Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.

This maxim is commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin in connection with the practical, time-disciplined ethos he promoted in his almanacs and advice writing. It aligns closely with the moral and economic counsel Franklin circulated to a broad colonial readership—especially through aphorisms about industry, thrift, and the efficient use of time. However, the exact wording “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today” is also found earlier in English proverbial tradition and appears in other writers’ works before and alongside Franklin’s lifetime, making the specific occasion of Franklin’s utterance difficult to pin down with certainty.

The quote urges immediate action and frames procrastination as a moral and practical failing. By insisting that today’s doable tasks should not be deferred, it links effective living to mastery of time: small delays accumulate into wasted opportunity, increased burden, and diminished reliability. In Franklin’s broader cultural register, diligence is not merely a private virtue but a social one—promptness supports trust, productivity, and self-respect. The maxim also implies a realistic boundary (“which you can do today”): it is not a call to frenzy, but to clear-eyed prioritization and the habit of finishing what is within reach.

1) “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”
2) “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”
3) “Never leave to-morrow what you can do to-day.”