If you would not be forgotten, As soon as you are dead and rotten, Either write things worthy reading, Or do things worth the writing.

This rhymed maxim is commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin and is often treated as a piece of his early, aphoristic writing in the vein of Poor Richard–style counsel about reputation and usefulness. However, the line’s exact first appearance in Franklin’s authenticated writings is difficult to pin down, and it circulates widely in later quotation collections, sometimes without a precise citation. The sentiment fits Franklin’s lifelong concern with public virtue, practical achievement, and the creation of a durable legacy through print culture and civic action—two arenas in which he himself excelled.

The verse treats posthumous reputation with blunt physicality (“dead and rotten”), then offers two routes to remembrance: create literature worth rereading, or live in such a way that others will want to write about you. Its wit lies in collapsing “fame” into a practical test of value—either your words endure on their own merits, or your deeds generate a narrative. The line also reflects Franklin’s utilitarian moral outlook: legacy is not inherited but earned through useful work, public service, invention, or intellectual contribution. At the same time, it gently satirizes vanity by reminding readers that the body decays quickly; only meaningful action or meaningful expression can outlast it.

1) “If you would not be forgotten / As soon as you are dead and rotten, / Either write things worth reading, / Or do things worth writing.”
2) “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
3) “Write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.”