Quotes from Benjamin Franklin

Clean your Finger, before you point at my Spots.

If Passion drives, let Reason hold the Reins.

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

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.

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.

They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. —written for the Pennsylvania Assembly in its Reply to the Governor , 11 November 1755

To all apparent beauties blind, each blemish strikes an envious mind.

Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.

He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.

O powerful goodness! Bountiful Father! Merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolution to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favours to me.

If you would be loved, love, and be loveable.

Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.

The best way to see Faith is to shut the eye of Reason.

whatever you become be good at it

Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes

A place for everything, everything in its place".

Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.

In 1736 I lost one of my sons, a fine boy of four years old, by the small-pox, taken in the common way. I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation. This I mention for the sake of parents who omit that operation, on the supposition that they should never forgive themselves if a child died under it; my example showing that the regret may be the same either way, and that, therefore, the safer should be chosen.

That which hurts, also instructs.

A man must have a good deal of vanity who believes, and a good deal of boldness who affirms, that all the doctrines he holds are true, and all he rejects are false.

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.

A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one.

It's better to swim in the sea below Than to swing in the air and feed the crow, Says jolly Ned Teach of Bristol.

He that drinks his cider alone, let him catch his horse alone.