To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Benjamin FranklinRead
A Man of Knowledge like a rich Soil, feeds If not a world of Corn, a world of Weeds.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Knowledge can lead to both positive and negative outcomes depending on how it is utilized.
This quote by Benjamin Franklin suggests that a knowledgeable person has the potential to produce great benefits, akin to fertile soil yielding a bountiful harvest. However, if that knowledge is not directed positively, it can also result in negative consequences, much like weeding taking over and choking the good plants. The implication is that knowledge itself is neutral, and its value is determined by how it is applied.
Themes
KnowledgeWisdomPotentialConsequencesLearning
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about education, one might say, 'As Benjamin Franklin wisely put it, knowledge can yield both beauty and chaos, so we must focus on how we nurture it.'
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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It's good to learn from your mistakes. It's better to learn from other people's mistakes.
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Every burned book or house enlightens the world; every suppressed or expunged word reverberates through the earth from side to side.
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Shallow brooks murmur most, deep and silent slide away.
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From time to time there appear on the face of the earth men of rare and consummate excellence, who dazzle us by their virtue, and whose outstanding qualities shed a stupendous light. Like those extraordinary stars of whose origins we are ignorant, and of whose fate, once they have vanished, we know even less, such men have neither forebears nor descendants: they are the whole of their race.
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When you respond to life, that's positive; when you react to life, that's negative.
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