Why Is Benjamin Franklin on the Hundred Dollar Bill?
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Benjamin Franklin appears on the $100 bill not because he was a president—he wasn’t—but because of the role he played in shaping America’s identity, economy, and institutions. His presence on one of the most widely recognized denominations of U.S. currency is a tribute to his many contributions as a statesman, inventor, diplomat, and financial thinker.
Although Franklin never actually said his most widely attributed money quote— “A penny saved is a penny earned”—he did pen some savvy money advice. And he did express similar sentiment in a 1737 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanack, “A penny saved is two pence clear,” which reflects his belief in thrift and the power of compounding. Here are a few more kernels of financial wisdom from Mr. Franklin.
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” Franklin consistently warned against the dangers of careless spending, emphasizing the importance of budget discipline.
“He that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing.” A clear signal of Franklin’s skepticism toward debt and reliance on credit—values that remain central to personal finance today. His aversion to debt was also evident in The Way to Wealth (1758): “Rather go to bed supperless than rise in debt.”
“Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it.” Though practical, Franklin didn’t equate money with fulfillment. He believed wealth should serve virtue, not replace it.
“Industry need not wish.” From Poor Richard’s Almanack, this phrase encourages hard work and personal initiative over luck or idle hope.
Franklin was one of the first people in colonial America to recognize the need for a stable, trustworthy system of money. In the early 1700s, he published arguments in favor of paper currency and even helped print some of it himself. His banknotes included features like nature prints and special typefaces designed to prevent counterfeiting—an early example of the security features we still rely on today.
But Franklin’s influence wasn’t just technical. He helped lay the philosophical groundwork for American economic life. He believed that honest work, careful saving, and civic responsibility were essential to a thriving society. His face on the $100 bill reminds us that the value of money isn’t just in what it buys—but in the ideas and trust that back it.
In short, Franklin is on the $100 bill because he helped invent the American approach to money—both how we make it and what we believe about it.
