The Life of Benjamin Franklin: With Many Choice Anecdotes and Admirable Sayings of this Great Man, Never Before Published by Any of His Biographers |
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Page 18
... soon devoured every thing in it , especially of the lighter sort . Seeing a little bundle of something crammed away very snugly upon an upper shelf , his curiosity led him to take it down : and lo ! what should it be but " Plutarch's ...
... soon devoured every thing in it , especially of the lighter sort . Seeing a little bundle of something crammed away very snugly upon an upper shelf , his curiosity led him to take it down : and lo ! what should it be but " Plutarch's ...
Page 19
... soon com- mended him to the notice of his neighbours , among whoi was an ingenious young man , a tradesman , named Mat- thew Adams , who invited him to his house , shewed him all his books , and offered to lend him any. DR . FRANKLIN . 19.
... soon com- mended him to the notice of his neighbours , among whoi was an ingenious young man , a tradesman , named Mat- thew Adams , who invited him to his house , shewed him all his books , and offered to lend him any. DR . FRANKLIN . 19.
Page 20
... soon have you abroad , delighting every company , and filling all mouths with my name ! " Accordingly , his two poems being ready , Ben , who had been both poet and printer , with a basket full of each on 20 THE LIFE OF.
... soon have you abroad , delighting every company , and filling all mouths with my name ! " Accordingly , his two poems being ready , Ben , who had been both poet and printer , with a basket full of each on 20 THE LIFE OF.
Page 22
... soon was sent to hell- With a down , down , down derry down . " The reader will , I suppose , agree with Ben in his criticism , many years afterwards , on this poetry , that it was " wretched stuff ; mere blind men's ditties . " But ...
... soon was sent to hell- With a down , down , down derry down . " The reader will , I suppose , agree with Ben in his criticism , many years afterwards , on this poetry , that it was " wretched stuff ; mere blind men's ditties . " But ...
Page 24
... soon convince them that Latin and Greek are not ne- cessary to make English scholars . Let them but com- mence with his passion for knowledge ; with his firm persuasion , that wisdom is the glory and happiness of man , and the work is ...
... soon convince them that Latin and Greek are not ne- cessary to make English scholars . Let them but com- mence with his passion for knowledge ; with his firm persuasion , that wisdom is the glory and happiness of man , and the work is ...
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Common terms and phrases
America asked beautiful Ben's benevolence Benjamin Franklin better Blackbeard blessed Boston British brother called CHAPTER child christians Collins colonies composing stick dear Deborah Read deism Deity delight Denham discovery divine doctor Franklin England eyes father fond gave gentleman give glory grand hand happy head hear heart heaven honest honour hope imputed righteousness industry instantly James Keimer lady learned light lightning rods live London look lord lord North mind minister never night noble Philadelphia pleasure poor Richard says pounds sterling pray printer printing Quaker Ralph religion replied rods ship smile Socrates soon spirit stamp act sure sweet tell thee ther thing thou thought tion told took trade turn uncle Benjamin virtues William Penn wisdom wise wish wonder young youth Zounds
Popular passages
Page 152 - You call them goods; but if you do not take care they will prove evils to some of you. You expect they will be sold cheap, and perhaps they may for less than they cost; but if you have no occasion for them they must be dear to you. Remember what Poor Richard says: Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessaries.
Page 149 - 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 150 - Industry all easy, as Poor Richard says; and He that riseth late must trot all Day, and shall scarce overtake his Business at Night; while Laziness travels so slowly, that Poverty soon overtakes him...
Page 151 - Methinks I hear some of you say, Must a Man afford himself no Leisure ? I will tell thee, my friend, what Poor Richard says, Employ thy Time well, if thou meanest to gain Leisure; and, since thou art not sure of a Minute, throw not away an hour.
Page 152 - 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;' and " ' Many estates are spent in the getting, Since women for tea forsook spinning and knitting. And men for punch forsook hewing and splitting/ 'If you would be wealthy,...
Page 152 - What maintains one vice would bring up two children. You may think, perhaps, that a little tea, or a little punch now and then, diet a little more costly, clothes a little finer, and a little entertainment now and then, can be no great matter; but remember, Many a little makes a mickle.
Page 152 - A little neglect may breed great mischief; for want of a nail the shoe was lost ; for want of a shoe the horse was lost ; for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the enemy ; all for want of a little care about a horse-shoe nail.
Page 150 - Richard likewise observes, he that hath a trade hath an estate, and he that hath a calling hath an office of profit and honor; but then the trade must be worked at, and the calling well followed, or neither the estate nor the office will enable us to pay our taxes. If we are industrious we shall never starve; for as Poor Richard says, at the working man's house hunger looks in, but dares not enter.
Page 149 - ... commissioners cannot ease or deliver us by allowing an abatement. However, let us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us ; God helps them that help themselves, as Poor Richard says.
Page 241 - For when you assemble a number of men to have the advantage of their joint wisdom, you inevitably assemble with those men all their prejudices, their pas,sions, their errors of opinion, their local interests and their selfish views.