Author:

Benjamin Franklin
(1706 -1790)


Title:

The Way to Wealth


Year:

1758


Genre:

Essay


Big Idea:

The Road to Independence


Grade:

11


Country: USA









































Glencoe Literature Classics CD-ROM

Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM 1
The Way to Weath
Benjamin lranklin
Courteous leader,
l lave leard tlat notlin, ,ives an autlor so ,reat pleasure as to find
lis works respectfullv quoted bv otlers. Jud,e, tlen, low mucl l must
lave been ,ratified bv an incident l am ,oin, to relate to vou. l stopped
mv lorse latelv wlere a ,reat number of people were collected at an
auction of merclants ,oods. 1le lour of tle sale not bein, come, tlev
were conversin, on tle badness of tle times; and one of tle companv
called to a plain, clean old man, witl wlite locks, lrav, latler Abralam,
wlat tlink vou of tle times: Will not tlose leavv taxes quite ruin tle
countrv: How slall we ever be able to pav tlem: Wlat would vou advise
us to:" latler Abralam stood up, and replied, lf vou would lave mv
advice, l will ,ive it vou in slort, 'for a word to tle wise is enou,l,' as
loor liclard savs." 1lev joined in desirin, lim to speak lis mind and
,atlerin, round lim, le proceeded as follows:
lriends," savs le, tle taxes are, indeed, verv leavv, and, if tlose laid
on bv tle ,overnment were tle onlv ones le lad to pav, we mi,lt more
easilv disclar,e tlem; but we lave manv otlers, and mucl more ,rievous
to some of us. We are taxed twice as mucl bv our idleness, tlree times as
mucl bv our pride, and four times as mucl bv our follv; and from tlese
taxes tle commissioners cannot ease or deliver us bv allowin, an
abatement. However, let us learken to ,ood advice, and sometlin, mav
be done for us; 'Cod lelps tlem tlat lelp tlemselves,' as loor liclard
savs.
lt would be tlou,lt a lard ,overnment tlat slould tax its people
one-tentl part of tleir time, to be emploved in its service; but idleness
taxes manv of us mucl more; slotl, bv brin,in, on diseases, absolutelv
slortens life. 'Slotl, like rust, consumes faster tlan labor wears, wlile tle
used kev is alwavs bri,lt,' as loor liclard savs. 'But dost tlou love life,
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Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM 2
tlen do not squander time, for tlat is tle stuff life is made of,' as loor
liclard savs. How mucl more tlan is necessarv do we spend in sleep,
for,ettin, tlat 'tle sleepin, fox catcles no poultrv, and tlat tlere will be
sleepin, enou,l in tle ,rave,' as loor liclard savs.
'lf time be of all tlin,s tle most precious, wastin, time must be,' as
loor liclard savs, 'tle ,reatest prodi,alitv,' since, as le elsewlere tells us,
'lost time is never found a,ain; and wlat we call time enou,l alwavs
proves little enou,l.' Let us tlen up and be doin,, and doin, to tle
purpose, so bv dili,ence slall we do more witl less perplexitv. 'Slotl
makes all tlin,s difficult, but industrv all easv; and le tlat risetl late
must trot all dav and slall scarce overtake lis business at ni,lt; wlile
la:iness travels so slowlv tlat povertv soon overtakes lim. Drive tlv
business, let not tlat drive tlee; and earlv to bed and earlv to rise, makes
a man lealtlv, wealtlv, and wise,' as loor liclard savs.
So wlat si,nifies wislin, and lopin, for better times: We mav make
tlese times better if we bestir ourselves. 'lndustrv need not wisl, and le
tlat lives upon lope will die fastin,. 1lere are no ,ains witlout pains;
tlen lelp lands for l lave no lands.' r, if l lave, tlev are smartlv taxed.
'He tlat latl a trade, latl an estate; and le tlat latl a callin,, latl an
office of profit and lonor,' as loor liclard savs. But tlen tle trade must
be worked at, and tle callin, well followed, or neitler tle estate nor tle
office will enable us to pav our taxes. lf we are industrious, we slall never
starve; for, 'at tle workin,man's louse, lun,er looks in but dares not
enter.' Nor will tle bailiff or tle constable enter, for 'industrv pavs debts,
wlile despair increasetl tlem.'
Wlat tlou,l vou lave found no treasure, not las anv ricl relation
left vou a le,acv, 'dili,ence is tle motler of ,ood luck, and Cod ,ives all
tlin,s to industrv. 1len plow deep, wlile slu,,ards sleep, and vou slall
lave corn to sell and to keep.' Work wlile it is called todav, for vou know
not low mucl vou mav be lindered tomorrow. 'ne todav is wortl two
tomorrows,' as loor liclard savs; and furtler, 'never leave tlat till
tomorrow wlicl vou can do todav.'
lf vou were a servant, would vou not be aslamed tlat a ,ood master
slould catcl vou idle: Are vou tlen vour own master: Be aslamed to
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Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM 3
catcl vourself idle wlen tlere is so mucl to be done for vourself, vour
familv, vour countrv, and vour kin,. Handle vour tools witlout mittens;
remember tlat 'tle cat in ,loves catcles no mice,' as loor liclard savs. lt
is true, tlere is mucl to be done, and perlaps vou are weaklanded; but
stick to it steadilv, and vou will see ,reat effects, for 'constant droppin,
wears awav stones; and bv dili,ence and patience tle mouse ate in two
tle cable; and little strokes fell ,reat oaks.'
Metlinks l lear some of vou sav, 'must a man afford limself no
leisure:' l will tell tlee, mv friend, wlat loor liclard savs: 'Lmplov tlv
time well, if tlou meanest to ,ain leisure; and since tlou art not sure of a
minute, tlrow not awav an lour.' Leisure is time for doin, sometlin,
useful; tlis leisure tle dili,ent man will obtain, but tle la:v man never;
for 'a life of leisure and a life of la:iness are two tlin,s. Manv, witlout
labor, would live bv tleir wits onlv, but tlev break for want of stock';
wlereas industrv ,ives comfort and plentv and respect. 'llv pleasures, and
tlev will follow vou. 1le dili,ent spinner las a lar,e slift; and now l lave
a sleep and a cow, evervbodv bids me ,oodmorrow.'
But witl our industrv we must likewise be steadv, settled, and careful,
and oversee our own affairs witl our own eves, and not trust too mucl to
otlers; for, as loor liclard savs,
l never saw an oft-removed tree.
Nor vet an oft-removed familv,
1lat tlrove so well as tlose tlat
settled be.
And a,ain, '1lree removes is as bad as a fire'; and a,ain, 'leep tlv
slop, and tlv slop will keep tlee'; and a,ain, 'lf vou would lave vour
business done, ,o, if not, send'; and a,ain,
He tlat bv tle plou,l would tlrive,
Himself must eitler lold or drive.
The Way to Weath,
Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM +
And a,ain, '1le eve of a master will do more work tlan botl lis
lands'; and a,ain, 'Want of care does us more dama,e tlan want of
knowled,e'; and a,ain, 'Not to oversee workmen is to leave tlem vour
purse open.' 1rustin, too mucl to otlers' care is tle ruin of manv; for, 'in
tle affairs of tlis world, men are saved, not bv faitl but bv tle want of it.'
But a man's own care is profitable, for, 'if vou would lave a faitlful
servant, and one tlat vou like, serve vourself. A little ne,lect mav breed
,reat misclief; for want of a nail tle sloe was lost, and for want of a sloe
tle lorse was lost, and for want of a lorse tle rider was lost,' bein,
overtaken and slain bv tle enemv; all for want of a little care about a
lorsesloe nail.
So mucl for industrv, mv friends, and attention to one's own
business; but to tlese we must add fru,alitv, if we would make our
industrv more certainlv successful. A man mav, if le knows not low to
save as le ,ets, 'keep lis nose all lis life to tle ,rindstone and die not
wortl a ,roat at last. A fat kitclen makes a lean will'; and
Manv estates are spent in tle ,ettin,,
Since women for tea forsook spinnin,
and knittin,,
And men for puncl forsook lewin,
and splittin,.
lf vou would be wealtlv, tlink of savin, as well as of ,ettin,. 1le
lndies lave not made Spain ricl, because ler out,oes are ,reater tlan ler
incomes.
Awav, tlen, witl vour expensive follies, and vou will not tlen lave
so mucl cause to complain of lard times, leavv taxes, and clar,eable
families; for,
Women and wine, ,ame and deceit,
Make tle wealtl small, and tle want
,reat.
The Way to Weath,
Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM 5
And furtler, 'Wlat maintains one vice, would brin, up two
clildren.' You mav tlink, perlaps, tlat a little tea, or a little puncl now
and tlen, diet a little more costlv, clotles a little finer, and a little
entertainment now and tlen can be no ,reat matter; but remember,
'Manv a little makes a mickle.' Beware of little expenses; 'A small leak
will sink a ,reat slip,' as loor liclard savs; and a,ain, 'Wlo dainties love
slall be,,ars prove'; and moreover, 'lools make feasts, and wise men eat
tlem.'
Here vou are all ,ot to,etler to tlis sale of fineries and knickknacks.
You call tlem 1s, but if vou do not take care, tlev will prove ev.|s to
some of vou. You expect tlev will be sold cleap, and perlaps tlev mav,
for less tlan tlev cost; but, if vou lave no occasion for tlem, tlev must be
dear to vou. lemember wlat loor liclard savs, 'Buv wlat tlou last no
need of, and ere lon, tlou slalt sell tlv necessaries.' And a,ain, 'At a
,reat pennvwortl pause a wlile.' He means tlat perlaps tle cleapness is
apparent onlv, and not real; or tle bar,ain, bv straitenin, tlee in tlv
business, mav do tlee more larm tlan ,ood. lor in anotler place le savs,
'Manv lave been ruined bv buvin, ,ood pennvwortls.' A,ain, 'lt is
foolisl to lav out monev in a purclase of repentance'; and vet tlis follv is
practised everv dav at auctions, for want of mindin, tle -|mcncc.
Manv a one, for tle sake of finerv on tle back, lave ,one witl a
lun,rv bellv, and lalf-starved tleir families; 'Silks and satins, scarlet and
velvets, put out tle kitclen fire,' as loor liclard savs. 1lese are not tle
necessaries of life, tlev can scarcelv be called tle conveniences; and vet,
onlv because tlev look prettv, low manv want to lave tlem: Bv tlese
and otler extrava,ancies, tle ,enteel are reduced to povertv, and forced
to borrow of tlose wlom tlev formerlv despised, but wlo, tlrou,l
industrv and fru,alitv, lave maintained tleir standin,; in wlicl case it
appears plainlv, tlat 'a plou,lman on lis le,s is li,ler tlan a ,entleman
on lis knees,' as loor liclard savs.
lerlaps tlev lave lad a small estate left tlem, wlicl tlev knew not
tle ,ettin, of; tlev tlink 'it is dav and will never be ni,lt'; tlat a little to
be spent out of so mucl is not wortl mindin,; but 'alwavs takin, out of
tle meal tub, and never puttin, in, soon comes to tle bottom,' as loor
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Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM 6
liclard savs; and tlen, wlen tle well is drv, tlev know tle wortl of
water. But tlis tlev mi,lt lave known before, if tlev lad taken lis
advice: 'lf vou would know tle value of monev ,o and trv to borrow some;
for le tlat ,oes a-borrowin, ,oes a-sorrowin,,' as loor liclard savs; and,
indeed, so does le tlat lends to sucl people, wlen le ,oes to ,et it in
a,ain. loor Dick furtler advises and savs,
lond pride of dress is sure a verv curse,
Lre fancv vou consult, consult vour purse.
And a,ain, 'lride is as loud a be,,ar as want, and a ,reat deal more
saucv.' Wlen vou lave bou,lt one fine tlin,, vou must buv ten more
tlat vour appearance mav be all of a piece; but loor Dick savs, 'lt is easier
to suppress tle first desire tlan to satisfv all tlat follow it'; and it is as
trulv follv for tle poor to ape tle ricl as for tle fro, to swell in order to
equal tle ox.
Vessels lar,e mav venture more,
But little boats slould keep near slore.
lt is, lowever, a follv soon punisled; for, as loor liclard savs, 'lride
tlat dines on vanitv, sups on contempt; pride breakfasted witl plentv,
dined witl povertv, and supped witl infamv.' And, after all, of wlat use is
tlis pride of appearance, for wlicl so mucl is risked, so mucl is suffered:
lt cannot promote lealtl, nor ease pain; it makes no increase of merit in
tle person; it creates envv; it lastens misfortune.
But wlat madness must it be to run .n 1e|: for tlese superfluities' We
are offered, bv tle terms of tlis sale, six-montls credit; and tlat, perlaps,
las induced some of us to attend it, because we cannot spare tle readv
monev and lope now to be fine witlout it. But, al' tlink wlat vou do
wlen vou run in debt; vou ,ive to anotler power over vour libertv. lf vou
cannot pav at tle time, vou will be aslamed to see vour creditor; vou will
be in fear wlen vou speak to lim; vou will make poor pitiful sneakin,
excuses and, bv de,rees, come to lose vour veracitv and sink into base,
The Way to Weath,
Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM 7
downri,lt lvin,; for, 'tle second vice is lvin,, tle j.rs: is runnin, in debt,'
as loor liclard savs; and a,ain, to tle same purpose, 'lvin, rides upon
debt's back'; wlereas a freeborn Ln,lislman ou,lt not to be aslamed nor
afraid to see or speak to anv man livin,. But povertv often deprives a man
of all spirit and virtue. 'lt is lard for an emptv ba, to stand upri,lt.'
Wlat would vou tlink of tlat prince, or of tlat ,overnment, wlo
slould issue an edict forbiddin, vou to dress like a ,entleman or
,entlewoman, on pain of imprisonment or servitude: Would vou not sav
tlat vou were free, lave a ri,lt to dress as vou please, and tlat sucl an
edict would be a breacl of vour privile,es, and sucl a ,overnment
tvrannical: And vet vou are about to put vourself under tlat tvrannv,
wlen vou run in debt for sucl dress' Your creditor las autloritv, at lis
pleasure, to deprive vou of vour libertv bv confinin, vou in ,aol for life, or
bv sellin, vou for a servant, if vou slould not be able to pav lim.
Wlen vou lave ,ot vour bar,ain, vou mav, perlaps, tlink little of
pavment; but, as loor liclard savs, 'Creditors lave better memories tlan
debtors; creditors are a superstitious sect, ,reat observers of set davs and
times.' 1le dav comes round before vou are aware, and tle demand is
made before vou are prepared to satisfv it; or, if vou bear vour debt in
mind, tle term, wlicl at first seemed so lon,, will, as it lessens, appear
extremelv slort-time will seem to lave added win,s to lis leels as well
as lis sloulders. '1lose lave a slort Lent wlo owe monev to paid at
Laster.' At present, perlaps, vou mav tlink vourselves in tlrivin,
circumstances, and tlat vou can bear a little extrava,ance witlout injurv;
but
lor a,e and want save wlile vou mav,
No mornin, sun lasts a wlole dav.
Cain mav be temporarv and uncertain, but ever, wlile vou live,
expense is constant and certain; and, 'it is easier to build two climnevs
tlan to keep one in fuel,' as loor liclard savs; so 'ratler ,o to bed
supperless tlan rise in debt.'
The Way to Weath,
Clencoe Literature Classics CD-lM 8
Cet wlat vou can, and wlat vou
,et lold,
'1is tle stone tlat will turn all vour
lead into ,old.
And wlen vou lave ,ot tle plilosopler's stone, sure vou will no
lon,er complain of bad times, or tle difficultv of pavin, taxes.
1lis doctrine, mv friends, is reason and wisdom; but, after all, do not
depend too mucl upon vour own industrv and fru,alitv and prudence,
tlou,l excellent tlin,s; for tlev mav all be blasted, witlout tle blessin,
of leaven. And, tlerefore, ask tlat blessin, lumblv, and be not
unclaritable to tlose tlat at present seem to want it, but comfort and
lelp tlem. lemember Job suffered and was afterward prosperous.
And now, to conclude, 'experience keeps a dear sclool, but fools will
learn in no otler,' as loor liclard savs, and scarce in tlat; for, it is true,
'We mav ,ive advice, but we cannot ,ive conduct'; lowever, remember
tlis, '1lev tlat will not be counseled cannot be lelped'; and furtler, tlat
'if vou will not lear reason sle will surelv rap vour knuckles,' as loor
liclard savs."
1lus tle old ,entleman ended lis laran,ue. 1le people leard it and
approved tle doctrine and immediatelv practised tle contrarv, just as if it
lad been a common sermon; for tle auction opened and tlev be,an to
buv extrava,antlv.
l found tle ,ood man lad tlorou,llv studied mv almanacs and
di,ested all l lad dropped on tlose topics durin, tle course of twentv-five
vears. 1le frequent mention le made of me must lave tired anvone else;
but mv vanitv was wonderfullv deli,lted witl it, tlou,l l was conscious
tlat not a tentl part of tle wisdom was mv own, wlicl le ascribed to me
but ratler tle ,leanin,s tlat l lad made of tle sense of all a,es and
nations. However, l resolved to be tle better for tle eclo of it; and,
tlou,l l lad at first determined to buv stuff for a new coat, l went awav,
resolved to wear mv old one a little lon,er. leader, if tlou wilt do tle
same, tlv profit will be as ,reat as mine.