Benjamin Franklin Quotes


I am old and good for nothing, but as the store-keepers say of their remnants of cloth, I am but a fag end, and you may have me for what you please to give.


Context

Franklin, far from being “good for nothing” was a brilliant diplomat who almost single handedly obtained money and weapons and then finally a French Fleet and Army with which the success at the Battle of Yorktown would have been impossible.


Citations

Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790, Member of the Continental Congress & the Constitutional Convention, Governor of Pennsylvania, President of the Pennsylvania Assembly, U.S. Minister to France, Postmaster General of the American Colonies, Response when asked to go to France and try and get French money, weapons and troops to help in the American Revolution

Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations

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It it alleged that in the original quotation "warm piss" was the phrase used, but the delicacies of the times caused the biographer to clean it up.


Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
  • Born: January 17, 1706
  • Died: April 17, 1790
  • Nationality: American
  • Profession: Politician

Benjamin Franklin FRS FRSA FRSE was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A polymath, he was a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He founded many civic organizations, including the Library Company, Philadelphia's first fire department, and the University of Pennsylvania.