THINKER'S ALMANAC - December 19

Subject:  Proverbs - Poor Richard’s Almanac

Event: Benjamin Franklin publishes an almanac, 1732

Almanacs are cyclical, a reminder that things happen in their time and place, and we can prepare and make plans, but frost might come anyway. Or a coyote might eat our chickens. But there’s next year. And regardless, we can still count the acorns and avoid killing the spiders. -Jess McHugh

On this day in 1732, Poor Richard’s Almanac was first published.  The publisher and writer was Benjamin Franklin, who wrote under the pseudonym Richard Saudners.

Poor Richard’s Almanac was just one of many almanacs published in the United States.  In a country that was primarily agrarian, an almanac was an essential tool for attempting to forecast the weather.  Many homes did not have a single book, not even a Bible, but they did have an almanac.  Typically almanacs had a hole in the top left corner so they could be placed on a hook for easy access (1).

In 1758, Franklin published an essay where he summed up the success of his almanac and explained his purpose in publishing it:

 In 1732 I first published my Almanac under the name of Richard Saunders; it was continued by me about twenty-five years, and commonly called Poor Richard's Almanac. I endeavoured to make it both entertaining and useful, and it accordingly came to be in such demand, that I reaped considerable profit from it, vending annually near ten thousand. And observing that it was generally read, (scarce any neighbourhood in the province being without it,) I considered it as a proper vehicle for conveying instruction among the common people, who bought Scarcely any other books. I therefore filled all the little spaces, that occurred between the remarkable days in the Calendar, with proverbial sentences, chiefly such as inculcated industry and frugality, as the means of procuring wealth, and thereby securing virtue; it being more difficult for a man in want to act always honestly, as (to use here one of those proverbs) It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright (2)

While full of practical tips and advice, it’s the philosophical content of Poor Richard’s Almanac that has truly stood the test of time. Franklin’s proverbs are models of concise, clear, and cogent wisdom:

 

Little strokes fell great oaks.

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

People who are wrapped up in themselves make small packages.

Well done is better than well said.

If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.

Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.

Laziness travels so slowly that Poverty soon overtakes him. (3)

Challenge - Wise Words: What is your favorite proverb?  Why do you like it?  What timeless wisdom does it present to its readers?

 

Sources:

1-McHugh, Jess. “The Quiet Mysticism of Almanacs.” LA Review of Books, 11 July 2021.

2-Franklin, Benjamin. “The Way to Wealth” (1758).

3-Proverbs and Aphorisms from Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac. Poorrichard.net.