Benjamin Franklin — "After crosses and losses, men grow humbler and wiser."
After crosses and losses, men grow humbler and wiser.
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More from Benjamin Franklin
"He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals."
"A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."
"A penny saved is a penny got."
"If you would be loved, love and be amiable."
"He that is rich, is wise enough."
About Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Polymath Founding Father, diplomat, and Poor Richard's Almanack author who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Closely associated with John Adams (fellow Founder, Massachusetts statesman) and Thomas Jefferson (fellow Declaration drafter). For an intellectual contrast, see Thomas Hutchinson, last royal governor of colonial Massachusetts — Franklin leaked Hutchinson's loyalist correspondence to Boston in 1772 to inflame revolutionary sentiment — Hutchinson represented the colonial-aristocrat crown-loyalty that Franklin's revolution was organized to dismantle.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Hardship and failure are better teachers than success. 'Crosses' means burdens and troubles; 'losses' means failures and setbacks. Together they strip away arrogance and force honest self-reflection. A person who has suffered tends to judge others less harshly and approach problems with greater care. Adversity produces two qualities that smooth success rarely does: genuine humility and hard-won wisdom.
Relevance to Benjamin Franklin
Franklin lived this principle. Born into poverty as one of seventeen children, he ran away as a teenager and nearly failed in his first printing ventures. His son Francis died of smallpox in 1736. His years as colonial agent in Britain ended in public humiliation before Parliament. Each setback sharpened his pragmatism. Poor Richard's Almanack, written over 25 years, is built entirely on proverbs distilling hard-earned lessons into guidance for ordinary people.
The era
Franklin wrote during the colonial era, when loss was woven into daily life. Infant mortality was high, disease could devastate a family overnight, and business failures often led to debtors' prison. The Enlightenment championed reason and self-improvement through experience — failure wasn't shameful if you learned from it. Protestant culture also framed suffering as spiritually instructive. In this context, a proverb telling readers that hardship produces wisdom was both comfort and practical philosophy.
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