Poor Richard's almanack
Benjamin Franklin
December 28,2025
I love poor Richard’s almanack specifically because the wisdom hidden within the words is malleable and every time I come back to read it I take something new based on my life experiences since then. This book has become part of this meditative 1 - 2 hours I spend every 6 months. and I can definitively say that this is a must read for everyone.
The first time I read it, I was surprised by how many of the common sayings such as “haste makes waste”, “Early to bed, early to rise” have their root in this book. I believe this is a book that is a character study and a philosophy of life.
This is also the rise of the “American self help” being used to move society, being the first of its kind self help. Originally after traveling to Europe as a failed print maker and merchant, benjamin franklin wrote this book to kick start his printing business.
While I don’t like to put stuff in boxes and normalize them. for brevity I like putting them in 4 broad category.
Industry
The first major theme of the Almanack is “Industry”—a word we rarely use today, which means constant, productive effort. Franklin was obsessed with time management long before productivity apps existed.
To Poor Richard, time is the scarcest resource we have. Wasting money is bad, but wasting time is a sin because time can never be recovered.
Quotes I like
Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What’s a sun-dial in the shade?
He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night.
Trouble springs from idleness, and grievous toil from needless ease.
takeaway Action beats contemplation. You can have the greatest potential in the world (the sun-dial), but it is useless if you don’t put yourself in the light and get to work. this is in line with the newer trends of saying “you can just do things” all we have in this life is our time and capacity to make something useful for others without that there is no point.
Frugality
Franklin is often misremembered as a miser. But in the Almanack, he doesn’t preach frugality for the sake of hoarding gold. He preaches frugality for the sake of liberty, being free of the stresses of life. In my mind it is a very stoician view of being detached from wealth, foppery and their results. But being aware advancing oneself with what little we have is where happiness is derived from
Franklin viewed debt as a form of slavery. If you owe another man money, you cannot look him in the eye; you cannot speak your truth. Spending less than you earn isn’t a financial strategy it’s a survival tactic for your dignity.
Quotes I like
Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.
The borrower is slave to the lender, and the debtor to the creditor.
If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.
takeaway
Financial independence is the only path to personal freedom. Earning money is only half the battle; having the discipline to keep it is the other half.
Social Dynamics
A lot of advice in this direction are deeply cynical about human nature. This might have been drawn from Benjamin Franklin deriving a lot of it from his experience dealing with multiple failures early in his career.
The Almanack is filled with warnings about the fragility of reputation and the fickleness of friends. Franklin advises a sort of “defensive pessimism”. Be kind to your neighbors, but don’t trust them with everything.
Quotes I like
Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
Visits should be short, like a winter’s day. Lest you’re too troublesome, hasten away.
Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.
takeaway:
Success requires emotional intelligence. You must guard your tongue, manage your reputation, and realize that your enemies are often more useful than your friends—because your enemies are the only ones honest enough to tell you where you are messing up.
Virtue as a Strategy
In many philosophical texts, virtue is an abstract “good.” You should be good because it is the right thing to do.
Benjamin Portrays virtue as a tool. Franklin suggests that being a good person is actually the most selfish thing you can do, because it pays the best dividends in the long run. I like this because, I’m a strong believer in Competitive altruism, where for human interaction to scale in any meaningful way, you need to be altruistic.
Quotes I like
Honesty is the best policy. (Note the word policy—it is a strategic choice).
Search others for their virtues, thy self for thy vices.
Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended.
takeaway: Character is a form of capital. If people trust you, they will do business with you. If they respect you, they will help you. Being a “good person” is a prerequisite for lasting success.