Franklin's Way to Wealth; or, "Poor Richard Improved"Benjamin FranklinOmniClassics · Literature
Franklin's Way to Wealth; or, "Poor Richard Improved"
Benjamin FranklinA crowd seeking relief from hard times hears a memorable sermon on the costs of idleness, extravagance, and debt.
Progress is saved in this browser
About the book
Poor Richard recounts a gathering at which Father Abraham answers complaints about taxation with advice drawn repeatedly from Richard's own sayings. The speech turns attention towards habits of work, spending, borrowing, and the use of time, making practical conduct a field of moral responsibility. Its compressed proverbs gain force through accumulation, each seeming to confirm the wisdom of the others. Yet the narrative frame also allows Franklin to observe the difference between applauding good advice and acting upon it. The piece is therefore more than a detached list of maxims: speaker, listeners, and narrator all contribute to its effect. This short work offers a compact example of Franklin's ability to make instruction memorable while leaving space for humour about the vanity and inconsistency of the people receiving it.
- Industry and thrift
- Advice and action
- Practical morality
Why read it
For a brief combination of proverbial instruction and social comedy that makes the reception of advice part of its subject.
Essay in the 1810 Darton edition · English text