The Harvard Five-Foot Shelf is a beautiful collection of literature designed to give any reader a thorough self-education. I’ve set out to read this collection several times but never got very far. But at the beginning of this year, I wanted to change that. The first volume of this collection is The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Benjamin Franklin before picking up this book, apart from the basics of his inventions and ideas that I’ve taught to my students. After finishing Franklin’s autobiography, I think it was a very intentional choice by whoever arranged the Harvard Five-Foot Shelf that Franklin’s writings open the collection. Franklin’s thoughts could easily be summed up in this: apply yourself to reading, to bettering yourself, and you can be successful. No one is in control of your future but you (something I tell my students often). Be wise, stay humble, keep your people smarts, and work hard.
A Word of Introduction
One important preface I think I should make that when many people think of Benjamin Franklin, they think of him as being a womanizer and a Deist (simply defined as someone who believes in God but only that God created the world and humans but left them with reasoning abilities to think for themselves, without the need for divine revelation. See the notes at the end of this article for more notes on Deism). Both of these common ideas have some basis in truth. I have not done much reading on Franklin’s spiritual beliefs because this was not a focal point of mine. Many of our founding fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, also claimed Deistic ideologies. This can be surprising to some that just assume our country was founded on more “traditional” Christian beliefs. If you’d like to read more about these topics, I will leave some other material in the notes at the end of this article.
To the issue of Franklin’s flirtatious behavior, this is also probably true. Once again, debunking rumors about the founding father’s potentially promiscuous behavior was never my intention, so I will leave extra reading material on these issues below.
All of that to say: I want to focus on the valuable lessons we can learn from Franklin’s life, despite his flaws and mistakes. He teaches us valuable things that anyone can benefit from if they take the time to learn.
Lesson #1: Refrain from using words that “give the air of positiveness.”
On page 17 of the autobiography, Benjamin Franklin wrote …
“… [I never use] when I advance any thing that may possibly be disputed, the words, certainly, undoubtedly, or any others that give the air of positiveness to an opinion; but rather I say, I conceive, or I apprehend a thing to be so and so … I imagine it to be so, or it is so if I am not mistaken. This habit I believe has been of great advantage …”
(italics are mine)
I wrote a comment in the margin that says, “Think of the persuasive benefit this could have on all our discussions!”
It’s benficial for both parties involved in conversation to be open minded, like Franklin suggested. Instead of always assuming we’re right, we should listen with the possibility of learning something new. If we go into every discussion thinking we’ll “win,” we miss out on what others might have to offer. Franklin wanted to encourage his readers to not shut down new ideas before they even had a chance to hear them.
Lesson #2: Be Well Read
Franklin often judged people based on how much they had read, and how their reading had affected them and their thinking. Franklin also spent much of his own free time reading and studying in an effort to better himself. On one occasion, Franklin remarked that he never worked in the print shop on Saturdays and Sundays, and he devoted these days exclusively to reading (Franklin, 1986, p. 53). On a separate occasion, Franklin compared himself to his boss, bragging about how much his extensive reading made him a better thinker and conversationalist. (Franklin, 1986, p. 55).
We often underestimate the life-changing power of reading. It sharpens our thinking, strengthens our communication, and opens doors to new knowledge – without a grand amount of effort. By harnessing this power, we can easily improve any aspect of our lives that we want.
Lesson #3: Don’t Be Afraid of Argument
Throughout much of Franklin’s autobiography and his other writings (letters, papers, etc.), he put great emphasis on being able to argue well. Arguing well doesn’t necessarily mean winning disagreements. Having the ability to argue well means that you can hold your own in a humble and polite manner that furthers a conversation in a mutually beneficial way. Franklin even started a club for just these types of discussions. This club, known as the Junto, focused on debating current issues, politics, books, art, or anything the members viewed useful. Their discussions led to many improvements, like changes to the mail system, libraries, and even starting the first volunteer fire department.
Being an equipped, humble conversationalist that isn’t afraid to tackle difficult issues is an important skill to have if you want to make any kind of change in the world. Benjamin Franklin is a great example of this.
Lesson #4: A Good Name is Valuable
In Proverbs 22:1, the wise man Solomon writes,
“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”
(ESV, 2007 text edition)
Though Franklin was a Deist, I think he would have agreed with this proverb based on the way he lived his life. On one occasion, Franklin received a letter from Benjamin Vaughan, a British commissioner. In this letter Vaughan made the comment that Franklin should be publishing his writings because the influence of his good reputation could impact the perspective that all Englishmen had of the early colonists (pg. 76). On other occasions, inventors and politicians alike looked to Franklin to endorse their ideals or their products because of the way the general public respected his opinion.
Working to develop a good reputation at work, in school, or in your community is so valuable. A good name is like valuable treasure, as the proverb goes. It’s something to be proud of and protected at all costs.
Lesson #5: If You See A Change That Should Be Made, Make It
On page 125 of Franklin’s autobiography, he writes an account of changes he brought about to the road system in Philadelphia. Franklin noticed a problem affecting his community. He used his good reputation and persuasive writing abilities to fix it. He spoke on the issue, wrote about it, and got things done. Franklin’s words had power because people knew he was going to make a difference in their lives. He had great rapport, had won the peoples’ trust, and demonstrated great wisdom and discernment in his decision-making.
We all see things around us that could be improved, like problems in politics, schools, or our communities. We see things that should be done but that no one seems to want to do. No one is taking the initiative to actually do the things. Franklin did, though, and he serves as a great inspiration to me to not just talk about what’s wrong with the world but to actually do something about it.
There are so many other things I could write about Benjamin Franklin and his life and work, like his personal habit tracker, or Poor Richard’s Almanac, full of proverbial sayings we still use today. But to keep this article from being longer than it already is, I will leave you with just one of my favorite proverbs from the almanac, one that I think encompasses Benjamin Franklin’s influence and life well.
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff Life is made of.”
Best,
Sarah Brenton
A Note on AI
This article has been partially assisted by artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of a large language model called Bard. Bard was used to make edits to the drafted, original work of the author. All content within this article has been reviewed and edited by a human author to ensure accuracy and quality.
References
English Standard Version Bible (2007). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Franklin, B. (Author), & Silverman, K. (Ed.). (1986). The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and other writings. Penguin Classics.
Further Reading
Britannica. (n.d.). Deism. In Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/summary/Deism
History Oasis. (2023, October 26). Benjamin Franklin: The womanizer. https://www.historyoasis.com/
Philosophy Now. (2022, December 16). Deism: Traditional and contemporary. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atheism-agnosticism/