Be at Warfare with Your Vices: Benjamin Franklin’s New 12 months’s Problem
“Be at War with your Vices, at Peace with your Neighbours,
and let every New Year find you a better Man.”
-Benjamin Franklin
This timeless lesson, along with many others drawn from his legendary Poor Richard’s Almanack, continues to inspire and guide us nearly three centuries after its first publication.
On Dec. 28, 1732, at just 27 years of age, Benjamin Franklin published the first edition of Poor Richard’s under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. Over the next 25 years, it became a cultural phenomenon, and it garnered him wealth and fame. It also helped solidify his image as a self-made man, a model of American ingenuity and perseverance, earning him the title “the first American.”
The Almanack was more than a calendar or weather guide – it was a treasure trove of moral lessons, proverbs, and practical advice. Some of Franklin’s aphorisms have become part of the fabric of American life, including:
- A penny saved is a penny earned
- Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
WISDOM FOR THE AGES
Franklin didn’t just write for entertainment. His Almanack was a vehicle to educate and inspire – and he intentionally used his platform to teach timeless lessons to the “common people.”
“I consider’d it as a proper vehicle for conveying instruction among the common people, who bought scarcely any other books.”
It was filled with sharp observations on human nature and practical advice for life, many of which remain as relevant today as they were in the 18th century:
“Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.”
“The Wolf sheds his Coat once a Year, his Disposition never.”
“There’s none deceived but he that trusts.”
“The second Vice is Lying; the first is Running in Debt.”
Franklin also posed profound questions that cut to the heart of human ambition:
“Who is wise? He that learns from every One.
Who is powerful? He that governs his Passions.
Who is rich? He that is content.
Who is that? Nobody.”
These pithy reflections illustrate Franklin’s remarkable ability to distill complex truths into simple, memorable phrases.
Beyond daily advice, Poor Richard’s offered keen insights into the dangers of unchecked power – truths foundational to the Revolutionary American ideal of self-governance:
- “Distrust and caution are the parents of security”
- “There is no little enemy”
- “Anoint a villain and he’ll stab you, stab him and he’ll anoint you.”
THE HUMBLE ORIGINS OF A LEGEND
The Almanack’s first edition, introduced on Dec. 28, 1732, in the Pennsylvania Gazette, showcased Franklin’s wit and charm. With tongue-in-cheek humor, he described his reasons for writing it.
“I might in this place attempt to gain thy Favour, by declaring that I write Almanacks with no other View than that of the publick Good; but in this I should not be sincere… I am excessive poor, and my Wife, good Woman, is, I tell her, excessive proud.”
Franklin even teased readers by predicting the death of a rival almanac publisher, Titan Leeds, displaying his penchant for playful competition and marketing genius.
His choice of the pseudonym Richard Saunders and the title Poor Richard’s Almanack were strokes of marketing brilliance. The name was borrowed from Poor Robin’s Almanack, a long-standing and very popular British publication, which evoked an everyman appeal.
This humble, relatable persona contrasted with the sharp satire of other writers like Jonathan Swift. Richard Saunders was a philomath (lover of learning) with an approachable tone, offering wisdom that appealed to both farmers and philosophers.
Over time, Poor Richard’s Almanack became a staple of colonial life, selling 10,000 copies annually – a staggering number for the era. Franklin noted its widespread influence:
“I endeavour’d to make it both entertaining and useful, and it accordingly came to be in such demand, that I reap’d considerable profit from it, vending annually near ten thousand”
Franklin filled the Almanack with proverbs on frugality, industry, and self-sufficiency, believing that financial independence fostered moral character. He observed:
“It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright.”
This philosophy wasn’t just about wealth but about empowering individuals to build virtuous and self-reliant communities – a principle that resonates with those who value liberty today.
TIMELESS TRUTHS FOR THE NEW YEAR
The enduring popularity of Poor Richard’s Almanack lies in its universal wisdom, capturing both the humor and the hard truths of life:
“The greatest monarch on the proudest throne is oblig’d to sit upon his own arse.”
“Laws like to Cobwebs catch small Flies, Great one break thro’ before your eyes.
“Necessity never made a good bargain.”
“Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.”
Franklin’s sayings remind us to temper ambition with humility, guard against the corruption of power, and take personal responsibility in all aspects of life.
Through wit, wisdom, and practicality, Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack became more than a book – it became a cultural institution. As we reflect on the close of another year, let us carry his lessons forward to the New Year:
- Strive for self-improvement.
- Pursue virtue.
- Be ever cautious with power
- Remain vigilant in the preservation of liberty.
And in the spirit of Poor Richard himself:
Reader, farewell, all Happiness attend thee:
May each New Year better and richer find thee.
As the new year begins, Franklin’s words challenge us to not just reflect but to act – pursuing virtue, fostering peace, and striving to improve ourselves year after year.
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