Be civil to all; serviceable to many; familiar with few; Friend to one; Enemy to none.
Benjamin Franklin (Poor Richard)
Where these words come from
- 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
- Poor Richard Improved, 1756; Exact maxim as printed in the almanac, preserved in the Franklin Papers. Original reads serviceable, not the common variant sociable. Attribution identifies the almanac persona; no claim that Franklin originated every almanac proverb.
- Poor Richard Improved, 1756
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