Poor Richard's Almanack Quotes

Context

This line was written by Benjamin Franklin in his Poor Richard's Almanack (1735). Poor Richard was Franklin's pseudonym, and Almanack really was spelled that way back in the day.

Well, isn't that just a bucket of fun? We bet those early birds are so disciplined they even eat the worms they catch. Mr. Franklin had good intentions, but there are a lot of creative, successful night owls who wouldn't agree with him, like Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Keith Richards, and every late night talk-show host.

They don't "early to bed," and they don't lack health, wealth, or wisdom. Keith Richards is even still touring with The Rolling Stones. Just remember to be true to your Circadian rhythm.

By the way, we think it's suspicious that Mr. Franklin didn't care about women's bedtimes.

Where you've heard it

You'll hear this quote in endless children's rhymes and sing-song videos. They're so sweet that they'll make your teeth fall out.

Additional Notable References:

• Poet Mary Mapes Dodge takes it to an extreme.
• This scientific article for ignoring Poor Richard's advice.
• You can get a lot accomplished at night or in the wee hours of the morning.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

We're giving this an 8 because the night crawlers might resent the inference that they're less impressive than the dawn treaders. We can all be fabulous around the clock.