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The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin QUOTES

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin QUOTES

1 " Never confuse Motion with Action. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

2 " 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. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

3 " How much more than necessary do we spend in sleep, forgetting that the sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that there will be sleeping enough in the grave, as Poor Richard says. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

4 " In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it, perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I had compleatly overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

5 " 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. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

6 " A man being sometimes more generous when he has but a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps thro' fear of being thought to have but little. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

7 " 1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. 2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. 3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. 4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. 5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing. 6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. 7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you... "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

8 " O vitae Philosophia dux! O virtutum indagatrix expultrixque vitiorum! Unus dies, bene et ex praeceptis tuis actus, peccanti immortalitati est anteponendus.

translation (non-literal):
O philosophy, life’s guide! O searcher of virtues and expeller of vices! Just a single day lived well and according to your lessons is to be preferred to an eternity of errors.

— Cicero, As quoted in Ben Franklin’s Autobiography "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

9 " [I retained] only the Habit of expressing my self in Terms of modest Diffidence, never using when I advance any thing that may possibly be disputed, the Words 'Certainly, 'undoubtedly', or any others that I give the Air of Positiveness to an Opinion; but rather say 'I conceive', or 'I apprehend a Thing to be so or so', 'It appears to me', or 'I should think it so or so for such & such Reasons', or 'I imagine' it to be so or so, or 'it is so' if I am not mistaken.—This Habit I believe has been of great Advantage to me, when I have had occasion to inculcate my Opinions and persuade Men into Measures that I have been from time to time engag'd in promoting.—And as the chief Ends of Conversation are to inform, or to be informed, to please or to persuade, I wish well meaning sensible Men would not lessen their Power of doing Good by a Positive assuming Manner that seldom fails to disgust, tends to create Opposition, and to defeat every one of those purposes for which Speech was given to us, to wit, giving or receiving Information or Pleasure: For if you would inform, a positive dogmatical Manner in advancing your Sentiments, may provoke Contradiction & prevent a candid Attention. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

10 " So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

11 " 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 "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

12 " there was great difference between persons and, discretion did not always accompany years nor was youth always with out it "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

13 " In the conduct of my newspaper, I carefully excluded all libeling and personal abuse, which is of late years become so disgraceful to our country "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

14 " But Providence will bring about its own ends by its own means; and if it intends the downfall of a nation, that nation will be so blinded by its pride and other passions as not to see its danger, or how its fall may be prevented. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

15 " My Parents had early given me religious Impressions, and brought me through my Childhood piously in the Dissenting Way. But I was scarce 15 when, after doubting by turns of several Points as I found them disputed in the different Books I read, I began to doubt of Revelation itself. Some Books against Deism fell into my Hands; they were said to be the Substance of Sermons preached at Boyle's Lectures. It happened that they wrought an Effect on me quite contrary to what was intended by them: For the Arguments of the Deists which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much Stronger than the Refutations. In short I soon became a thorough Deist.

[Part I, p. 45 of autobiography] "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

16 " ...there will be sleeping enough in the grave.... "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

17 " When the well is dry we know the value of water "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

18 " Reading was the only amusement I allowed myself "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

19 " He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another, than he whom you yourself have obliged. "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

20 " it is hard for an empty sack to stand upright "

― Benjamin Franklin , The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin