Advice from Ben Franklin

Friends, 👋

Many of you know me from my work on Instagram (@hewhoseekswisdom). 🦉

I use images and aphorisms to create valuable and memorable nuggets of advice and knowledge. My aim is to contribute towards a modest increase in your (and my) wisdom.

The content I create is imbued with a touch of self-interest, tailored to resonate with my own appetite. I try not to share abstract and non-practical stuff and always make content that I would like to consume myself. What is important to me is not starting metaphysical discussions, but offering everyday, real-life wisdom—advice that is helpful in the real world.

And the grandfather of real-life wisdom in the Western Hemisphere is old Ben Franklin.

Ben, a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher, lived a deep and productive life. But what interests me the most is his yearly publication – an almanac called "Poor Richard's Almanack." 📜

"Poor Richard's Almanack" rose in popularity until it became the second-most purchased publication of its time, surpassed only by the Bible. Sales rates were estimated at around one almanac for every 100 colonists, resulting in approximately 10,000 copies sold per year.

"Poor Richard's Almanack" was so popular that Napoleon had it translated into French and Italian. 👑

Many of the proverbs published in Franklin's "Poor Richard's Almanack" are still recognized and used today. Have you ever heard the saying, "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise"? Yes, Poor Richard said that.

Not all the sayings in his publications were original to Ben. He included proverbs from other sources in his Almanack, but he always gave them a flavor of his own. 👨‍🍳

Some of his advice, of course, reflects the norms and morals of his time. That's why I have selected the most timeless pieces to share.

This is some of the best and most valuable work I've created, and I hope you become a bit wiser after reading it than you were before, just as I have become while working on it.

Here is a little teaser:

As always, if you have something to share, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram.

Enjoy! 🥂