7 Favorite Benjamin Franklin Quotes

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts and is one of the most fascinating historical figures from 18th century America. He possessed diverse skills and interests, which he employed in the varied fields of literature, science, business, and government. He was, among other things, an author, printer, scientist, inventor, and public servant.

Franklin was one of the prominent Founding Fathers of the United States, and he became a skilled politician, statesman, and diplomat. His public service included city and state roles, delegate to the Continental Congress, as well as America’s first postmaster general and federal diplomatic posts in England and France.

Franklin’s wise and witty quotations on wide-ranging topics are timeless. Here are seven of my favorites.  

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

It’s remarkable that Franklin had no formal education beyond age ten. However, he was an avid reader, enthusiastic writer, and consummate learner. His work in his family’s business coupled with a dedication to self-education ultimately led to success in many endeavors. He knew from personal experience that life was a great teacher and knowledge yielded abundant benefits. He eventually received honorary degrees from prestigious institutions including Harvard and Yale.

When I mentor people, I tell them, “If you choose not to be a learner—and that is a choice—then you should not expect any significant growth.” I have formal degrees, but I attribute much of what I have accomplished to personal development through self-study and intentional learning.

My best advice to everyone: dedicate yourself to life-long learning. The advantages are incalculable.

“You may delay, but time will not.”

Most of us delay doing things occasionally. However, chronic procrastination can limit productivity and result in substandard performance.

Mason Cooley said, “Procrastination makes easy things hard, hard things harder.” An impending deadline may increase stress, and working too quickly can lead to mistakes and a mediocre result.

Regardless of how often you procrastinate and for whatever reasons, time does not wait for you to act. There is no “pause button” to suspend time. And, there may be significant consequences for missing a deadline.

Some people also defer their dreams and long-term goals. Months, years, even decades may pass without action. Rather than dreams realized, they have only regrets.

Don’t delay when you can do it today. FYI…only 81 days left in this year after today.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

You should prepare to increase the likelihood of success. Not everything requires an elaborate plan, of course. However, thoughtful planning can be helpful for important activities. For significant projects with critical outcomes, complex plans and extensive preparations are often required to ensure success.

Without adequate preparation—a level appropriate to the activity and required outcome—the probability of failure is increased. Students study. Athletes practice. Performers rehearse. Soldiers train. Anyone wanting success should prepare for it.

Plan, but be flexible. Prussian military commander Helmuth von Moltke is credited with articulating the principle that no plan survives contact with the enemy. Things will happen. Learn to adjust.

The sage advice here is: plan and prepare.

“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do.”

You read it. You can understand it. I don’t need to elaborate.

“Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.”

Sir Ken Robinson said, “If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.”

The fear of failure is another cause of procrastination, and it’s a reason that some people have no intention of even trying. For some, failure is a horror; they cannot tolerate it.

However, for any activity, there are only two possible outcomes: complete success or something less. We know, of course, that there are countless degrees of success and failure.

Small errors, big mistakes, awkward gaffes, embarrassing blunders, disappointing losses.

And, achievements, successes, victories. Wins big and small.

If you do much in life, you will experience all of these. When you do, learn, grow, continue.

“Those that won't be counseled can't be helped.”

No one knows everything, although some think they do. Your personal development requires learning, and that requires you to be teachable. You can’t learn and develop if you’re not willing to be taught, counseled, and coached. A secret of success: mentors have mentors.

Through the years, I’ve had employees that either had difficulty taking counsel or rejected it outright. The former struggled and the latter failed due to substandard performance.

A person with a teachable disposition and a willingness to accept and learn from wise counsel will go far in life. A talented and gifted person who rejects advice and guidance may achieve some measure of success, but they will not realize their full potential.

Welcome and value wise counsel from those willing to help you succeed.

“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”

Happiness is a right but not a guarantee. Challenging life situations or extreme hardship can make happiness difficult to recognize or confess.

In last week’s article, 7 Favorite Dale Carnegie Quotes, I included his quotation, “Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.”

And, I wrote, “external conditions are not reliable sources of happiness,” but, “you can establish your level of happiness by programming and controlling your mental attitude.”

Don’t allow external environments, your present condition, or your current circumstances to steal your happiness.

Do learn to be contented and grateful for your blessings—all the things that are good and right in your life.

And, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, catch happiness for yourself.

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Resources

• Listen to author narrate this article here.
• Get a PDF of this article here. Use the content for discussion with your colleagues in a team meeting or in class with your students.
• Learn more about Benjamin Franklin here.
• These quotes and more can be found at www.brainyquote.com.
• You may also enjoy 7 Favorite Quotes from Stephen Covey and Earl Nightingale.

Gary J. Lanham is an analyst in the Learning Group at OneMain Financial and an experienced manager, trainer, and presenter. He received his MBA from Winthrop University where he volunteers as a mentor in the Mentoring Business Minds program in the College of Business Administration. Gary helps people develop effective personal work styles by focusing on organization, prioritization, workflow, and time management. Follow Gary on LinkedIn or Twitter @GaryJLanham. Contact him at [email protected].

Learn more about Winthrop University at www.winthrop.edu. Follow on Twitter @winthropu.

Keywords:

#BenFranklin #BenjaminFranklin #failure #happiness #learning #personaldevelopment #planning #procrastination #self-education #success