10 Most Powerful Benjamin Franklin Quotes (With Innovation & Life Lessons for 2026)

December 20, 2025

Last updated: January 2026

10 Most Powerful Benjamin Franklin Quotes (With Innovation & Life Lessons for 2026)

Benjamin Franklin – inventor, statesman, and polymath – left behind thousands of witty, practical sayings. Here are the ten that resonate, with direct links to original sources.

1. “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Attributed (common in Franklin’s writings)
Founders Online – Franklin Papers
Lesson: Lifelong learning in the AI era.

2. “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

Attributed (widely accepted)
Founders Online – Franklin Collection
Lesson: Active learning over passive content consumption.

3. “Well done is better than well said.”

Poor Richard’s Almanack
Founders Online – Poor Richard’s Almanack
Lesson: Action over words – the startup mantra.

4. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Attributed
Founders Online – Franklin Papers
Lesson: Planning in an unpredictable world.

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

Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1735
Founders Online – Poor Richard’s Almanack
Lesson: The original productivity hack.

6. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

Attributed
Founders Online – Franklin Papers
Lesson: Grit in the face of setbacks.

7. “Lost time is never found again.”

Poor Richard’s Almanack
Founders Online – Poor Richard’s Almanack
Lesson: Time management in a distracted age.

8. “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

Attributed
Founders Online – Franklin Papers
Lesson: Create value – the content creator creed.

9. “Diligence is the mother of good luck.”

Poor Richard’s Almanack
Founders Online – Poor Richard’s Almanack
Lesson: Hard work creates opportunities.

10. “Honesty is the best policy.”

Attributed (common in Franklin’s writings)
Founders Online – Franklin Papers
Lesson: Integrity in business and life.

Why a Ben Franklin Bust Is the Perfect Daily Innovation Reminder

These words hit harder when the man who lived them is watching you work. Our 26.1 cm Ben Franklin bust is inspired by Houdon’s 1778 portrait, available in Antique Bronze or Stone White.