In Ben Franklin's Own Words
“Fish and visitors stink in 3 days.”
— Ben Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, 1736
Poor Richard's Almanack was Franklin's yearly collection of calendars, weather guesses, and short sayings, published under the name Richard Saunders. This line is a wry proverb about hospitality: even welcome company wears thin when it lingers past a sensible limit. It still fits any holiday week where nobody has said out loud when the visit ends.
Who Was Ben Franklin?
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1706, the tenth son of a candle and soap maker. He became a printer, ran his own shop in Philadelphia, and published Poor Richard's Almanack for about 25 years. He also experimented with electricity, invented bifocals and the lightning rod, helped found a library and a university, and served as a diplomat in France. He wrote his Autobiography late in life. People still read him for his practical, good-humored advice about thrift, work, and getting along with others.
Try This Today
Next time you invite anyone to stay, whether family or friends, name both the arrival day and the departure day in the invitation itself. Say it warmly: we would love to have you Tuesday through Friday. Then put the departure on a shared calendar. A clear end date costs nothing and often makes the visit better.
Your Turn
When a visit or commitment has no clear end, what small, kind sentence could you say early to give it a comfortable edge?
Letters are composites written by the Lifted Words editors. Replies are written in the spirit of each thinker; the quote in the blue box is their own.