Quotes About Self-improvement

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.

The sun of liberty is set; you must light up the candle of industry and economy.

Each year one vicious habit discarded, in time might make the worst of us good.

Our critics are our friends; they show us our faults.

Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.

All the little money that ever came into my hands was ever laid out in books.

Critics are our friends, they show us our faults.

Clean your Finger, before you point at my Spots.

Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones

But on the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been had I not attempted it; as those who aim at perfect writing by imitating the engraved copies, their hand is mended by the endevour, and is tolerable while it continues fair and legible

On the whole, though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet as I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been had I not attempted it

Who is strong? He that can conquer his bad habits.

Most people dislike vanity in others, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action; and therefore, in many cases, it would not be altogether absurd if a man were to thank God for his vanity among the other comforts of life.

It was about this time I conceiv'd the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.

Learn of the skilful: He that teaches himself, hath a fool for his master.

By comparing my work afterward with the original, I discovered many faults and amended them; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that in certain particulars of small import I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the language, and this encouraged me to think I might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English writer, of which I was extremely ambitious.

and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into of prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me acceptable to trifling company,

Wink at small faults; remember thou hast great ones.

Each year one vicious habit rooted out, In time might make the worst man good throughout.

Benjamin Franklin

A biblioteca foi um meio para eu me desenvolver pela constância do estudo que me consumia de uma a duas horas por dia. [...] A leitura era a única diversão que eu me permitia. Não perdia tempo em tabernas, com jogos ou qualquer outro tipo de futilidade.

Be at War with your Vices, at Peace with your Neighbours, and let every New-Year find you a better Man.

Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur every day. Thus, 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. The money 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,

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN