“, ifwebestirourselves.‘Industryneednotwish’, asPoorRichardsays, and ‘hethatlivesuponhopewilldiefasting’.‘Therearenogainswithoutpains’; then ‘helphands, forIhavenolands, orifIhave, theyaresmartlytaxed’.And, asPoorRichardlikewiseobserves, ‘hethathathatradehathanestate’; and ‘hethathathacalling, hathanofficeofprofitandhonor’; butthenthetrademustbeworkedat, andthecallingwellfollowed, , weshallneverstarve; for, asPoorRichardsays, ‘attheworkingman'shousehungerlooksin, butdaresnotenter’.Norwillthebailiffortheconstableenter, for ‘industrypaysdebts, whiledespairincreaseththem’, , norhasanyrichrelationleftyoualegacy, ‘diligenceisthemotherofgoodluck’, asPoorRichardsays, and ‘Godgivesallthingstoindustry’.Then ‘plowdeep, whilesluggardssleep, andyoushallhavecorntosellandtokeep’, , foryouknownothowmuchyoumaybehinderedtomorrow, whichmakesPoorRichardsays, ‘onetodayisworthtwotomorrows’, andfarther, haveyousomewhattodotomorrow, , wouldyounotbeashamedthatagoodmastershouldcatchyouidle? Areyouthenyourownmaster, beashamedtocatchyourselfidle, , yourfamily, yourcountry, andyourgraciousking, beupbypeepofday; letnotthesunlookdownandsay, ; rememberthatthecatinglovescatchesnomice, asPoorRichardsays.‘Thistruethereismuchtobedone, andperhapsyouareweakhanded, butsticktoitsteadily; andyouwillseegreateffects, forconstantdroppingwearsawaystones, andbydiligenceandpatiencethemouseateintwothecable; andlittlestrokesfellgreatoaks, asPoorRichardsaysinhisAlmanack, theyearIcannotjustnowremember.”
“MethinksIhearsomeofyousay, ‘mustamanaffordhimselfnoleisure?’ Iwilltellthee, myfriend, whatPoorRichardsays, employthytimewell, ifthoumeanesttogainleisure; and, sincethouartnotsureofaminute, ; thisleisurethediligentmanwillobtain, butthelazymannever; sothat, ? No, forasPoorRichardsays, troublespringsfromidleness, , wouldlivebytheirwitsonly, , andplenty, andrespect: flypleasures, andthey'llfollowyou; Thediligentspinnerhasalargeshift; andnowIhaveasheepandacow, everybodybidsmegoodmorrow; allofwhichiswellsaidbyPoorRichard.”
善解人意的读者:
我听说一个作家的作品被其他博学的作家充满敬意地引用是他最大的快乐。这种快乐我很少有过,虽然整整25年来,我年年都是历书的知名作家——如果我没有自夸的话——可不知为什么,跟我同道的作家们却一直都很吝啬他们的掌声,甚至没有一个作家丝毫注意过我,虽然我的作品带给我很多实惠,但掌声太少实在是件很让人泄气的事情。