“Lighthouses are more useful than churches.”

—  Benjamin Franklin

Also quoted as “Lighthouses are more helpful than churches” or “A lighthouse is more useful than a church.” Although not by Franklin in this form, it may be intended as a paraphrase of something he wrote to his wife on 17 July 1757, given in a footnote on page 133 of Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin (1818). After describing a narrow escape from shipwreck he added:
The bell ringing for church, we went thither immediately, and with hearts full of gratitude, returned sincere thanks to God for the mercies we had received: were I a Roman Catholic, perhaps I should on this occasion vow to build a chapel to some saint, but as I am not, if I were to vow at all, it should be to build a light-house.
Misattributed

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Lighthouses are more useful than churches." by Benjamin Franklin?
Benjamin Franklin photo
Benjamin Franklin 183
American author, printer, political theorist, politician, p… 1706–1790

Related quotes

Abraham Lincoln photo

“It is no fault in others that the Methodist Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospital, and more prayers to Heaven than any. God bless the Methodist Church — bless all the churches — and blessed be to God, who, in this our great trial, giveth us the churches.”

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) 16th President of the United States

To the 1864 general conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, as quoted in Abraham Lincoln : A History Vol. 6 (1890) by John George Nicolay and John Hay, Ch. 15, p. 324
1860s

Jon Stewart photo

“The Westboro Baptist Church is no more a church than Church's Fried Chicken is a church.”

Jon Stewart (1962) American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian
Richard Rodríguez photo

“Q: Why do I stay in the Catholic Church?
A: I stay in the Church because the Church is more than its ignorance; the Church gives me more than it denies me. I stay in the Church because it is mine.”

Richard Rodríguez (1944) American journalist and essayist

Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography (2013)

Leonard Ravenhill photo

“The Church right now has more fashion than passion, is more pathetic than prophetic, is more superficial than supernatural.”

Leonard Ravenhill (1907–1994) British writer

Source: Revival God's Way

Barbara W. Tuchman photo

“The system was aided by the Church, whose natural interests allied it more to the great than to the meek.”

Barbara W. Tuchman book A Distant Mirror

Source: A Distant Mirror (1978), p. 173

Barbara W. Tuchman photo

“Voluntary self-directed religion was more dangerous to the Church than any number of infidels.”

Barbara W. Tuchman book A Distant Mirror

Source: A Distant Mirror (1978), p. 487

Ferdinand Magellan photo

“The Church says that the Earth is flat, but I know that it is round. For I have seen the shadow of the earth on the moon and I have more faith in the Shadow than in the Church.”

Ferdinand Magellan (1480–1521) Portuguese explorer

This quotation is often found on the internet attributed to Magellan, but never with a source, and no English occurrence prior to its use by Robert Green Ingersoll in his essay "Individuality" http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/individuality.html (1873) has been located. Thus, it it most likely spurious. In that essay Ingersoll states:
It is a blessed thing that in every age some one has had individuality enough and courage enough to stand by his own convictions, — some one who had the grandeur to say his say. I believe it was Magellan who said, "The church says the earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence even in a shadow than in the church." On the prow of his ship were disobedience, defiance, scorn, and success.
Disputed
Variant: The Church says that the Earth is Flat, but I know that it is Round. For I have seen its Shadow on the Moon and I have more Faith in a Shadow than in the Church.
Source: As quoted in Oxford Academic (25 July 2013) http://oupacademic.tumblr.com/post/56463634957/misquotation-i-have-seen-the-shadow-of-the-earth

Woody Allen photo

“Standing in a garage no more makes you a car than standing in a church makes you a Christian.”

Woody Allen (1935) American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, author, playwright, and musician
Garrison Keillor photo

“Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in a garage makes you a car.”

Garrison Keillor (1942) American radio host and writer

Though Keillor has been quoted on the internet and in print as having made this or a similar remark, such expressions have been made by others, and may have originated with Billy Sunday, who is quoted as having said "Going to church on Sunday does not make you a Christian any more than going into a garage makes you an automobile!" in Press, Radio, Television, Periodicals, Public Relations, and Advertising, As Seen through Institutes and Special Occasions of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism (1967) edited by John Eldridge Drewry.
Disputed

Cesar Chavez photo

“What do we want the Church to do? We don't ask for more cathedrals. We don't ask for bigger churches of fine gifts. We ask for its presence with us, beside us, as Christ among us.”

Cesar Chavez (1927–1993) American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist

The Mexican-American and the Church (1968)
Context: What do we want the Church to do? We don't ask for more cathedrals. We don't ask for bigger churches of fine gifts. We ask for its presence with us, beside us, as Christ among us. We ask the Church to sacrifice with the people for social change, for justice, and for love of brother. We don't ask for words. We ask for deeds. We don't ask for paternalism. We ask for servanthood.

Related topics