Quote by: Benjamin Franklin

Were I a Roman Catholic, perhaps I should on this occasion vow to build a chapel to some saint, but as I am not, if I were to vow at all, it should be to build a light-house. [Letter to his wife, 17 July 1757, after narrowly avoiding a shipwreck; often misquoted as "Lighthouses are more helpful than churches."]


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Author Bio


  • NameBenjamin Franklin
  • DescriptionAmerican author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat
  • AliasesThe First American; Silence Dogood; Ben Franklin
  • BornJanuary 17, 1706
  • DiedApril 17, 1790
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionWriter; Politician; Publisher; Printer; Political Theorist; Postmaster; Inventor; Political Activist; Statesman; Diplomat; Dilettante; Polymath; Chess Player; Designer; Musician; Political Philosopher; Autobiographer
  • AwardsFellow Of The Royal Society; Copley Medal