13 Virtues of Benjamin Franklin (or why Franklin is a stud)

Benjamin Franklin was a stud–successful entrepreneur, brilliant statesman, prolific writer, notable inventor, ladies man.  As Walter Isaacson writes, Washington and Jefferson were monumental, unapproachable.  They were aristocratic.  They were “landed gentry.”    Franklin, on the other hand, was a self-made man.  He earned his achievements through raw ambition, constant self-improvement, and a mixture of frugality and industry. He had maintained a distaste for formality, loved the truth above all else, and avidly supported the common citizen.

Stated differently, this dude kept it real.  If alive today he’d invite you to a house party, smoke hookah, and pepper you with Socratic questions concerning the definition of freedom.  He’d run a digital media empire, advise silicon valley tycoons, negotiate peace between Israel and Palestine, and cavort with underwear models during his extensive global travels.  After embarrassing photos get posted to facebook, he’d write a pithy blog post with subsequent tweets justifying his lifestyle choices.  His argument would overwhelm detractors with reason and hilarity.  He’d be oddly accessible, and he’d definitely carry an iPhone.

The 13 Virtues:

I learned recently that Franklin lived his life by 13 virtues he defined during his 20’s.  Read them slowly and intentionally. Go through your day and measure yourself against them with a pen and paper.  It’s illuminating.

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order: Let all things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others; (i.e., waste nothing).
6. Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or anther’s peace or reputation.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

You Get What You Measure:

What I find most remarkable is that Franklin methodically measured himself on these 13 virtues throughout his life.  He carried a booklet every day and placed a tick mark whenever he disobeyed a virtue.  Because this task in nearly impossible at the onset, Franklin focused on one virtue per week and attempted to perfect that one for that week.  He rotated each virtue so over the course of a year, he had 4 cycles working on each.  Talk about managing for performance!

Think.  Have you ever committed yourself to such a methodical self improvement exercise with such discipline? It takes tremendous courage, self knowledge, and commitment to improvement.  I think few people could do this.  That’s probably why people like Ben Franklin are so rare.

Join My Experiment

I’m going to run a mini experiment for the month of July, employing Franklin’s 13 virtues to the best of my ability.   Anybody is welcome to join me.  I’ll create a Google spreadsheet and we can track one another.  Let me know. We’ll keep each other honest!  Reply to the thread (or email) if you’re down.

Walter Isaacson on Franklin

1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness and drink not to elevation.

2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation.

3. Order: Let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time.

4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve.

5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste nothing.

6. Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. Justice: Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. Moderation: Avoid extremes. Forebear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation.

11. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; Never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.