The Story of Poor Richard

In 1732, Benjamin Franklin began to publish Poor Richard’s Almanac, a calendar packed with astronomical observations, miscellaneous information, and pithy advice about almost everything, all of it written by Franklin under the pseudonym of Richard Saunders. Widely read, the almanac became highly profitable for Franklin, and he continued to publish it every year until 1757. For the last issue, Franklin composed a synthesis of Poor Richard’s wisdom in the form of a speech given by an old man. The speech, which follows, describes the temptations faced by eighteenth-century colonists and how they should resist them. The popularity of the almanac suggests that the old man’s views were shared by many other colonists.

From Poor Richard’s Almanac, in Benjamin Franklin, Writings, ed. J. A. Leo Lemay (New York: Library of America, 1987), 1294–1303.

Benjamin Franklin

Father Abraham’s Speech from Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1757 Courteous Reader,

I have heard that nothing gives an Author so great Pleasure, as to find his Works respectfully quoted by other learned Authors. This Pleasure I have seldom enjoyed. . . . I concluded at length, that the People were the best judges of my Merit; for they buy my Works; and besides, in my Rambles, where I am not personally known, I have frequently heard one or other of my Adages repeated, with, as Poor Richard says, at the End on’t; this gave me some Satisfaction, as it showed not only that my Instructions were regarded, but discovered likewise some Respect for my Authority; and I own, that to encourage the Practice of remembering and repeating those wise Sentences, I have sometimes quoted myself with great Gravity.

Judge then how much I must have been gratified by an Incident I am going to relate to you. I stopt my Horse lately where a great Number of People were collected at a Vendue1 of Merchant Goods. The Hour of Sale not being come, they were conversing on the Badness of the Times, and one of the Company call’d to a plain clean old...