Poor Richard's Almanack

Poor Richard’s Almanack collects material from the annual almanac that Benjamin Franklin wrote and printed under the pen name Richard Saunders, first issued in 1732 for the year 1733. It blended calendars, weather forecasts, and practical household guidance with witty commentary that helped shape early American popular culture.

What made the almanac endure is its stream of punchy maxims about everyday life—work, thrift, patience, and common sense—offered with humor and a sharp eye for human nature. Across its pages, Franklin promotes practical self-reliance and the idea that small habits and choices can build long-term success.

Beyond advice, the collection captures the voice of a bustling colonial society: a world of tradespeople, printers, farmers, and merchants looking for useful information and a bit of entertainment. Read today, it stands as a cornerstone of American wit and moral instruction and a snapshot of how Franklin taught his readers to think differently.

"1. A child thinks 20 shillings and 20 years can scarce ever be spent.
2. A cold April, the barn will fill.
3. A countryman between two lawyers, is like a fish between two cats.
4.* Act uprightly, and despise calumny; dirt may stick to a mud wall, but not to polish'd marble. "