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Walking around the streets of Boston, one may see a person wearing a shirt or see a souvenir beer glass with the quote, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy” with the credit of who said it being given to Benjamin Franklin.

Just like this (sorry if it’s blurry)…

 

However, this glass and any other souvenir or shirt with this quote printed on it, are very misleading as Franklin did not actually say those exact words. Instead, in a letter addressed to a man named, Abbe Morellet, Franklin is accredited with saying,

“We hear of the conversion of water into wine at the marriage in Cana, as of a miracle. But this conversation is, through the goodness of God, made every day before our eyes. Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards, and which incorporates itself with the grapes to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy!”

He is talking about wine in this quote, not beer! So, it is clear that Franklin had been misquoted, but most likely on purpose. Any tourist looking at a souvenir with this made up quote and being unaware of this little distortion of Franklin’s real quote would most likely find it comical. They would read the quote about beer, see it associated with a famous person who many people are knowledgeable to some degree about, and buy it. This allows the item to be popular, ultimately making it a selling point and helping businesses make a profit off the items.

Franklin was a funny man, writing about farting and other comical things, but there is no actual documentation of Franklin saying these exact words about beer and God loving us in this famous misquote.

Sources:

https://www.anchorbrewing.com/blog/say-what-says-who-benjamin-franklin-on-beer-or-not/

https://patriotdepot.com/beer-is-proof-that-god-loves-us-pub-glass/

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Not far from both the location of the birth place of Benjamin Franklin on Milk Street and the obelisk marking the burying place of his parents is a statue of Benjamin Franklin in front of Boston’s Old City Hall. Surrounding the statue are four pictures depicting four major parts of Benjamin Franklin’s life and some of his most important accomplishments. The front picture shows Franklin during his apprenticeship to his brother in the printing shop. The picture in the back depicts Franklin and one of his well-known scientific experiments where he discovered the connection between electricity and lightning. The two sides of the statue focus on Franklin’s political life as one represents his involvement in the committee responsible for drafting the Declaration of Independence, while the other shows his involvement with the signing of the Treaty of Peace and Independence.