Benjamin Franklin, writer, inventor and founding father, offered us 14 lessons for taking action. These are valuable insights and reminders for entrepreneurs, consultants and other independent spirits.  Some have become proverbs in our common language:

1. “Well done is better than well said.”
2. “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”
3. “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
4. “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.”
5. “All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.”
6. “Never confuse motion with action.”
7. “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.”
8. “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.”
9. “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”
10. “Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
11. “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one’s self.”
12. “Who had deceived thee so often as thyself?”
13. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
14. “Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”

Excerpted with thanks from a post by Thea Easterby at BusinessInsider.com.