To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
Benjamin FranklinRead
Those have a short Lent who owe money to be paid at Easter.
Interpretation
Debt can create a sense of urgency and limit one's freedom, making time feel shorter.
In this quote, Benjamin Franklin suggests that those who are in debt are often preoccupied with their financial obligations, which can overshadow their experience of time. The reference to 'Lent' and 'Easter' emphasizes how the weight of debt diminishes the joy and significance of life events, making time feel shorter as one focuses on repayment rather than personal growth or enjoyment.
In practice
In a financial literacy workshop, this quote could be used to emphasize the importance of managing debt wisely.
To the generous mind the heaviest debt is that of gratitude, when it is not in our power to repay it.
He'll cheat without scruple, who can without fear.
[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.
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.
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
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.
I think of a man and I take away reason and accountability.
And so everything I see in this world, it all moves backward and forward at the same time, like a black-smith's bellows, like everything in my press, turning into its opposite at the command of the red and green buttons, and that's what makes the world go round.
All men would be tyrants if they could.
We have decommissioned natural selection and must now look deep within ourselves and decide what we wish to become.
Each woman who lives in the light of eternity can fulfill her vocation, no matter if it is in marriage, in a religious order, or in a worldly profession.
I regret, as much as any member, the unavoidable weight and duration of the burdens to be imposed; having never been a proselyte to the doctrine, that public debts are public benefits. I consider them, on the contrary, as evils which ought to be removed as fast as honor and justice will permit.
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