The Way to Wealth: Time and Industry

Benjamin Franklin was a printer, a scientist and one of the founders of the United States, but for twenty-five years he was best known for a cheap little yearly book called Poor Richard’s Almanack.Each year it was full of short, clever sayings about work and money, written as if by an imaginary poor man named Richard.In 1758 Franklin collected the best of them into one speech, given by a wise old man at a crowded auction.In the story, people waiting for the sale to begin complain about hard times and heavy taxes, and ask a plain, white-haired old man called Father Abraham for his advice.

“Friends, the taxes are indeed very heavy, but we have others that are much worse. 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 no government can lower these taxes for us.Still, let us listen to good advice, and something may be done for us, for ‘God helps them that help themselves,’ as Poor Richard says.

Idleness takes far more of our time than any government would dare to ask. ‘Laziness, like rust, eats away faster than work wears out, while the used key is always bright.’Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff life is made of. ‘Lost time is never found again, and what we call time enough always proves little enough.’‘Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.’

So why wish and hope for better times? We can make these times better if we stir ourselves. ‘He that lives upon hope will die fasting. There are no gains without pains.’You may have found no treasure, and no rich relative may have left you money, but ‘Diligence is the mother of good luck.’‘One today is worth two tomorrows,’ and ‘Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.’Handle your tools without gloves, for ‘the cat in gloves catches no mice.’ Keep at it steadily, and you will see great results, for ‘little strokes fell great oaks.’”