In my historical about Annapolis, I’ve decided to have a secondary character who is a bit obsessed with Poor Richard’s Almanac and all the wisdom Ben Franklin shares within it. So I thought I’d share a few of the gems with you too. Some of these things I hadn’t realized originated with good ol’ Ben–others are just hilarious. =) And some were quoted so frequently that they often get confused with scripture, LOL.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
What is serving God?
Tis doing good to man.
God helps those who help themselves.
The poor have little,
Beggars none;
The rich too much,
Enough not one.
After crosses and losses, men grow humbler and wiser.
If you would not be forgotten
As soon as you are dead and rotten,
Either write things worthy reading,
Or do things worth the writing. (My personal favorite.)
As soon as you are dead and rotten,
Either write things worthy reading,
Or do things worth the writing. (My personal favorite.)
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards. (LOL)
Work as if you were to live a hundred years,
Pray as if you were to die tomorrow.
Pray as if you were to die tomorrow.
One good Husband is worth two good Wives; for the scarcer things are, the more they’re valued. (LOL again)
There are tons more of these, and I mean tons. But that should be enough to get you through your Wednesday. =)
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
I had no idea Ben was the founder of "God helps those who helps themselves." I mean, I knew it wasn't actually scripture, but I didn't realize it could actually be traced to someone. That's totally making my list for next birthday 🙂