Benjamin Franklin was a self-taught polymath who became a successful publisher, inventor, and statesman.
Rising from humble origins, he established a prosperous printing business in Philadelphia, contributed significantly to the city’s public infrastructure, and conducted influential experiments on electricity.
He played an important role in the American Revolution helping in drafting the Declaration of Independence and negotiating the Treaty of Paris.
His final public service act was participating in the convention that formed the U.S. Constitution.
His enduring legacy is evident in his image on the $100 bill and the numerous entities named after him across the U.S.
See also: Benjamin Disraeli Quotes from British Statesman and Jonas Salk Quotes from Inventor of Polio Vaccine
Benjamin Franklin is known as one of the ‘Founding Fathers’ of the United States.
In this article, I have listed most profound quotes by Benjamin Franklin.
Best Benjamin Franklin Quotes
1. “You can do anything you set your mind to.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
2. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
3. “You may delay, but time will not.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
4. “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
5. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
6. “Well done is better than well said.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
7. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
8. “Never leave till tomorrow that which you can do today.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
9. “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
10. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
11. “Time is money.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
12. “Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
13. “The only thing that is more expensive than education is ignorance.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
14. “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
15. “There are two ways to increase your wealth. Increase your means or decrease your wants. The best is to do both at the same time.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
16. “One today is worth two tomorrows.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
17. “You will find the key to success under the alarm clock.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
18. “Lost time is never found again.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
19. “He that can have patience can have what he will.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
Inspirational Benjamin Franklin Quotes
20. “When you are finished changing, you’re finished.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
21. “Work as if you were to live a thousand years, play as if you were to die tomorrow.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
22. “Practice makes perfect.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
23. “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
24. “Diligence is the mother of good luck.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
25. “Out of adversity comes opportunity.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
26. “Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success in life.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
27. “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
28. “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
29. “What good shall I do this day?” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
30. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
31. “Never ruin an apology with an excuse.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
32. “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
33. “Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
34. “I didn’t fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
35. “If better is possible, good is not enough.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
36. “Many people die at twenty five and aren’t buried until they are seventy five.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
37. “Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
38. “Love your Enemies, for they tell you your Faults.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
39. “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
40. “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
41. “Eat to live, don’t live to eat.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
Wise Benjamin Franklin Quotes
42. “When you’re testing to see how deep water is, never use two feet.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
43. “Speak ill of no man, but speak all the good you know of everybody.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
44. “Life’s biggest tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
45. “How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
46. “We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
47. “A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
48. “Silence is not always a sign of wisdom, but babbling is ever a mark of folly.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
49. “Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
50. “Never confuse Motion with Action.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
51. “In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
52. “It is better to let 100 criminals go free than to imprison 1 innocent man.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
53. “If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
54. “There are three types of people in the world: Those who are immovable, people who don’t get it, or don’t want to do anything about it; there are people who are movable, people who see the need for change and are prepared to listen to it; and there are people who move, people who make things happen.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
55. “No gains without pains.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
56. “Fear not death for the sooner we die, the longer we shall be immortal.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
Top Benjamin Franklin Quotes
57. “Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
58. “Money makes money. And the money that makes money makes more money.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
59. “A policy of life insurance is the cheapest and safest mode of making a certain provision for one’s family.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
60. “Most people die at 25 but are buried at 75.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
61. “A place for everything, everything in its place.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
62. “If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
63. “In the Affairs of this World Men are saved, not by Faith, but by the Lack of it.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
64. “I look upon death to be as necessary to our constitution as sleep. We shall rise refreshed in the morning.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
65. “God heals, and the doctor takes the fees. Energy and persistence conquer all things. He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, his precepts! Oh, it’s easier to keep Holidays than Commandments. Well done is better than well said.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
66. “My refusing to eat meat occasioned inconveniency, and I have been frequently chided for my singularity. But my light repast allows for greater progress, for greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
67. “By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid only of standing still.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
68. “When in doubt, don’t.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
69. “The best of all medicines is resting and fasting.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
70. “Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
71. “The person who deserves the most pity is a lonesome one on a rainy day who doesn’t know how to read.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
72. “Many dishes many diseases, Many medicines few cures.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
73. “Flesh eating is unprovoked murder.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
74. “A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
75. “The only certain things in life are death and taxes!” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
76. “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
77. “Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
78. “Speak little, do much.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
79. “A Republic, if you can keep it.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
80. “If Jack’s in love, he’s no judge of Jill’s beauty.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
81. “Make yourself sheep and the wolves will eat you.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
82. “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
83. “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
84. “We need a revolution every 200 years, because all governments become stale and corrupt after 200 years.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
85. “Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
86. “How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
87. “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
88. “An education is the investment with the greatest returns.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
89. “The early morning has gold in its mouth.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
90. “Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
91. “The borrower is slave to the lender and the debtor to the creditor.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
92. “Constant dropping wears away stones.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
93. “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
94. “The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you’re finished.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
95. “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
96. “Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
97. “Take a coin from your purse and invest it in your mind. It will come pouring out of your mind and overflow your purse.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
98. “What I am to be, I am now becoming.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
99. “If you do tomorrow what you did today, you will get tomorrow what you got today.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
100. “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
Famous Benjamin Franklin Quotes
101. “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
102. “Common sense is something that everyone needs, few have, and none think they lack.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
103. “Security without liberty is called prison.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
104. “Do well by doing good.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
105. “Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
106. “Little strokes fell great oaks.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
107. “It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
108. “The heart of a fool is in his mouth, but the mouth of a wise man is in his heart.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
109. “One today is worth two tomorrows. Lost time is never found again. Time is money. Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff that life is made of. You may delay, but time will not.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
110. “Contentment makes poor men rich, Discontent makes rich men poor.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
111. “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
112. “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
113. “Thirteen virtues necessary for true success: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
114. “Hide not your talents, they for use were made, What’s a sundial in the shade?” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
115. “Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
116. “Success is the residue of planning.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
117. “Fear God, and your enemies will fear you.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
118. “Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
119. “Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
120. “While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
121. “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
122. “A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
123. “To find out a girl’s faults, praise her to her girlfriends.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
124. “Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
125. “Happiness depends more on the inward disposition of mind than on outward circumstances.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
126. “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. When it comes to investing, nothing will pay off more than educating yourself. Do the necessary research, study and analysis before making any investment decisions.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
127. “A friend in need is a friend indeed!” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
Short Benjamin Franklin Quotes
128. “Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
129. “Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his passions. Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
130. “Humility makes great men twice honorable.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
131. “A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
132. “Trouble knocked at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
133. “The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
134. “The wise man draws more advantage from his enemies than the fool from his friends.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
135. “I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
136. “If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
137. “The learned fool writes his nonsense in better language than the unlearned, but it is still nonsense.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
138. “There was never a bad peace or a good war.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
139. “A good conscience is a continual Christmas.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
140. “There will be plenty of time to sleep once you are dead.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
141. “Doing your best means never stop trying.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
142. “Wish not so much to live long as to live well.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
143. “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
144. “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
145. “I am what I am and that’s all that I am and if I’m supposed to be somebody else, why do I look like me?” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
Profound Benjamin Franklin Quotes
146. “Diligence overcomes difficulties; sloth makes them.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
147. “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
148. “Tis a great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults; greater to tell him his.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
149. “Life is a kind of Chess, with struggle, competition, good and ill events.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
150. “If a man could have half of his wishes, he would double his troubles.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
151. “Anyone can complain, and they should have the right to, but if you want to see change you must act. Actions speak louder than words. Don’t complain about things, change things.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
152. “All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
153. “Where liberty is, there is my country.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
154. “If gymnastics were easy, it would be called football. 10% talent, 90% hard work, Energy and persistence conquer all things.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
155. “Common sense without education, is better than education without common sense.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
156. “There will be sleeping enough in the grave.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
157. “Distrust and caution are the parents of security.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
158. “A Brother may not be a Friend, but a Friend will always be a Brother.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
159. “We are all born without knowledge, but curious. With curiosity we should be able to learn as much as possible. With curiosity, it has to take a lot of work to remain ignorant.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
160. “When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
161. “Nothing but Money, Is sweeter than Honey.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
162. “Man is a tool-making animal.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
163. “For the best return on your money, pour your purse into your head.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
164. “If you have time don’t wait for time.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
165. “Fart for freedom, fart for liberty – and fart proudly.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
166. “Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
167. “Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
Inspiring Benjamin Franklin Quotes
168. “Industry, perseverance, and frugality make fortune yield.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
169. “Take time for all things.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
170. “Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
171. “Outside Independence Hall when the Constitutional Convention of 1787 ended, Mrs. Powel of Philadelphia asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” With no hesitation whatsoever, Franklin responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
172. “How do you become better tomorrow? By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid of standing still. Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you. So how do you become better tomorrow? By becoming better today.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
173. “The noblest question in the world is: ‘What good may I do in it?” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
174. “Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don’t have brains enough to be honest.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
175. “I was surprised to find myself so much fuller of Faults than I had imagined, but I had the Satisfaction of seeing them diminish.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
176. “Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
177. “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
178. “The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
179. “A good example is the best sermon.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
180. “People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
181. “Then plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
182. “Where there’s no law, there’s no bread.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
183. “Don’t throw stones at your neighbors, if your own windows are glass.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
184. “A spoonful of honey will catch more flies than a gallon of vinegar.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
185. “Idleness is the Dead Sea that swallows all virtues.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
186. “At twenty years of age the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
187. “Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
188. “Let each new year find you a better person.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
189. “Critics are our friends, they show us our faults.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
190. “Creditors have better memories than debtors.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
191. “Wise men don’t need advice. Fools won’t take it.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
192. “A little neglect may breed great mischief.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
193. “God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
194. “To be humble to superiors is a duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
195. “I would rather have it said, ‘He lived usefully,’ than, ‘He died rich.’” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
196. “He that cannot obey, cannot command.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
197. “Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
198. “Moderation in all things – including moderation.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
199. “Nothing brings more pain than too much pleasure; nothing more bondage than too much liberty.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
200. “Lend money to an enemy, and thou will gain him, to a friend and thou will lose him.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
201. “If you want a thing done – go. If not – send.” ~ (Benjamin Franklin).
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Short Biography of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was a versatile American figure—writer, scientist, inventor, and diplomat among other roles.
He significantly impacted early American society as one of the Founding Fathers and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Franklin also excelled in publishing, making a name for himself with the Pennsylvania Gazette and Poor Richard’s Almanack.
| Born | January 17, 1706 [O.S. January 6, 1705] Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America |
| Died | April 17, 1790 (aged 84) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Deborah Read (m. 1730; died 1774) |
| Children | William, Francis, Sarah |
| Parents | Josiah Franklin; Abiah Folger |
| Education | Boston Latin School |
| Office Held | 6th President of Pennsylvania: October 18, 1785 – November 5, 1788 United States Minister to Sweden: September 28, 1782 – April 3, 1783 United States Minister to France: March 23, 1779 – May 17, 1785 1st United States Postmaster General: July 26, 1775 – November 7, 1776 Delegate from Pennsylvania to the Second Continental Congress: May 1775 – October 1776 Postmaster General of British America: August 10, 1753 – January 31, 1774 Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly: May 1764 – October 1764 1st President of the University of Pennsylvania: 1749–1754 |
He founded the University of Pennsylvania and led the American Philosophical Society.
His diplomatic skills were crucial in garnering French support during the American Revolution, enhancing Franco-American relations.
Quick Facts about Benjamin Franklin
- Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706.
- He invented the lightning rod to protect buildings from lightning.
- Franklin developed a unique musical instrument called the armonica.
- He introduced bifocals to help with vision for both near and far distances.
- Franklin created a flexible urinary catheter for his brother to reduce pain.
- As a young writer, he used the pseudonym “Mrs. Silence Dogood.”
- Franklin fled from his brother and became a fugitive in 1723.
- He became the publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette.
- Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania.
- He published the iconic “Join or Die” cartoon in 1754.
- Franklin first traveled to England at the age of 18.
- He owned slaves before becoming an abolitionist later in life.
- He spent significant time in London engaging in scientific and political missions.
- Franklin went to France to secure support for the American Revolution.
- He became a pop culture icon in France, influencing fashion with his fur hat.
- An avid swimmer, Franklin was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
- He was the first to use the word “tofu” in the English language.
- Franklin humorously wrote an essay titled “Fart Proudly” about flatulence.
- Known for being bad at math, he struggled with arithmetic as a child.
- Franklin passed away at the age of 84 on April 17, 1790.
- He wrote his own hoped-for epitaph at the age of 22.
- His last words were, “A dying man can do nothing easy.”
- Approximately 20,000 people attended Franklin’s funeral.
- He made significant improvements to the postal service in the US.
- Franklin’s image appears on the U.S. $100 bill.
- A statue of Franklin stands in the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
- He has appeared on U.S. postage stamps several times since 1847.
- Numerous places and institutions are named after him.
- The first edition of his autobiography was published in 1971.
- Franklin was a talented musician and inventor.
- He served as an ambassador to France, though never a U.S. President.
- Franklin received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, and Oxford.
- He was involved in the establishment of democracy in the US.
- Franklin was primarily self-taught, attending formal school for only four years.
- His curiosity in electricity led to the invention of the lightning rod.
- Franklin’s efforts helped France decide to support the US during the American Revolution.
- He used multiple pen names to publish articles.
- Franklin’s influence extended into fashion and cultural trends in France.
- He significantly improved the efficiency of stoves with his invention of the Franklin stove.
- Despite his numerous achievements, he was known for his humility and wit.
Top Questions about Benjamin Franklin
A: Benjamin Franklin was a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher.
A: Franklin began publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette at age 23.
A: He wrote Poor Richard’s Almanack under the pseudonym “Richard Saunders.”
A: He helped establish the Academy and College of Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania.
A: Franklin organized the society, served as its first secretary, and later was elected as its president.
A: As postmaster general, Franklin set up the first national communications network.
A: As an agent in London, Franklin spearheaded the effort to repeal the unpopular Stamp Act.
A: Franklin was pivotal in developing positive Franco-American relations and securing French aid for the American Revolution.
A: Franklin became an active abolitionist and promoted the education and integration of African Americans into U.S. society.
A: The Franklin stove was invented to improve heating efficiency in households.
A: Franklin was born and raised in Boston, where he became a leader among the boys and was initially destined for the clergy, but ended up as an apprentice to his brother in printing.
A: Upon his return, Franklin became a newspaper editor and a vocal critic of the British Parliament’s policies through his writings.
A: Franklin was initiated into the local Masonic lodge, became a grand master, and published the first Masonic book in the Americas.
A: Franklin and Deborah Read lived together in a common-law marriage and raised three children, including Franklin’s illegitimate son.
A: Franklin’s scientific contributions include studies on electricity, naming the Gulf Stream, inventing the lightning rod, and creating bifocal glasses.
