Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is one of America’s Founding Fathers. He died April 17, 1790, less than one year after George Washington was sworn in as our nation’s first president. Certainly there are other Founding Fathers about which most of us know very little. Franklin stands out because he lived what he wrote, "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing."

At age 12 he began an apprenticeship at his brother’s printing business in Boston but left his family at age 17 and moved to Philadelphia. The following year he moved to London to continue his training as a printer. At age 23 he was back in Philadelphia and owner of the Pennsylvania Gazette.

Three years later Benjamin Franklin began publishing Poor Richard: An Almanack, which he published for 26 years. During that time he also served as Postmaster of Philadelphia, proposed the creation of the University of Pennsylvania, founded the first American fire insurance company and flew a kite. And I’ll betcha a dime to a donut that more people know about the kite-flying than anything else he did. Sadder still is the number of people who look at a $100 bill and say, "Who’s that old man?" Others may see the Nehru-style collar and long hair and think he’s from the 1960’s instead of the 1760’s.

A Favorite Ben Franklin Quote

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain and most fools do." (continued below)

Direct From the Horse’s ***

I’ll allow you intelligent people to decide which end of the horse applies. Ben Franklin would have been proud.

Cows pass carbon dioxide when "they do what they do"? Well, let’s see what the folks over at Pop Culture said about it.

And, finally, another example of my favorite quote of ME, "Those who fail to learn from history are stupid."

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