The Complete Works in Philosophy, Politics, and Morals, of the Late Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Now First Collected and Arranged: With Memories of His Early Life, Volume 3

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Page 448 - Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears ; while the used key is always bright, as Poor Richard says. But dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that is the stuff" life is made of, as Poor Richard says. How much more than is necessary do we spend in sleep ! forgetting, that The sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that there will be sleeping etwugh in the grave, as Poor Richard says.
Page 451 - Master will do more Work than both his Hands; and again, Want of Care does us more Damage than want of Knowledge; and again, Not to oversee Workmen is to leave them your Purse open. Trusting too much to others...
Page 381 - But you who are wise must know, that different nations have different conceptions of things ; and you will therefore not take it amiss, if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same with yours.
Page 448 - I stopped my horse lately where a great number of people were collected at an auction of merchants' goods. The hour of the sale not being come, they were conversing on the badness of the times ; and one of the company called to a plain, clean old man with white locks, " Pray, Father Abraham, what think you of the times ? Will not these heavy taxes quite ruin the country ? How shall we ever be able to pay them ? What would you advise us to do ? " Father Abraham stood up and replied, " If you would...
Page 455 - ... attend it, because we cannot spare the ready money, and hope now to be fine without it. But, ah ! think what you do when you run in debt ; you give to another power over your liberty. If you cannot pay at the time, you will be ashamed to see your creditor ; you will be in fear when you speak to him ; you will make poor pitiful sneaking excuses, and, by degrees, come to lose your veracity, and sink into base downright lying ; for ' The second vice is lying, the first is running in debt...
Page 459 - In short, the way to wealth, if you desire it, is as plain as the way to market. It depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality; that is, waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both.
Page 451 - So much for Industry, my Friends, and Attention to one's own Business; but to these we must add Frugality, if we would make our Industry more certainly successful. A Man may, if he knows not how to save as he gets, keep his Nose all his Life to the Grindstone, and die not worth a Groat at last. A fat Kitchen makes a lean Will...
Page 412 - For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others.
Page 457 - Thus the old gentleman ended his harangue. The people heard it, and approved the doctrine, and immediately practised the contrary, just as if it had been a common sermon ; for 'the auction opened, and they began to buy extravagantly.
Page 448 - ... commissioners cannot ease or deliver us by allowing an abatement. However, let us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us : G-od helps them that help themselves, as Poor Richard says.

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