“I have never seen the philosopher’s stone that turns lead into gold, but I have known the pursuit of it turn a man’s gold into lead.”
Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard’s Almanack (Primary source)
Poor Richard’s Almanack stands as perhaps the most influential periodical in colonial America, embodying Benjamin Franklin’s genius for marrying practical wisdom with commercial success. Published annually from 1732 to 1758, the almanac reached into virtually every American household, selling some 10,000 copies yearly, an extraordinary circulation for its time.
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“Experience keeps a dear school, yet fools will learn in no other.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“For age and want save while you may; no morning sun lasts a whole day.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary sourceMore quotes by Benjamin Franklin →
“Words may show a man’s wit, but actions his meaning.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“At the working man’s house hunger looks in but dares not enter.”
— Benjamin Franklin Primary source“Learning never exhausts the mind.”
— Leonardo da Vinci Disputed“For every friend whom he loses for truth, he gains a better.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson Primary source