Franklin, Benjamin -- Poor Richard (1739 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 01 May 2025 15:35:30 +0000

Blessed is he that expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard (1739 ed.)
(Source)

The earliest recorded usage of this phrase is actually Alexander Pope (1727), though Pope says he had devised it many years earlier. Modeled after the Beatitudes in the New Testament.

Pope, Alexander -- Letter (1727-10-16) to John Gay

Dave — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 18:13:27 +0000

Blessed is he who expects nothing for he shall never be disappointed.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet
Letter (1727-10-16) to John Gay
(Source)

Pope referred to this, in the letter, as "The Ninth Beatitude." He may have used the phrase the previous year in a letter to William Fortescue (the letter is not given a date, but is grouped with a letter from John Gay to Fortescue of 23 Sep 1725). In both letters, Pope indicates he devised the saying many years previously.

Repeated by Benjamin Franklin, without attribution, in Poor Richard's Almanack for May 1739.

WIST Quotations

Franklin, Benjamin -- Poor Richard (1739 ed.)

Pope, Alexander -- Letter (1727-10-16) to John Gay