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Home > Dictionary of Science Quotations > Scientist Names Index F > Benjamin Franklin Quotes > Life

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Benjamin Franklin
(17 Jan 1706 - 17 Apr 1790)

American statesman, scientist, inventor, diplomat, author, printer and publisher known for his electrical experiment, the Franklin stove, bifocal eyeglasses and the lightning rod. Less well know are his efforts establishing public amenities, including a fire company, library, and hospital.


Benjamin Franklin Quotes on Life (7 quotes)

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Do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of.
— Benjamin Franklin
…...
Science quotes on:  |  Do (1905)  |  Life (1870)  |  Squander (3)  |  Stuff (24)  |  Time (1911)

Eat to live, and not live to eat.
— Benjamin Franklin
In Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733).
Science quotes on:  |  Diet (56)  |  Eat (108)  |  Eating (46)  |  Life (1870)  |  Live (650)

The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired or strengthened by it so as to become habits ready on all occasions.
— Benjamin Franklin
In The Morals of Chess. As quoted in The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle (1787), 590.
Science quotes on:  |  Acquire (46)  |  Acquired (77)  |  Amusement (37)  |  Become (821)  |  Chess (27)  |  Course (413)  |  Game (104)  |  Habit (174)  |  Human (1512)  |  Human Life (32)  |  Idle (34)  |  Life (1870)  |  Merely (315)  |  Mind (1377)  |  Occasion (87)  |  Ready (43)  |  Strengthen (25)  |  Useful (260)  |  Value (393)

There seem to be but three ways for a nation to acquire wealth: the first is by war, as the Romans did, in plundering their conquered neighbors—this is robbery; the second by commerce, which is generally cheating; the third by agriculture, the only honest way, wherein man receives a real increase of the seed thrown into the ground, in a kind of continual miracle, wrought by the hand of God in his favor, as a reward for his innocent life and his virtuous industry.
— Benjamin Franklin
In 'Positions to be Examined', The Works of Benjamin Franklin Consisting of Essays, Humorous, Moral and Literary (1824), 241.
Science quotes on:  |  Acquire (46)  |  Agriculture (78)  |  Cheat (13)  |  Cheating (2)  |  Commerce (23)  |  Conquer (39)  |  Continual (44)  |  Favor (69)  |  First (1302)  |  God (776)  |  Ground (222)  |  Honest (53)  |  Increase (225)  |  Industry (159)  |  Innocent (13)  |  Kind (564)  |  Life (1870)  |  Man (2252)  |  Miracle (85)  |  Nation (208)  |  Plunder (6)  |  Real (159)  |  Receive (117)  |  Reward (72)  |  Robbery (6)  |  Roman (39)  |  Seed (97)  |  Throw (45)  |  Virtuous (9)  |  War (233)  |  Way (1214)  |  Wealth (100)

To inquisitive minds like yours and mine the reflection that the quantity of human knowledge bears no proportion to the quantity of human ignorance must be in one view rather pleasing, viz., that though we are to live forever we may be continually amused and delighted with learning something new.
— Benjamin Franklin
In letter to Dr. Ingenhouz. Quoted in Theodore Diller, Franklin's Contribution to Medicine (1912), 65. The source gives no specific cite for the letter, and Webmaster has found the quote in no other book checked, so authenticity is in question.
Science quotes on:  |  Amusement (37)  |  Bear (162)  |  Continually (17)  |  Delight (111)  |  Forever (111)  |  Human (1512)  |  Ignorance (254)  |  Inquisitiveness (6)  |  Knowledge (1647)  |  Learning (291)  |  Life (1870)  |  Live (650)  |  Mind (1377)  |  Mine (78)  |  Must (1525)  |  New (1273)  |  Proportion (140)  |  Quantity (136)  |  Reflection (93)  |  Something (718)  |  View (496)

To lengthen thy Life, lessen thy Meals.
— Benjamin Franklin
In Poor Richard's Almanack (1733).
Science quotes on:  |  Diet (56)  |  Food (213)  |  Lessening (3)  |  Life (1870)  |  Meal (19)

Wouldst thou enjoy a long Life, a healthy Body, and a vigorous Mind, and be acquainted also with the wonderful Works of God? labour in the first place to bring thy Appetite into Subjection to Reason.
— Benjamin Franklin
In Poor Richard's Almanack (1742).
Science quotes on:  |  Acquaintance (38)  |  Appetite (20)  |  Body (557)  |  Diet (56)  |  Enjoyment (37)  |  First (1302)  |  God (776)  |  Health (210)  |  Healthy (70)  |  Labor (200)  |  Life (1870)  |  Long (778)  |  Mind (1377)  |  Reason (766)  |  Subjection (2)  |  Vigour (18)  |  Wonder (251)  |  Wonderful (155)  |  Work (1402)


See also:
  • 17 Jan - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Franklin's birth.
  • Benjamin Franklin - context of quote “Dangerous... to take shelter under a tree, during a thunder-gust” - Medium image (500 x 350 px)
  • Benjamin Franklin - context of quote “Dangerous... to take shelter under a tree, during a thunder-gust” - Large image (800 x 600 px)
  • Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, by Walter Isaacson. - book suggestion.
  • Booklist for Benjamin Franklin.

Carl Sagan Thumbnail In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) -- Carl Sagan
Quotations by:Albert EinsteinIsaac NewtonLord KelvinCharles DarwinSrinivasa RamanujanCarl SaganFlorence NightingaleThomas EdisonAristotleMarie CurieBenjamin FranklinWinston ChurchillGalileo GalileiSigmund FreudRobert BunsenLouis PasteurTheodore RooseveltAbraham LincolnRonald ReaganLeonardo DaVinciMichio KakuKarl PopperJohann GoetheRobert OppenheimerCharles Kettering  ... (more people)

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