth Cost Her Nothing For She Never Opens It But At Others' Expense.

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

If We Restrict Liberty To Attain Security We Will Lose Them Both.

Laws Too Gentle Are Seldom Obeyed; Too Severe, Seldom Executed.

It Is Better To Let 100 Criminals Go Free Than To Imprison 1 Innocent Man.

Beware The Hobby That Eats.

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

To The Generous Mind The Heaviest Debt Is That Of Gratitude, When It Is Not In Our Power To Repay It.

Since They Are Our Right, Let Us Be Vigilant To Preserve Them Uninfringed, And Free From Encroachments. If Animosities Arise, And We Should Be Obliged To Resort To Party, Let Each Of Us Range Himself On The Side Which Unfurls The Ensigns Of Public Good. Faction Will Then Vanish, Which, If Not Timely Suppressed, May Overturn The Balance, The Palladium Of Liberty, And Crush Us Under Its Ruins.

I Am On This Account Not Displeased That The Figure Is Not Known As A Bald Eagle, But Looks More Like A Turkey. For The Truth The Turkey Is In Comparison A Much More Respectable Bird, And Withal A True Original Native Of America... He Is Besides, Though A Little Vain & Silly, A Bird Of Courage, And Would Not Hesitate To Attack A Grenadier Of The British Guards Who Should Presume To Invade His Farm Yard With A Red Coat On.

Speak And Speed: The Close Mouth Catches No Flies.

Don't Misinform Your Doctor Nor Your Lawyer.

Pardoning The Bad, Is Injuring The Good.

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.

Time Is Money'... Waste It Now. Pay For It Later!

If Passion Drives You, Let Reason Hold The Reins.

A Ploughman On His Legs Is Higher Than A Gentleman On His Knees.

He That Drinks His Cyder Alone, Let Him Catch His Horse Alone.

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

A Wolf Eats Sheep But Now And Then, Ten Thousands Are Devour'd By Men.

Some Make Conscience Of Wearing A Hat In The Church, Who Make None Of Robbing The Altar.

It Takes Many Good Deeds To Build A Good Reputation, And Only One Bad One To Lose It.

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

Experience Is The Best Teacher, But A Fool Will Learn From No Other.

Wine Makes Daily Living Easier, Less Hurried With Fewer Tensions And More Tolerance.

He That Blows The Coals In Quarrels That He Has Nothing To Do With, Has No Right To Complain If The Sparks Fly In His Face. - Ben Franklin

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