Poor Richard's Almanack
My notes
“Who is rich? He that is content. Who is strong? He that can conquer his bad habits. Who is wise? He that learns from everyone.”
Be content, conquer bad habits, learn from everyone.
“You can bear your own faults, and why not a fault in your wife.”
You have faults, same your wife, why don’t you tolerate them?
“Gifts much expected, are paid, not given.”
Gifts that have been expected are paid, not given.
“Drive thy business or it will drive thee.”
Either you drive your business, or someone else’s business with drive you
“An old young man will be a young old man.”
If you act as being old (wise) when you are young, you will be young (happy) when being old.
“Virtue and happiness are mother and daughter.”
Like rebellious and freedom, honesty and peace, openness and wisdom, diligence and success
“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”
Don’t change friends often
“Be not niggardly of what costs thee nothing, as courtesy, counsel, and countenance.”
Be courtesy, counsel, and countenance to people, it costs you nothing, it gives them all lot.
“A temper to bear much, will have much to bear.”
If you tolerate much, you will have much to tolerate
“‘Tis great confidence in a friend to tell him your faults, greater to tell him his.”
Telling your own faults to your friend requires confidence, but telling him his even more.
“Ambition often spends foolishly what avarice had wickedly collected.”
Hardly rarning money on vape tool, then spending it on cryptocurrencies foolishly
“He is not well-bred, that cannot bear ill-breeding in others.”
If you can not stand someone’s ill-breeding, you are not well-bred either.
“There are three things extremely hard, steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self”
“It’s ill manner to silence fool, and cruelty to let him go on.”
It’s better to silence a fool, than let him speak.
“Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”
“Of learned fools I have seen ten times ten; of unlearned wise man I have seen hundred”
The wise is in simplicity, not complexity
“He that builds before count the cost acts foolishly; and he that counts before he build finds he did not count wisely.”
Make a plan, make a prototype, prepare, count before building.
“Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others”
You are not dressing for yourself, but to others, respect that, and dress well.
“Sudden power is apt to be shameless, sudden liberty saucy; that behaves best which has grown gradually.”
“He that can bear reproof, and mend by it, if he is not wise, is in a fair way of being so.”
“An empty bag cannot stand upright.”
“Hear reason, or she’ll make you feel her.”
“Approve not of him that commends all you say.”
Be wary of people who praises of everything you say.
“He’s the best physician that knows the worthlessness of the most medicines.”
“Read much, but not many books.”
“Where there’s marriage without love, there will be love without marriage.”
“Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.”
“Ill company is like a dog who dirts those most, that he loves best.”
“I have never seen philosopher’s stone that turns lead onto gold, but I have known the pursuit of it turns a man’s gold into lead.”
Pursuing wealth, can strip the best in you
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
“No gains without pains”
“Love your enemies for they tell you your faults.”
“Lost time is never found again.”
“At 20 years of age the will reigns; at thirty the wit; at 40 the judgment.”
“Don’t judge of men’s wealth or piety, by their Sunday appearances.”
Nor by his (likely) rented car or house.
“A man without a wife is but half a man.”
“One to-day is worth two to-morrows.”
“If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone.”
“If man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.”
“He that pursues two hares at once does not catch one, and let t’other go.”
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time; for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
“For want of the nail, the shoe is lost; for want of the shoe, the horse is lost; for want of the horse, the rider is lost.”
“Genius without education is like silver in the mine.”
“He that is rich need not live sparingly, and he that can live sparingly, need not be rich”
“He that cannot obey cannot command.”
“He that best understands the world, least likes it.”
“Liberty is not giving much, but giving wisely.”
“Beware of little expenses, a small leak will sink a great ship.”
But also “beware of being penny-wise, and dollar-foolish”
“As you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth doing”
If you want to last longer than your body. Either write things worth reading or do things worth doing