Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
«Si vous ne voulez pas qu’on vous oublie
le jour où vous serez mort et pourri,
écrivez des choses qui valent la peine d’être lues,
ou faites des choses qui valent la peine d’être écrites.»
- Benjamin Franklin -
Il semble bien que c'est ce qu'il a fait:
"Une bonne conscience est un Noël permanent."
"Une maison n'est pas un foyer si elle ne contient pas du feu et du pain
pour l'esprit comme pour le corps."
"Un âne instruit est un plus grand âne qu'un âne ignorant."
"Une vie de loisirs et une vie de paresse sont deux choses.
L'on dort suffisamment dans la tombe."
"Un penny épargné est un penny gagné."
"Une place pour chaque chose;
chaque chose à sa place."
"Un petit trou fait sombrer un grand bateau."
"Toute l'humanité est divisée en trois catégories:
ceux qui sont inamovibles
ceux qui sont bougeables
et ceux qui bougent."
La colère n'est jamais sans raison,
mais rarement avec une bonne.
Toute société qui abandonnerait un peu de liberté
pour gagner un peu de sécurité n'en obtiendra aucune
et perdra les deux.
Quiconque négocie sa liberté pour de la sécurité
ne sert ni la Liberté ni la sécurité.
Dieu aide ceux qui s'aident eux-mêmes.
Si vous voulez être aimé, aimez et soyez aimable.
Si vous voulez être aimé, aimez et soyez capable d'amour.
Il y a des gens qui meurent à 25 ans
mais ne sont enterrés qu'à 75.
c'est suivre aveuglément.
Pour allonger ta vie, abrège tes repas.
La richesse n'est pas à celui qui l'a,
mais celui qui l'a en profite.
Bien fait est mieux que bien dit.
Quoi que ce soit qui est commencé dans la colère
se termine dans la honte.
Si vous êtes comblé d'Amitié, souvenez-vous-en,
si vous comblez d'Amitié, oubliez-le.
Dans le doute, s'abstenir.
Lorsque vous avez fini de changer, vous êtes fini.
Là où est la Liberté,
là est mon pays.
Là où le bon sens est demandé,
tout est demandé."
Là où il y a mariage sans amour,
il y a aussi amour sans mariage.
Qui t'a déçu aussi souvent que toi-même?
Qui est sage? Celui qui apprend de tous.
Qui est puissant? Celui qui gouverne ses passions.
Qui est riche? Celui qui est content.
Qui est-ce? Personne!
Qui est riche?
Celui qui se réjouit de sa part.
Le Vin est la constante preuve que Dieu nous aime
et aime nous voir heureux.
Les hommes sages n'ont pas besoin de conseils.
Les fous ne les acceptent pas.
Les paroles peuvent montrer l'humour d'un homme,
mais ses actes {montrent} son orientation.
Travaillez comme si vous deviez vivre cent ans.
Priez comme si vous deviez mourir demain.
Ecris les offenses sur le sable
et les bienfaits dans le marbre.
Vous pouvez supporter vos propres fautes
et pourquoi pas une seule faute chez votre épouse?
Vous pouvez sursoir, mais pas tout le temps.
Votre valeur nette vis-à-vis du monde est normalement déterminée
par ce qui reste après que vos mauvaises habitudes
aient été retirées de vos bonnes habitudes.
Benjamin Franklin
Qui était Benjamin Franklin?
Ces billets symbolisent cette capacité à faire fortune que possède tout être humain qui veut s'en donner les moyens.
Mémorial Benjamin Franklin - Philadelphie
Un homme né pauvre.
Un homme né dans une famille nombreuse.
Un homme qui n'est allé que très peu de temps à l'école.
Fortuné à 42 ans
Statue de Benjamin Franklin à Paris
Il disait:
De toutes ces activités, il dira qu'il préfère que l'on dise de lui: «il a eu une vie utile» plutôt que «il est mort très riche».
Déclaration d'Indépendance des Etats-Unis d'Amérique
Porté aux nues par la communauté scientifique et littéraire parisienne, il est vu comme l'incarnation des valeurs humanistes des «Lumières».
Épitaphe
Dès l'âge de 22 ans, Benjamin Franklin écrivit son épitaphe:
(Like the Cover of an Old Book
Its Contents torn Out
And Stript of its Lettering and Gilding)
Lies Here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be Lost;
For it will (as he Believ'd) Appear once More
In a New and More Elegant Edition
Revised and Corrected
By the Author."
Traduction:
(Telle la Couverture d'un Vieux Livre,
Son Contenu arraché,
Et dépouillé de son Titre et de sa Dorure)
Repose Ici, Nourriture pour les Vers.
Mais l'Ouvrage ne sera pas perdu;
(Comme il le croit) Il reparaîtra, une Fois encore,
Dans une Nouvelle et plus Elégante Edition
Revue et Corrigée
Par l'Auteur."
De cette manière, Benjamin Franklin témoignait clairement de sa conviction en l'existence de la Réincarnation.
Pourtant, cette épitaphe ne fut, en fait, pas utilisée. Sur sa tombe, ne figurent que son nom et celui de son épouse, avec l'année de son décès: Benjamin and Deborah Franklin, 1790.
Son héritage est aux États Unis toutes les grandes institutions éducatives et culturelles inégalables et encore inégalées.
En 1752, il fit une expérience célèbre sur la foudre en attachant une clef à un cerf-volant. Ceci conduisit à l'invention du paratonnerre.
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Maison de Benjamin Franklin
* Le 31 décembre 1739 Benjamin Franklin aurait acheté sa première bière (premier achat documenté). Il s'est toujours battu contre l'alcoolisme en dissuadant les personnes qu'il rencontrait de boire, même s'il avoue en avoir, lui aussi, déjà bu plus que de raison lors de débats dans des tavernes...
* Benjamin Franklin a, en raison de l'instauration du calendrier grégorien mis en place en Angleterre et dans les colonies britanniques en 1752 (alors qu'il fut institué en 1582 par le pape Grégoire XIII), deux dates de naissance. Ses deux dates de naissance sont donc le 6 et le 17 janvier 1706 en fonction du calendrier utilisé.
Mais cela ne change pas le fait qu'il soit, dans les deux cas, natif du Capricorne.
* Benjamin Franklin a été l'un des hommes qui ont signé une certification officielle pour valider le vol en ballon réalisé par les frères Montgolfier.
* Benjamin Franklin aurait reçu et écrit du courrier à plus de 650 personnes.
* Benjamin Franklin a été le premier homme à proposer le décalage horaire, pour économiser du bois. Le décalage horaire a été mis en place aux États-Unis pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, cette fois-ci pour économiser de l'essence.
* Benjamin Franklin aurait préféré que le symbole des USA ne soit pas l'aigle, mais la dinde. La dinde pour lui est un animal avec un "caractère plus moral" que l'aigle. L'aigle fut finalement choisi, car c'est un oiseau qui est plus respecté.
* Benjamin Franklin était convaincu des vertus de l'air frais (comme le montre son concept de cheminée), il prenait des "bains d'air frais" en restant, presque chaque jour, une heure debout ou assis nu dans sa chambre.
* Benjamin Franklin avait fait des calculs pour évaluer la population des États-unis. En 1890, ses prévisions se sont avérées exactes avec une précision de 99,87 %.
L'almanach du Bonhomme Richard
Bref, Benjamin Franklin fut aussi un pionnier du Conseil de Vie!
"Un paysan entre deux juristes
est comme un poisson entre deux chats."
Un investissement fait en connaissance de cause
paye le meilleur intérêt.
La fatigue est le meilleur oreiller.
Le jeu lubrifie le corps et le mental.
Pour avoir longtemps vécu, j'ai maintes fois expérimenté
être obligé, du fait d'une meilleure information
ou d'une prise en considération plus complète
de changer d'opinions, même sur d'importants sujets,
que j'avais antérieurement avoir justement pensés
mais qui se révélèrent être différents.
As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.
At twenty years of age the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment.
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors,
and let every new year find you a better man.
Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.
Beauty and folly are old companions.
Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.
Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.
Beware the hobby that eats.
Buy what thou hast no need of and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessities.
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.
Creditors have better memories than debtors.
Diligence is the mother of good luck.
Distrust and caution are the parents of security.
Do good to your friends to keep them, to your enemies to win them.
Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.
Do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.
Each year one vicious habit discarded, in time might make the worst of us good.
Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to gain leisure.
Energy and persistence conquer all things.
Even peace may be purchased at too high a price.
Experience is a dear teacher, but fools will learn at no other.
Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.
Gain may be temporary and uncertain; but ever while you live, expense is constant and certain: and it is easier to build two chimneys than to keep one in fuel.
Genius without education is like silver in the mine.
God works wonders now and then; Behold a lawyer, an honest man.
Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.
Half a truth is often a great lie.
Having been poor is no shame, but being ashamed of it, is.
He does not possess wealth; it possesses him.
He that can have patience can have what he will.
He that composes himself is wiser than he that composes a book.
He that displays too often his wife and his wallet is in danger
of having both of them borrowed.
He that has done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another,
than he whom you yourself have obliged.
He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected
of doing everything for money.
He that lives upon hope will die fasting.
He that raises a large family does, indeed, while he lives to observe them, stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then he stands a broader mark for pleasure too.
He that rises late must trot all day.
He that speaks much, is much mistaken.
He that waits upon fortune, is never sure of a dinner.
He that won't be counseled can't be helped.
He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees.
He that's secure is not safe.
He who falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
Hear reason, or she'll make you feel her.
Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?
Honesty is the best policy.
How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them.
Human felicity is produced not as much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen as by little advantages that occur every day.
Hunger is the best pickle.
I conceive that the great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by false estimates they have made of the value of things.
I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.
I guess I don't so much mind being old, as I mind being fat and old.
I look upon death to be as necessary to our constitution as sleep. We shall rise refreshed in the morning.
I saw few die of hunger; of eating, a hundred thousand.
I should have no objection to go over the same life from its beginning to the end: requesting only the advantage authors have, of correcting in a second edition the faults of the first.
I wake up every morning at nine and grab for the morning paper. Then I look at the obituary page. If my name is not on it, I get up.
Si un homme pouvait voir exaucés la moitié de ses désirs,
il aurait deux fois plus d'ennuis.
If
a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from
him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it from him.
If
all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure
it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.
If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.
If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality.
If you desire many things, many things will seem few.
If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher's stone.
If you would be loved, love and be lovable.
If you would be loved, love, and be loveable.
If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.
If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do things worth writing.
If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.
In general, mankind, since the improvement of cookery, eats twice as much as nature requires.
In the affairs of this world, men are saved not by faith, but by the want of it.
In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Industry need not wish.
It is a grand mistake to think of being great without goodness and I pronounce it as certain that there was never a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.
It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.
It is much easier to suppress a first desire than to satisfy those that follow.
It is only when the rich are sick that they fully feel the impotence of wealth.
It is the eye of other people that ruin us. If I were blind I would want, neither fine clothes, fine houses or fine furniture.
It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.
It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.
Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed.
Leisure is the time for doing something useful. This leisure the diligent person will obtain the lazy one never.
Life's Tragedy is that we get old to soon and wise too late.
Lost time is never found again.
Many a man thinks he is buying pleasure, when he is really selling himself to it.
Many foxes grow gray but few grow good.
Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until they are seventy five.
Marriage is the most natural state of man, and... the state in which you will find solid happiness.
Mine is better than ours.
Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.
Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one.
Most people return small favors, acknowledge medium ones and repay greater ones - with ingratitude.
Necessity never made a good bargain.
Never confuse motion with action.
Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.
Never take a wife till thou hast a house (and a fire) to put her in.
Nine men in ten are would be suicides.
No nation was ever ruined by trade.
Observe all men, thyself most.
One today is worth two tomorrows.
Our necessities never equal our wants.
Rather go to bed with out dinner than to rise in debt.
Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.
Remember
not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more
difficult still,
to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
Remember that credit is money.
Savages we call them because their manners differ from ours.
She laughs at everything you say. Why? Because she has fine teeth.
Since thou are not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour.
Speak ill of no man, but speak all the good you know of everybody.
Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste.
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
The absent are never without fault, nor the present without excuse.
The art of acting consists in keeping people from coughing.
The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
The discontented man finds no easy chair.
The doors of wisdom are never shut.
The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.
The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands.
The first mistake in public business is the going into it.
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either.
The strictest law sometimes becomes the severest injustice.
The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it.
You have to catch up with it yourself.
The use of money is all the advantage there is in having it.
The worst wheel of the cart makes the most noise.
There are three faithful friends - an old wife, an old dog, and ready money.
There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.
There are two ways of being happy: We must either diminish our wants or augment our means - either may do - the result is the same and it is for each man to decide for himself and to do that which happens to be easier.
There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people more easily and frequently fall than that of defrauding the government.
There never was a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous.
Il n'y a jamais de bonne guerre ou de mauvaise paix.
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security.
Those disputing, contradicting, and confuting people are generally unfortunate in their affairs. They get victory, sometimes, but they never get good will, which would be of more use to them.
Those that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Those that won't be counseled can't be helped.
Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into execution new projects. The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forced by the occasion.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
Three can keep a secret if two are dead.
Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.
Tomorrow every fault is to be amended; but tomorrow never comes.
Tomorrow, every Fault is to be amended; but that Tomorrow never comes.
Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest.
Trouble springs from idleness, and grievous toil from needless ease.
Wars are not paid for in wartime, the bill comes later.
We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.
We are more thoroughly an enlightened people, with respect to our political interests, than perhaps any other under heaven. Every man among us reads, and is so easy in his circumstances as to have leisure for conversations of improvement and for acquiring information.
We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.
Wealth is not his that has it, but his that enjoys it.When men and woman die, as poets sung, his heart's the last part moves, her last, the tongue.
Quand l'humanité sera-t-elle convaincue et d'accord
de régler ses difficultés par l'arbitrage?