Philadelphia, PA…Our Favorite Founding Father is Ben Franklin. He didn’t just help found our country during the 1776 era.   For two generations before he helped sell concepts of Freedom, Self-Determination & Inalienable rights. From 1733 to 1758 Poor Richards Almanac helped create the unique American identity in a homey, common sense, aspirational way. A few Bits of Wisdom from 1737…

At the working man’s house hunger looks in but dares not enter.
A Penny sav’d is Twopence clear, A pin a day is a Groat a Year. Save & have. Every little makes a mickle.
The greatest monarch on the proudest throne, is oblig’d to sit upon his own arse.
The Master piece of Man, is to live to the purpose.
He that steals the old man’s supper, do’s him no wrong.
A countryman between 2 Lawyers, is like a fish between two cats.
He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.
The miser’s cheese is the wholesomest.
Love & lordship hate companions.
The nearest way to come at glory, is to do that for conscience which we do for glory.
He that can compose himself, is wiser than he that composes books.
Poor Dick, eats like a well man, and drinks like a sick.
After crosses and losses men grow humbler and wiser.
Love, Cough, & a Smoke, can’t be well hid.
Well done is better than well said.
No better relation than a prudent & faithful Friend.
The worst wheel of the cart makes the most noise.

For 6l. a year, you may have Use of 100l. a year, if you are a Man of known Prudence and Honesty.
He that spends a Groat a day idly, spends idly above 6l. a year, which is the Price of using 100l.
He that wastes idly a Groat’s worth of his Time per Day, one day with another, wastes the Privilege of using 100l. each Day.
The use of Money is all the Advantage there is in having Money.
He that idly loses 5s. worth of time, loses 5s. and might as prudently throw 5s. in the River.
He that loses 5s. not only loses that Sum, but all the Advantage that might be made by turning it in Dealing, which by the time that a young Man becomes old, amounts to a comfortable Bag of Mony.
Again, He that sells upon Credit, asks a Price for what he sells, equivalent to the Principal and Interest of his Money for the Time he is like to be kept out of it: therefore
He that buys upon Credit, pays Interest for what he buys.
And He that pays ready Money, might let that Money out to use: so that
He that possesses any Thing he has bought, pays Interest for the Use of it.
Consider then, when you are tempted to buy any unnecessary Householdstuff, or any superfluous thing, whether you will be willing to pay Interest, and Interest upon Interest for it as long as you live; and more if it grows worse by using.
Yet, in buying Goods, ’tis best to pay ready Money, because, He that sells upon Credit, expects to lose 5 per Cent, by bad Debts; therefore he charges, on all he sells upon Credit, an Advance that shall make up that Deficiency.
Those who pay for what they buy upon Credit, pay their share of this Advance.
He that pays ready Money, escapes or may escape that Charge.
There is much money given to be laught at, though the purchases don’t know it; witness A’s fine horse, & B’s fine house.
He that can travel well afoot, keeps a good horse.
There are no ugly Loves, nor handsome Prisons.
A Traveller should have a hog’s nose, deer’s legs,
and an ass’s back.
A good Lawyer is a bad Neighbour.
Certainlie these things agree, the Priest, the Lawyer, & Death all three: Death takes both the weak and the strong.
The lawyer takes from both right and wrong, and the priest from the living and the dead has his Fee.
Don’t misinform your Docter nor your Lawyer.
I never saw an oft-transplanted tree, nor yet an oft-removed family, that throve so well as those that settled be.
Three good meals a day is bad living.
To whom thy secret thou dost tell, to him thy freedom thou dost sell.
If you’d have a Servant that you like, serve your self.
He that pursues two Hares at once, does not catch one and lets t’other go.
If you have time don’t wait for time.
Tell a miser he’s rich, and a woman she’s old, you’ll get no money of one, nor kindness of t’other.
Don’t go to the doctor with every distemper, nor to the lawyer with every quarrel, nor to the pot for every thirst.
The Creditors are a superstitious sect, great observers of set days and times.
Nothing so popular as GOODNESS.