Ben Franklin on enemies

From today's Early To Rise email:

"Enemies do man more good than harm. They point out to us our faults; they put us upon our guard; and help us to live more correctly. The best men have always had their share of envy and malice of the foolish and wicked, and a man has therefore some reason to be ashamed of himself when he meets with none of it. My good friend Rev. Whitefield once said, When I am on the road and see boys in a field pelting a tree, though I am too far off to know what tree it is, I conclude it has fruit on it."

(Source: The Compleated Autobiography, by Benjamin Franklin, compiled and edited by Mark Skousen)