Benjamin Quotes

Contentment makes a poor person rich and discontent makes a rich person poor.

Learn of the skillful; he that teaches himself, has a fool for his master.

Pride breakfasted with plenty, dined with poverty, and supped with infamy.

Life is a kind of Chess, with struggle, competition, good and ill events.

Men take more pains to mask than mend.

Blame-all and Praise-all are two blockheads.

Speak with contempt of none, from slave to king, The meanest Bee hath, and will use, a sting.

Many have quarreled about religion that never practice it.

The things which hurt, instruct.

A full Belly makes a dull Brain: The Muses starve in a Cook's Shop.

The poor man must walk to get meat for his stomach, the rich man to get a stomach to his meat.

Fear to do ill, and you need fear else.

Teach your child to hold his tongue; he'll learn fast enough to speak.

Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee.

The two most beautiful sights I have witnessed in my life are a full blown ship at sail and the round-bellied pregnant female.

In prosperous fortunes be modest and wise, The greatest may fall, and the lowest may rise: But insolent People that fall in disgrace, Are wretched and nobody pities their Case.

Chess is so interesting in itself, as not to need the view of gain to induce engaging in it; and thence it is never played for money

He that drinks fast, pays slow.

Those who would trade in their freedom for their protection deserve neither.

The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation. The universe is too full of stars.

I was surprised to find myself so much fuller of Faults than I had imagined, but I had the Satisfaction of seeing them diminish.

You can bear your own faults, and why not a fault in your wife?

He who gives up freedom for safety deserves neither.

We are not so sensible of the greatest Health as of the least Sickness.

Here comes the orator with his flood of words and his drop of reason.

Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water.

I am in the prime of senility.

A virtuous heretic shall be saved before a wicked Christian.

Would you persuade, speak of interest, not of reason.

Some men grow mad by studying much to know, But who grows mad by studying good to grow.

It is ill-manners to silence a fool and cruelty to let him go on

Many a long dispute among divines may be thus abridged: It is so; It is not so. It is so; it is not so.

Some of the domestic evils of drunkenness are houses without windows, gardens without fences, fields without tillage, barns without roofs, children without clothing, principles, morals or manners.

Snowy winter, a plentiful harvest.

If any man flatters me, I'll flatter him again; tho' he were my best Friend.

An ounce of wit that is bought, Is worth a pound that is taught.

A little House well fill'd, a little Field well till'd, and a little Wife well will'd, are great Riches.

Stand firm, don't flutter!

Virtue may not always make a Face handsome, but Vice will certainly make it ugly.

Idleness and pride tax with a heavier hand than kings and parliaments. If we can get rid of the former, we may easily bear the latter.

There have been as great souls unknown to fame as any of the most famous.

There are more old drunkards than old doctors.

Be not niggardly of what costs thee nothing, as courtesy, counsel, & countenance.

Look round the habitable world, how few Know their own good, or, knowing it, pursue!

The only certain things in life are death and taxes!

There's no gain, without pain.

Electrical matter differs from common matter in this, that the parts of the latter mutually attract, those of the former mutually repel each other.

Buy what thou hast no need of and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessities.

If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both.

Hast thou virtue? acquire also the graces and beauties of virtue.