To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Benjamin FranklinRead
The person who deserves most pity is a lonesome one on a rainy day who doesn't know how to read.
Interpretation
What this quote means
It highlights the sadness of isolation and ignorance, particularly in adverse conditions.
This quote by Benjamin Franklin emphasizes the deep sense of loneliness and despair experienced by someone who cannot read, especially on a dreary, rainy day. It reflects the broader idea that literacy is a crucial tool for personal connection and engagement with the world, and without it, one may feel profoundly isolated and helpless, especially in trying times.
Themes
LiteracyLonelinessReadingEducationPity
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a speech about the importance of literacy programs in underserved communities.
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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As a graduate student at Harvard, I had to explain quite a few times that I was allowed to attend a university as a woman in Iran.
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Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.
ConfuciusRead