Summary
Poor Richards Almanac was a yearly publication of aphorisms by Ben Franklin, writing under the pseudonym Richard Saunders, in the mid 1700's. (Amazon link)
It's stood the test of time as a book on how to live a successful life. Like most books on this topic, the principles are rooted in teachings from thousands of years ago.
What's novel about Franklin's preaching approach is how he packages the messages into short sentences and phrases like "Reading makes a full man, Meditation a profound man, Discourse a clear man." [1]
The following are my personal highlights from the book, with my favorite highlights in bold.
Highlights
On Being Useful, Industry, Sloth
- In studying Law or Physick, or any other Art or Science, by which you propose to get your Livelihood, though you find it at first hard, difficult and unpleasing, use Diligence, Patience and Perseverance; the Irksomness of your Task will thus diminish daily, and your Labour shall finally be crowned with Success. You shall go beyond all your Competitors who are careless, idle or superficial in their Acquisitions, and be at the Head of your Profession. Ability will command Business, Business Wealth; and Wealth an easy and honourable Retirement when Age shall require it. (Location 766)
- Hold your council before dinner; the full belly hates Thinking as well as Acting. (Location 732)
- He that falls in love with himself, will have no Rivals. (Location 580)
- One today is worth two tomorrows. (Location 31)
- If you would not be forgotten As soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing. (Location 186)
- He that would be beforehand in the World, must be beforehand with his Business: It is not only ill Management, but discovers a slothful Disposition, to do that in the Afternoon, which should have been done in the Morning. (Location 713)
- Make haste slowly. (Location 667)
- Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to gain leisure. (Location 623)
- Would you live with ease, do what you ought, not what you please. (Location 452)
- The noblest question in the world is What good may I do in it? (Location 90)
On Happiness
- Virtue and happiness are mother and daughter. (Location 481)
- Blessed is he who expects nothing for he shall never be disappointed. (Location 312)
On Governance
- Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed.(Location 755)
- Where carcasses are, eagles will gather, And where good laws are, much people flock thither. (Location 528)
- Seek virtue, and of that possess, To providence resign the rest. (Location 387)
- Fear to do evil and you need fear nothing else. (Location 169)
- If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend. (Location 411)
On Pride
- In success be moderate. (Location 573)
- Pride dines on Vanity, sups on Contempt. (Location 72)
On Anger / Public Communication
- Let thy Discontents be Secrets.[4] (Location 583)
- A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over. (Location 437)
- Take this remark from Richard poor and lame, Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame. (Location 144)
- He that would live in peace and ease must not speak all he knows nor judge all he sees. (Location 152)
- Speak with contempt of none, from slave to king, The meanest Bee hath, and will use, a sting. (Location 663)
- Hear no ill of a friend, nor speak any of an enemy. (Location 100)
On Gluttony, Indulgence, Health, Discipline
- Keep thou from the Opportunity, and God will keep thee from the Sin. (Location 667)
- 'Tis easier to suppress the first desire than to satisfy all that follow it. (Location 496)
- Don’t go to the doctor with every distemper, nor to the lawyer with every quarrel, nor to the pot with every thirst. (Location 504)
- He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes books. (Location 253)
- To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. (Location 426)
- Women and wine, game and deceit make the wealth small and the wants great. (Location 49)
- Drunkenness, that worst of evils, makes some men fools, some beasts, some devils. (Location 495)
- ‘Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them. (Location 512)
On Financial Discipline, Business
- He that pays for work before it’s done has but a pennyworth for two pence. (Location 471)
- Sell not virtue to purchase wealth nor liberty to purchase power. (Location 92)
- He that waits on fortune is never sure of a dinner. (Location 437)
- He that pursues two hares at once, does not catch one and lets the other go. (Location 502)
- Lying rides upon Debt’s back. (Location 642)
On Marriage, Friendships, Relationships, Family, Enemies
- A quarrelsome man has no good neighbors. (Location 483)
- If you’d be belov’d, make yourself amiable. (Location 669)
- You can bear your own faults and why not a fault in your wife? (Location 233)
- Honour thy Father and Mother, i.e. Live so as to be an Honour to them tho’ they are dead. (Location 588)
- Fish and visitors stink in three days. (Location 249)
- When a friend deals with a friend Let the bargain be clear and well penn’d, That they may continue friends to the end. (Location 758)
- Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing. (Location 147)
- Do good to thy friend to hold him, to thy enemy to gain him. (Location 443)
- The same man cannot be both friend and flatterer. (Location 403)
- To whom thy secret thou dost tell, to him thy freedom thou dost sell. (Location 500)
- An undutiful daughter will prove an unmanageable wife. (Location 422)
- Love your enemies for they tell you your faults. (Location 165)
- Keep flax from fire, youth from gaming. (Location 568)
- Friendship cannot live with ceremony, nor without civility. (Location 459)
- Lend money to an enemy and you will gain him, to a friend and you will lose him. (Location 203)
On Intelligence
- Reading makes a full Man, Meditation a profound Man, discourse a clear Man. (Location 577)
- Learn of the skillful: He that teaches himself, hath a fool for his master. (Location 625)
- Silence is not always a sign of wisdom but babbling is ever a mark of folly. (Location 299)
- Wise men learn by others’ harms; Fools by their own. (Location 428)
- Hear Reason, or she’ll make you feel her. (Location 367)
- He that won’t be counselled, can’t be helped. (Location 430)
On The Nature of People
- Sin is not hurtful because it is forbidden but it is forbidden because it’s hurtful. Nor is a Duty beneficial because it is commanded, but it is commanded, because it’s beneficial. (Location 599)
- Would you persuade, speak of interest, not of reason. (Location 436)
- Who knows a fool, must know his brother; For one will recommend another. (Location 615)
- Great talkers, little doers. (Location 427)
- An old young man will be a young old man. (Location 465)
Footnotes
[1] Naval Ravikant is similar to Ben Franklin in that he's well known for his aphorisms. There's a lot of overlap in the principles from Poor Richard's Almanack in Naval's new book, "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant", written by Eric Jorgenson. The book is great. I highly recommend it.
[2] This echos Dale Carnegie's Principle 1 from How to Win Friends and Influence People when he says "Don't Criticize, Condemn, or Complain."