“I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”

A polymath and Founding Father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin’s career spanned politics, science, and publishing. He is best known for his contributions to early American democracy, including the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, as well as his pioneering work in electricity and his influential writings on self-improvement. His wit and practical philosophy remain widely influential today.