Thursday, April 30, 2009

Benjamin Franklin



1. “A countryman between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.”
2. ”All mankind is divided into three classes: those who are immovable, those who are movable; and those who move.”
3. “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do.”
4. “As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.
5. “Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few.”
6. “Being ignorant is not so much a shame as being unwilling to learn.”
7. ”Beware of the young doctor and the old barber.”
8. “Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.”
9. "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing."
10. “For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for the want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy, all for the want of care about a horseshoe nail.”
11. “Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.”
12. “He who multiplies riches multiplies cares.”
13. “Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade.”
14. “Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.”
15. “If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it away from him. An investment of knowledge always pays the best interest.
16. ”If Jack's in love, he's no judge of Jill's beauty.”
17. “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”
18. “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 practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Roman Catholic Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. They found it wrong in Bishops, but fell into the practice themselves both here (England) and in New England.”
19. “If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect.”
20. ”If your head is wax, don't walk in the sun.”
21. “Life's Tragedy is that we get old to soon and wise too late.”
22. “Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy.”
23. “Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man.”
24. “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that's the stuff life is made of. If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality; since lost time is never found again and what we call time enough always proves little enough. Let us then be up and 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. Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to gain leisure. Since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour.”
25. "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."
26. "Never confuse motion with action."
27. “The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.”
28. “The height of foolishness is to discard an idea without proper investigation.”
29. “They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
30. “Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.”
31. “To err is human, to repent divine, to persist devilish.”
32. “Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools that don't have brains enough to be honest.”
33. "Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame."
34. “Where sense is wanting, everything is wanting.”
35. ”Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his passions. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.”
36. "Wine is proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy"