The Way To Wealth

Benjamin Franklin's
"The Way to Wealth"
Courteous Reader,
I have heard that nothing gives an author so great pleasure, as to find his works
respectfully quoted by other learned authors. This pleasure I have seldom
enjoyed; for tho' I have been, if I may say it without vanity, an eminent author
of almanacs annually now a full quarter of a century, my brother authors in the
same way, forwhat reason I know not, have ever been very sparing in their
applauses; and no other author has taken the least notice of me, so that did not
my writings produce me some solid pudding, the great deficiency of praise
would have quite discouraged me.
I concluded at length, that the people were the best judges of my merit; for they
buy my works; and besides, in my rambles, where I am not personallyknown, I
have frequently heard one or other of my adages repeated, with,as Poor Richard
says, at the end on't; this gave me some satisfaction, as it showed not only that
my instructions were regarded, but discovered likewise some respect for my
authority; and I own, that to encourage the practice of remembering and
repeating those wise sentences, I have sometimes quoted myself with greatgravity.
Judge then how much I must have been gratified by an incident I am going to
relate to you. I stopped my horse lately where a great number of people were
collected at a vendue of merchant goods. The hour of sale not being come, they
were conversing on the badness of the times, and one of the company called to a
plain clean old man, with white locks, "Pray, Father Abraham, what think youof
the times? Won't these heavy taxes quite ruin the country? How shall we be
ever able to pay them? What would you advise us to?" Father Abraham stood
up, and replied, "If you'd have my advice, I'll give it you in short, for a word to
the wise is enough, and many words won't fill a bushel, as Poor Richard says."
They joined in desiring him to speak his mind, and gathering round him, heproceeded as follows:
"Friends, says he, and neighbors, the taxes are indeed very heavy, and if those
laid on by the government were the only ones we had to pay, we might more
easily discharge them; but we have many others, and much more grievous to
some of us. We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by
our pride, and four times as much by our folly, and from these taxesthe
commissioners cannot ease or deliver us by allowing an abatement. However let
us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us; God helps them
that help themselves, as Poor Richard says, in his almanac of 1733.
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"It would be thought a hard government that should tax its people one tenth
part of their time, to be employed in its service. But idleness taxes many of us
muchmore, if we reckon all that is spent in absolute sloth, or doing of nothing,
with that which is spent in idle employments or amusements, that amount to
nothing. Sloth,by bringing on diseases, absolutely shortens life. Sloth, like rust,
consumes faster than labor wears, while the used key is always bright, as Poor
Richard says. But dost thou love life, then do not squander time, for that's thestuff life is made of, as Poor Richard says. How much more than is necessary do
we spend in sleep! forgetting that the sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that
there will be sleeping enough in the grave, as Poor Richard says.
f time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be, as Poor Richard
says, the greatest prodigality, since, as he elsewhere tells us, lost time is never
foundagain, and what we call time-enough, always proves little enough: let us
then be up and be doing, and doing to the purpose; so by diligence shall we do
more with less perplexity. Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy, as
Poor Richard says; and he that riseth late, must trot all day, and shall scarce
overtake his business at night. While laziness travels so slowly, that...