Have you ever used the bathroom at Grand Lodge? Chances are you have. If while using the urinal you happen to look up, you’ll find some quotes about life, industry, and “proud of it are you not?” Some of these quotes originate from Ben Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanack” which was first published on this day, December 19th, 293 years ago. Franklin, under the pen name Richard Saunders, went on to publish the almanac for 25 years. The almanac included weather forecasts, calendars, astronomical information, and practical advice useful for farmers, tradespeople, and everyday readers. What made it especially famous, however, were Franklin’s short sayings, proverbs, and witty aphorisms, which promoted values like hard work, thrift, self-discipline, and common sense. Many of these sayings became well known, such as “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Due to it being one of the most read publications in Colonial America, through Poor Richard’s Almanack, Franklin spread Enlightenment ideals in a way that was accessible to ordinary people, emphasizing personal responsibility and practical wisdom rather than inherited status. Its success helped make Franklin wealthy and influential, and the almanac played a major role in shaping colonial American culture and values.
