Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.”
- Source
- The Way to Wealth
- Date
- 1758
- Local voice
- Authorial persona / framed maxim · Poor Richard maxim, repeated through Father Abraham
Meaning of “Beware of little expenses; a small leak will…”
Small recurring costs can matter more than they appear individually, so careful attention to minor spending is part of long-term financial discipline.
Where does it come from?
The Way to Wealth; Father Abraham repeats the Poor Richard maxim while warning about small but cumulative expenses.
Why the local voice matters
The Way to Wealth is framed as Father Abraham’s address compiling maxims Franklin had published through the Poor Richard / Richard Saunders persona. This record therefore preserves the framed authorial-persona layer instead of treating the maxim as unmediated Franklin narration.
