“Let all Men know thee, but no man know thee thoroughly: Men freely ford that see the shallows.”

— Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack (1743)

About Benjamin Franklin

1706 – 1790

American statesman, scientist, printer and writer, who published 'Poor Richard's Almanack' for many years.

“Well done is better than well said.”

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

“Thou canst not joke an Enemy into a Friend; but thou may'st a Friend into an Enemy.”

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

Attribution note: Source disputed or unverified.

“The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.”

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”