Tag Archives: Benjamin Franklin

He Said That? 4/2/16

From Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), Founding Father of the United States, renowned polymath, author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat (and you seriously think there’s not enough hours in your day), Information to Those Who Would Remove to America (1782):

Much less is it adviseable for a Person to go thither [to America], who has no other Quality to recommend him but his Birth. In Europe it has indeed its Value; but it is a Commodity that cannot be carried to a worse Market than that of America, where people do not inquire concerning a Stranger, What is he? but, What can he do?

He Said That? 6/1/15

An appropriate quote from Benjamin Franklin in light of the debate on the reauthorization of Section 215 of the Patriot Act (see “The Redemption of Rand Paul,” SLL, 6/1/15):

Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.

He Said That? 3/17/15

In this day and age, Benjamin Franklin could probably get arrested for the following statement, not because it isn’t true, but because it is:

“I am for doing good to the poor, but…I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed…that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”