[Ads-l] "God Helps Those Who Help Themselves"

[Barretts Mail]

I didn’t find a subject line with a search, but you attribute it to Benjamin Franklin at http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2012-January.txt.

Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_helps_those_who_help_themselves) provides citations as early as the fifth century BCE, and includes mention of “Hercules and the Wagoner”, which is what I associate the expression with. Wikipedia also says that Algernon Sidney used it before Franklin. Sidney (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algernon_Sidney) lived from 1623 to 1683, so his use is doubtless after the French citation.

Benjamin Barrett
Formerly of Seattle, WA

> On 9 Jun 2019, at 18:10, James A. Landau <JJJRLandau at NETSCAPE.COM> wrote:
> 
> I seem to recall many moons ago the ADS List had a discussion on the saying in the subject line. 
> 
> I found the saying in French in 1634.
> 
> https://books.google.com/books?id=q8BRUtzaEVwC&pg=PA40&dq=aide-toi+dieu+t'aidera&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwium8fG2N3iAhWSmlkKHfpqBV8Q6AEIKjAA#v=onepage&q=aide-toi%20dieu%20t'aidera&f=false
> 
> _SECONDE CENTURIE DES QUESTIONS TRAITE'ES EZ CONFERENCES DU BUREAU D'ADDRESSE_  Paris: Bureau d'Adresse, 1636. 
> 
> The exact quote appears on page 40 in the report on the Fifty-Fourth Conference "Du Lundi 27 Novemb. 1634" (Monday, 27 November, 1634).
> 
> According to Michael Korda _Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee_ np: Success Research Corporation (according to the copyright data, but the book apparently is distributed by HarperCollins), 2014, ISBN 978-0-06-211629-1 page 658, this quotation is from Joan of Arc and was inscribed on the sword that Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House.
> 
> - Jim Landau

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