Post #2343619
2026-05-08 14:20 UTC
Apparently you're right: the other reply cites the letter.
But still, Ben Franklin is famous for a ton of stuff, including actual published works full of quotable aphorisms like *Poor Richard's Almanack* (as opposed to some random private letter that was only published after-the-fact). Meanwhile, Blackstone is remembered mainly just for *Commentaries on the Laws of England*, of which the Blackstone's Ratio quote is part. Can't we let poor old Mr. Blackstone have this one thing?!
Replies (1)
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@vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 2026-05-08 16:20
Frankly as a relatively well read Californian I hadn't heard of Mr. Blackstone. Probably a side effect of what I like to call the Atlantic Gap where American and European namely British cultures started to drift and also weirdly mirror each other up until about the 1860s or so. So the Brits can have their quote from Mr. Blackstone and those of us under the American Empire get Ben Franklin.