Benjamin Franklin

What are articles on Benjamin Franklin doing on a website dedicated to self-improvement? Well, he was a remarkable person, who consciously worked to improve his character and encouraged everyone to do the same to improve themselves and the world around them. He was a self-improvement practitioner and advocate.

There is much written about him and many myths that have developed over the 200 plus years since his death.

Benjamin Franklin Portrait

He was a self made man. Having worked his way up from having nothing in his pocket when he ran away at the age of 17 with 2 years of formal schooling and 4 years of apprenticeship in his brothers printing business. He was the 15th of 17 children and there wasn't much left to help him out. But he managed to learn and grow until he owned and ran his own printing business and published a weekly newspaper. Read his Biography

Franklin had a keen sense of community and the improvement of people. He developed the first lending library and fire department. He wrote 'Poor Richards Almanac', which contained lots of self-improvement advice, for over 25 years. What I am most interested about is his personal development plan. Read about Franklin's Virtues Plan.

Franklin flying his kite, Artist interpretation

He was an unparalleled statesman. He traveled to London several times to petition for greater self governance for Pennsylvania and the other colonies before becoming resigned to a revolution as the only way to maintain an acceptable level of liberty. He was intimately involved in the formation of the USA. He was 15 years older than the next oldest member of the constitutional convention. In a speech asking his fellow delegates to the constitutional convention to accept the proposed constitution, he stated that "I do not entirely approve of this Constitution at present; but sir, I am sure I shall never approve of it. ... I doubt, too, whether any other Convention we can obtain may be able to make a better constitution" He was the champion of compromise.

Perhaps Benjamin Franklin is, arguably, most famous as an inventor. Having invented such diverse items as a more defilement wood burning stove and bifocal eyeglasses. Not to mention his experiments with electricity of which he is sometimes given credit with 'inventing'. This is obviously false because electricity is a naturally occurring phenomenon, just like no one 'invented' fire. What he did do was make the connection between static electricity and lightning. He built the first battery, but was unable to find a use for it outside of a few 'parlor tricks'.

There are many quotes attributed to him such as 'A penny saved is a penny earned'. Read Benjamin Franklin Quotes, Quips and practical advice.

Reading inspiring biographies is a time honored method of self-improvement, be sure to include Benjamin Franklin.

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