On Hard Work, Diligence, and Poverty | The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin was known for being crafty, intelligent, inventive and being great at finances. The Way to Wealth is a short essay he wrote that outlined many of the short lessons that he considered valuable to anyone who was pursuing a path of wealth and prosperity.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdjxAhzWk9TWEbPpXDdMHMQAbjb7prW1vMFUq4ibKGHGv/image.png)
Hard Work
Much of the book discusses the value of hard work and why it's important to work hard on the path to wealth.
“Then plow deep, while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep.”
“Work while it is called to-day, for you know not how much you may be hindered to-morrow.”
“One to-day is worth two to-morrows.”
“At the working man’s house hunger looks in, but dares not enter.”
Ever hear successful people talk about how they wake up before the competition and put the work in while they're asleep. They claim that nobody outworks them, and that's what got them to the top and that's what is keeping them up there.
Hard work is hard. It's not a glamorous thing that you flaunt as you walk the street. It's something that you do for yourself. It's something that goes mostly unrecognized because it's such a personal act.
When you're a professional athlete, you wake up early in the morning to hit the gym so you can stay in the best possible shape and beat your competition.
But people don't see that gym work that you put in. Those long, hard hours are for yourself. They aren't for showing off, they're for showing up.
Diligence
Diligence and hard work go hand in hand. Being diligent means you're patient enough to sit down and grind on what's important.
“Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
“Constant dropping wears away stones; and by diligence and patience the mouse ate in two the cable; and little strokes fell great oaks.”
"little strokes fell great oaks" is one of my top favorite quotes. Working hard and chipping away at whatever it is that you're trying to achieve is the key to making your dreams come true.
Little strides, taken each day may make the journey long and hard, but it will also make the journey walkable. Following your journey is not easy, it requires you to show up day after day to put the diligent work in to achieve.
Poverty
“A small leak will sink a great ship.”
“Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessaries.”
Poor Richard Says: “It is easier to suppress the first desire, than to satisfy all that follow it.”
"Get what you can, and what you get hold,
’Tis the stone that will turn all your lead into gold.”
The book is obviously about wealth attainment and Franklin's views on how to get wealthy are rather simple: Save money by working hard, being diligent and staying in control of your desires so that your incomes outweigh your out-flows.
The last quote is another of my favorites. Getting what you can means working as hard as you can to the best of your ability to earn income. Holding what you get means that you're controlling your desires so that you can save and invest.
"The stone that will turn all your lead into gold" refers to the alchemist stone but Franklin uses it here as a way of referring to the fact that if you learn how to make more income and how to reduce your out-flows, you'll always be in control of your wealth.
@khaleelkazi, Yes, Hard Work is important no matter in which work we will going to associate with. And without hard work we cannot push us in life effectively.
Diligence is more important because we should hold the patience because patience is Magical Aspect because it protect us from the mindless actions.
And no matter where you go and with whom you talk, stay Down To Earth because that showcase the essence of the kind heart.
And in life it's not about the one aspect, it's always an Combination of aspects which push us towards one direction.
Wishing you an great day and stay blessed. 🙂
Nice post with Benjamin after little long time ;)
@khaleelkazi hello 👋 sir You have done a very good post in steemit, the person you introduced to us today is a great man named Benjamin Franklin, such a person is born very little in the world, justice, intelligence, conscience, to earn money. The technique was fantastic, we thank you all for you, to introduce us to a person like Benjamin Franklin, a lot more beautiful next day, a great person
I love this piece
@khaleelkazi you did a great work on this post kudos!
Upvoted and Resteemed
One of the greatest men who ever lived. Nice work!
To listen to the audio version of this article click on the play image.
![](https://steemitimages.com/640x0/https://s18.postimg.org/51o0kpijd/play200x46.png)
Brought to you by @tts. If you find it useful please consider upvoting this reply.
dear, can u prove how diligence is good luck ?
Great job on the piece. I'm glad good old Franklin is still teaching us to this day. I'm sure most founding fathers would like the concept of crypto and its ability to take power from a central authority.
Haven't seen you around lately... first time hearing about this book but it seems like most of the stuff are common sense... i've been watching dan lok on youtube, the man seems to know what he is talking about!
BTW the author of rich dad poor dad joined steemit some days ago, don't know if you saw, it wasn't a big hype, but the man made a first post deserving of being a best selling author! https://steemit.com/@robertkiyosaki
I've doing most of the stuff benjamin speaks in the book it seems, my expenses are almost down to none, been selling stuff to get more money to invest, slowly 10 buck at a time i'm making my portfolio and my investments bigger and bigger!
WOW THIS PLACE IS THE PARADISE. I WOULD LIKE TO BE THERE. SO AMAZING
That's not paradise. It is Babuyan island in the Philippines.