Benjamin Franklin never wrote a romance novel. He wrote almanacs, letters, and essays. Yet buried inside his practical, no-nonsense wisdom are some of the most quoted lines on love and relationships in American history.
This list brings together 55 Benjamin Franklin quotes about love, grouped by theme, so you can find the right words for a wedding toast, an anniversary card, or just a little relationship inspiration.
Table of Contents
Benjamin Franklin Quotes About Love and Marriage
Franklin wrote often about matrimony, viewing it as a partnership built on patience, honesty, and shared effort rather than fleeting passion. Here are his most enduring lines on love and marriage.
If you would be loved, love, and be lovable.
Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut afterwards.
Marriage is the proper remedy. It is the most natural state of man, and therefore the state in which you are most likely to find solid happiness.
Where there’s marriage without love, there will be love without marriage.
The happy state of matrimony is, undoubtedly, the surest and most lasting foundation of comfort and love.
One good husband is worth two good wives, for the scarcer things are, the more they are valued.
You can bear your own faults, and why not a fault in your wife?
If Jack’s in love, he’s no judge of Jill’s beauty.
Love and toothache have many cures, but none infallible, except possession and dispossession.
He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.
If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.
Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.
We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana as of a miracle. But this conversion is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. A constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.
Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.
Great beauty, great strength, and great riches are really and truly of no great use; a right heart exceeds all.
Virtue and happiness are mother and daughter.
‘Tis more noble to forgive, and more manly to despise, than to revenge an injury.
He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged.
To err is human, to repent divine, to persist devilish.
Benjamin Franklin Quotes About Self-Love and Loving Others
Before you can love someone well, Franklin believed, you need self-respect and self-control. These quotes focus on character, patience, and how we treat the people around us, qualities that shape every healthy relationship.
That man alone loves himself rightly who procures the greatest possible good to himself through the whole of his existence and so pursues pleasure as not to give for it more than it is worth.
Be civil to all; sociable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.
A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may never get over.
Glass, china, and reputation are easily cracked, and never well mended.
He that can have patience can have what he will.
Well done is better than well said.
Anger is never without reason, but seldom with a good one.
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.
Search others for their virtues, thyself for thy vices.
Who has deceived thee so oft as thyself?
Wish not so much to live long as to live well.
Do good to thy friend to keep him, to thy enemy to gain him.
Teach your child to hold his tongue; he’ll learn fast enough to speak.
Humility makes great men twice honourable.
The noblest question in the world is, what good may I do in it?
If you would have a faithful servant, and one that you like, serve yourself.
He that won’t be counselled can’t be helped.
How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them.
More Inspiring Benjamin Franklin Quotes About Love, Friendship, and Commitment
Franklin’s ideas on friendship, loyalty, and daily commitment apply directly to romantic relationships. Good partnerships, he suggests, are built one small habit at a time.
Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Little strokes fell great oaks.
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every new year find you a better man.
A long life may not be good enough, but a good life is long enough.
Most people return small favors, acknowledge middling ones, and repay great ones with ingratitude.
Remember that time is money.
When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.
You may delay, but time will not.
Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.
If you desire many things, many things will seem but a few.
Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
‘Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.
If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.
Experience keeps a dear school, yet fools will learn in no other.
If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.
He that waits upon fortune is never sure of a dinner.
How to Use Benjamin Franklin’s Love Quotes in Your Relationship Today
You don’t need a history degree to use these quotes. Many couples use them in wedding vows, anniversary cards, or Valentine’s Day notes. Others write one into a journal to reflect on their own relationship habits.
Because Franklin’s language is short and direct, his lines also work well as text messages, toast openers, or captions. His most quoted line, “if you would be loved, love, and be lovable”, is a common choice for wedding speeches across the USA today.
FAQs
What is Benjamin Franklin’s most famous quote about love?
His most widely cited line is “If you would be loved, love, and be lovable,” first published in Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1755.
Did Benjamin Franklin write any love poems or letters?
Franklin did not write formal love poetry. Most of his thoughts on love and marriage appear in Poor Richard’s Almanack, personal letters, and his Autobiography.
Are all these Benjamin Franklin love quotes verified as authentic?
Most quotes here come from Poor Richard’s Almanack and Franklin’s own letters. A small number of popular quotes attributed to him online lack a confirmed original source, so it’s best to check attribution before quoting them formally.
What did Benjamin Franklin believe made a marriage successful?
Franklin viewed marriage as a practical partnership built on patience, honesty, and shared responsibility, not just romantic feeling.
How can I use Benjamin Franklin’s quotes for a wedding speech or anniversary card?
Pick a short, direct quote that matches the tone of the moment, his marriage quotes work well for weddings, while his quotes on patience and forgiveness suit long-married couples.
Conclusion
Benjamin Franklin’s words on love were never flowery, but they’ve lasted for centuries because they’re honest. Whether you’re planning a wedding toast or just need a little relationship perspective, these 55 quotes offer simple, timeless wisdom worth borrowing.
Vicky ABROY is a writer, editorial curator, and lead researcher for AmericansQuotes.com. With a deep appreciation for the power of language, Vicky specializes in documenting, analyzing, and contextualizing iconic American speeches, literary excerpts, and historical quotations. Through meticulous research and engaging commentary, Vicky highlights the voices that have defined American thought, culture, and leadership across generations—helping readers discover the timeless wisdom hidden within famous words.
