Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack

by Benjamin Franklin

First published in 1732 by Benjamin Franklin when he was just 26, Poor Richard's Almanack was issued annually for the next 25 years. Extremely popular with readers of the day, the Almanack was a fascinating compilation of weather predictions, recipes, jokes, and delightful aphorisms - many representing Franklin's common-sense philosophy, and others, proverbs from the past.

This handy little volume presents hundreds of these charming maxims, carefully selected from a number of Franklin's "almanacks." Arranged in nearly 30 categories (eating and drinking, men, women, and marriage; friendship; money and frugalitiy; religion; professions and occupations, etc.), they include suck familiar phrases as:

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Haste makes waste.
Love your Neighbour; yet don't pull down your Hedge.
He that lies down with Dogs, shall rise up with fleas.
Hunger never saw bad bread.
He's a Fool that makes his Doctor his Heir.
He that has not got a Wife, is not yet a compleat Man.

An ideal sourcebook for writers, public speakers, and students, this practical and entertaining little book will also delight general reads with its rich store of time-honored fold wisdom.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Philosophy, Classics, Biography, Poetry, Humor

64 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 1999

About the author

Benjamin Franklin was a writer, a philosopher, a scientist, a politician, a patriot, a Founding Father, an inventor, and publisher. He helped with the founding of the United States of America and changed the world with his discoveries about electricity. His writings such as Poor Richards' Almanac have provided wisdom for 17 years to the colonies.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who collects quotes, I think this is fairly regarded as a requirement, but it is not as enjoyable, at least in my opinion, as the The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain which is also published as a Dover Thrift Edition and collects diverse Twain quotes from myriad resources. Still, that is a matter of preference and I find this book a capable and necessary addition for anyone fond of quotes on myriad topics. Definitely one to keep on hand when one needs a great historically centered quote master at hand.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good advice and also some laugh-out-loud moments. Ben Franklin was an interesting dude, to be sure.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. An entertaining read that had me snicker, nodding my head, wrinkling my brow, and snorting. This was a fifty-fifty read for me. Since some of the sayings were from a different era I didn't understand all of them. I did like this book. It was a quick read as there weren't a ton of them. Something good for passing time or for the 'coffee table' read. It was a fun little book to read and has me a little interested in looking for more. I liked the size of the book though and the intro was very informative (since I had no idea about any of this) and short enough and easy to read that I didn't feel like I was back in school. There were a few that I just had to write down! ;) A fun and quick read. Enjoy

[Shadowzzz3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An EXTREMELY fast read yet well worth the hidden gems within. This is a book to read very quickly once through and then remember the gemstones amid the chaff for later and find my precious nuggets when you pick the book up sometime later.

[Michael Percy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book includes hundreds of quotes from Poor Richard's Almanack, published annually by Benjamin Franklin and lasting some 25 years. Franklin admitted that he had "borrowed" some of the maxims, but the Almanack seems to have created many a household saying. It is always interesting to find one of the sources of "folk wisdom" and familiar sayings for which we take the origin for granted. I have been using La Rochefoucauld's Maxims for some time as a prompt for my daily journalling, and as I near the end of his maxims, I anticipate substituting Franklin's maxims once I am done with La Rochefoucauld. What is surprising about Franklin's maxims is the sheer breadth of topics - and of course, this volume is but a few of the best from the many issues of the Almanack. Some have a Christian bent, for example:

When you taste Honey, remember Gall.

Some recall Arabic sayings:

Fish and visitors stink after three days.

Others consider the "no contest" between science and religion:

The way to see by Faith is to shut the Eye of Reason; The Morning Daylight appears plainer when you put out your Candle

And even some leadership lessons:

He that cannot obey, cannot command.

This work is part of the Dover Thrift Series and I have others including Oscar Wilde and Abraham Lincoln to read. While technically not a "book", I find such lists of maxims easiest to digest if one reads through the list first, and then takes each in turn as a trigger for reflection. One of the most interesting quotes makes me wonder whether Franklin's self-teaching (minus the social capital of those who win the birth lottery) had similar limitations to my own:

Write with the learned, pronounce with the vulgar.

I found the after-effects of these maxims long lasting. There is so much in such a short book. That Franklin thought long and hard about his personal philosophy is obvious. If I were to sum up this philosophy in one maxim, it would be this:

A long Life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.

The strangest thing for me was that I read this while taking a break from reading St Teresa's Interior Castle. That much folk wisdom emanates from St Teresa's masterpiece is obvious, albeit more readily digestible when written by Poor Richard.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helps shape childhoods.

[Rebekah Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting read.

[Shelby Wiederin · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick easy read for a Monday morning

[Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good quotes.

[Rachel Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful set of quotations from Poor Richard's Almanack. I enjoyed quite a few of them, though some of them are a bit antiquated and so take a touch more reasoning out.

[Dr. SUMIT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional read

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and simple read. It's nice to read from the wisdom Dr. Franklin.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by Benjamin Franklin is a short book that contains hundreds of quotes and sayings from various editions of Franklin’s almanacks. Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack was issued annually for 25 years beginning in 1732. It was very popular among its readers and contained an eclectic mix of weather predictions, jokes, recipes, and life advice in the form of short sayings. This small collection divides the quotes into 29 different categories. I really enjoyed this short book of sayings. It was very interesting to read Benjamin Franklin’s advice and opinions of such a wide variety of topics. Some of my favorite categories/sections in the collection were prosperity and success, self-development, and talking and silence. Even though Franklin’s almanacks were written so long ago, so much of what he says is still applicable and relevant to today. I would recommend this short book to anyone who wants a great quick read, as well as some, as the title suggests, wit and wisdom!

[c_reads_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by Benjamin Franklin is a short book that contains hundreds of quotes and sayings from various editions of Franklin’s almanacks. Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack was issued annually for 25 years beginning in 1732. It was very popular among its readers and contained an eclectic mix of weather predictions, jokes, recipes, and life advice in the form of short sayings. This small collection divides the quotes into 29 different categories. I really enjoyed this short book of sayings. It was very interesting to read Benjamin Franklin’s advice and opinions of such a wide variety of topics. Some of my favorite categories/sections in the collection were prosperity and success, self-development, and talking and silence. Even though Franklin’s almanacks were written so long ago, so much of what he says is still applicable and relevant to today. I would recommend this short book to anyone who wants a great quick read, as well as some, as the title suggests, wit and wisdom!

[Złota Pochodnia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those sneaky classics, I guess, since you read it and recognize like half the clever sayings. I suppose that speaks to the last impact of the book, even though almost no one reads the original text anymore. The monthly poems had a nearly Shakespearean feel, which makes sense, as this was written much more closer to his time than our own. It was by turns funny, inscrutable, and yes, actually wise. It's a super quick read, but might actually benefit from just glancing at a page or two every once in a while and reflecting more deeply on the text.

[Tsang & Associates · Rating 3 out of 5]

For quote books, this is amazing given the day and age in which it was written, but with so many other great quote books and Google search engine, there are better quotes that can be found elsewhere.

Most inspiring quote found:

Hide not your Talents,
they for Use were made.
What’s a Sun-Dial in the Shade!

[Kent R. Spillner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Collection of Quotes from Poor Richard's Almanack

This short book is a collection of pithy sayings and quotes from "Poor Richard's Almanack," organized by topic. It is short enough to read from cover to cover in a single sitting, but each quote is also short enough that you can just randomly flip back and forth between pages and read a few quotes at a time.

[Stiltzkin Vanserine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bursting with wisdom, humor, and candidness, Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack gives the reader a glimpse into the polymathic mind of America's most interesting man.

[Spencer Bonds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Random sayings from Poor Richard’s Almanac, none very insightful

[Sandeep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and thought provoking, with sage advice sprinkled in. Some passages left me scratching my head though. Worth the short read

[harisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Whitney · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good sayings in here, but a lot were hard to understand.

[Michael Cawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful brief collection of the wisdom and wit of Benjamin Franklin

[Jeff Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some common sense from Ben.

[ARoQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it to pad my year end book count but is genuinely a lot of fun, I’m sure I’ll be returning to it frequently for pithy quotables to annoy all.

[Ashish Agrawal · Rating 5 out of 5]

one man has written quotes like a dozen men couldn't
life's every relatable and actionable quote is Benjamin Franklin

[Annaleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was on the poetry list for my 6th grader and I combined with my 4th grader. I enjoyed the conversations. This would be a great dinner table discussion book for people who don't school at home.

[Nathaniel Jamal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Walmart Proverbs

[Eswar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick shots of wit to remind thyself of what is important. Worth an annual read.

Though there seems to be inconsistency, the most important is to choose for yourself how you want to be remembered.

Be good-natured, live a good life.

Just finished my second annual read within six months and wisdom was compounded. On Dignity - love yourself, take care of yourself, trust no one, be diligent.

[Nai Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just.... Fun times. I love this collection of Ben Franklins wit.