It might be judged an affront to your understanding should I go about to prove this first principle; the existence of a Diety and that He is the Creator of the universe, for that would suppose you ignorant of what all mankind in all ages have agreed in.

Benjamin Franklin

Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.

Benjamin Franklin

independent freedom science

The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity.

Benjamin Franklin

forgiveness respect positive

War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is.

Benjamin Franklin

guy government war

When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

Benjamin Franklin

giving-up believe country

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.

Benjamin Franklin

patriotic independent leadership

He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security.

Benjamin Franklin

conservative liberty politics

Little minds think and talk about people.

Benjamin Franklin

average ideas thinking

Make yourself sheep and the wolves will eat you.

Benjamin Franklin

fear sheep inspirational

If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.

Benjamin Franklin

freedom success thinking

Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech; which is the right of every man as far as by it he does not hurt or control the right of another; and this is the only check it ought to suffer and the only bounds it ought to know.... Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech, a thing terrible to traitors.

Benjamin Franklin

freedom wisdom hurt

Common sense is something that everyone needs, few have, and none think they lack.

Benjamin Franklin

common-sense needs thinking

Women are books, and men the readers be.

Benjamin Franklin

reader men book

How do you become better tomorrow? By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid of standing still. Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you. So how do you become better tomorrow? By becoming better today.

Benjamin Franklin

becoming-better mistake world

The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.

Benjamin Franklin

government guarantees happiness

I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion about the means. 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.

Benjamin Franklin

government mean thinking

I never knew a man who was good at making excuses who was good at anything else.

Benjamin Franklin

dare excuse men

Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.

Benjamin Franklin

patriotic justice inspirational

Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.

Benjamin Franklin

4th-of-july law men

Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see.

Benjamin Franklin

half belief believe

Beer is proof that God wants us to be happy

Benjamin Franklin

proof want beer