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The 442nd Aphorism From Benjamin Franklin's Almanac

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The aphorism that I choose to discuss in this post is the 442nd aphorism from Benjamin Franklin’s Almanac that says “Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor liberty to purchase power” (Franklin 44). I think that Franklin used this aphorism to bring out the literal meaning that a person should neither defy his or her morals to obtain wealth nor relinquish his or her liberty in the name of attaining power. But power and wealth are components of safety or security. Thus, the real meaning of this aphorism is that people or societies that forfeit their freedom as a way of attaining some temporary security or safety should lose both their liberty and security because they do not deserve them. Thus, it underscores the idea that, when one trades his

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