Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.
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Commentary
The fiercest battles are often interior. Improvement becomes gentler toward others when it gets stricter with the self that needs shaping.
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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.
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It remains useful because it joins discipline and neighborliness instead of treating them as rivals.
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Commentary