Author in Qalma
Benjamin Franklin
1706–1790
Biography
Poor Richard was the character Benjamin Franklin invented for his almanac, published in Philadelphia every year from 1732 to 1758. Franklin was already a printer and newspaper editor; the almanac needed a voice, so he built one: a modest, dry man dispensing practical advice on weather, money, health, and how to live with other people without going broke or making enemies. Many of the sayings were older proverbs Franklin sharpened until they stuck, and they passed into the common speech of colonial America. In Qalma the day's voice is credited as Poor Richard, the persona; the pen behind it was Franklin's.
Why Benjamin Franklin belongs in Qalma
The almanac was a page a day, useful and brief, made to be lived with rather than admired. Qalma keeps the same contract.
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.”
Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard's Almanack · 1746
A reflection
Franklin framed it as a question, unusual for Poor Richard's usually blunt style. He was asking readers to notice the gap between how much they claim to value their lives and how carelessly they spend their days. The test still works: if someone asked whether you love your life, your calendar from last week would be part of the answer. Pick one habit that quietly eats time without giving much back, and replace it tonight with something you would actually want to remember having done.
Source: Poor Richard's Almanack, 1746 edition.
Benjamin Franklin is one of the twelve voices in Qalma. Explore the visual journal app, or return to the home page.
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