To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Benjamin FranklinRead
If you wouldn't live long, live well; for folly and wickedness shorten life.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Prioritize living a good life over merely extending its length, as poor choices can lead to a shorter existence.
Benjamin Franklin's quote underscores the importance of quality over quantity in life. He suggests that living a life filled with virtue and wisdom is more valuable than merely existing for a long time, as wrongdoings and foolishness can lead to an unfulfilled and potentially shorter life. This serves as a reminder to make meaningful choices that enhance the quality of our lives.
Themes
Quality Of LifeWisdomChoicesLiving WellFulfillment
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote during a wellness seminar to emphasize the importance of living meaningfully.
More from Benjamin Franklin
All quotes βHe'll cheat without scruple, who can without fear.
Benjamin FranklinRead
[E]very Man who comes among us, and takes up a piece of Land, becomes a Citizen, and by our Constitution has a Voice in Elections, and a share in the Government of the Country.
Benjamin FranklinRead
Our Constitution is in actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Benjamin FranklinRead
Let honesty and industry be thy constant companions, and spend one penny less than thy clear gains; then shall thy pocket begin to thrive; creditors will not insult, nor want oppress, nor hungerness bite, nor nakedness freeze thee
Benjamin FranklinRead
I think that a young state, like a young virgin, should modestly stay at home, and wait the application of suitors for an alliance with her; and not run about offering her amity to all the world; and hazarding their refusal. Our virgin is a jolly one; and tho at present not very rich, will in time be a great fortune, and where she has a favorable predisposition, it seems to me well worth cultivating.
Benjamin FranklinRead
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When we are young, we spend much time and pains in filling our note-books with all definitions of Religion, Love, Poetry, Politics, Art, in the hope that, in the course of a few years, we shall have condensed into our encyclopaedia the net value of all the theories at which the world has yet arrived. But year after year our tables get no completeness, and at last we discover that our curve is a parabola, whose arcs will never meet.
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