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 can't pay for a thing, don't buy it. If you can't get paid for it, don't sell it. Do this, and you will have calm and drowsy nights, with all of the good business you have now and none of the bad. If you have time, don't wait for time.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Make mindful financial decisions and value your time wisely.
Benjamin Franklin's quote emphasizes the importance of financial responsibility and effective time management. It advises individuals to only engage in transactions they can afford and to take action without delay, which leads to a more peaceful life as one focuses on good business practices while avoiding unnecessary stress.
Themes
Financial ResponsibilityTime ManagementBusiness EthicsPeace Of Mind
In practice
Example use cases
During a financial workshop to promote responsible spending.
More from Benjamin Franklin
All quotes →He'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
Similar quotes
The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.
Pema ChodronRead
It is better to be roughly right than precisely wrong.
John Maynard KeynesRead
How gentle and tender ought we to be with others who are foolish when we remember how foolish we are ourselves
Charles SpurgeonRead
Like a twisted olive tree in its 500th year, giving then its finest fruit, is man. How can he give forth wisdom until he has been crushed and turned in the Hand of God.
Rabbi AkivaRead
The only people who see the whole picture,' he murmured, 'are the ones who step out of the frame.
Salman RushdieRead
The prayer that prevails is not the work of lips and fingertips. It is the cry of a broken heart and the travail of a stricken soul.
Samuel ChadwickRead