Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
Commentary
Commentary
The fiercest battles are often interior. Improvement becomes gentler toward others when it gets stricter with the self that needs shaping.
Franklin balances moral effort with civic peace. The line refuses the common mistake of being hard on everyone else while staying indulgent toward one's own habits.
It remains useful because it joins discipline and neighborliness instead of treating them as rivals.
Commentary
Commentary