Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the most versatile and widely admired figures dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude

ctitude of conduct. For this purpose I

in American history, was born in Boston and apprenticed at an early age to a painter therefore contrived the following method.
and newspaper publisher. As a young man, he moved to Philadelphia to make his
fortune, eventually acquiring his own printing and newspaper house where he produced In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with
the popular Poor Richard’s Almanack from 1732-1757. Essentially self-taught, in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous, as different
Franklin helped to establish what became the American Philosophical Society and the writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. Temperance,
University of Pennsylvania, and his experiments with electricity were noted worldwide. for example, was by some confined to eating and drinking, while by
A leading figure in the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States
as a democracy, Franklin has been referred to as the “wisest American.” His
others it was extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure,
autobiography of his early years is considered a classic of American literature. appetite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our avarice
and ambition. I propos'd to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather
Benjamin Franklin more names, with fewer ideas annex'd to each, than a few names with
Arriving at Perfection more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that
time occurr'd to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a
In “Arriving at Perfection,” an excerpt from his Autobiography, Benjamin short precept, which fully express'd the extent I gave to its meaning.
Franklin lays out a plan for his own self-improvement. Franklin was a conscious and These names of virtues, with their precepts, were
conscientious perfectionist. His little essay on self-improvement reflects the
enlightenment ideals of his time with their emphasis on reason and progress. But it also
1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
reflects an older tendency in American culture: the tendency toward self-examination
and self-correction, a meditative cast of mind Franklin inherited from his Puritan 2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid
ancestors. Franklin weds these two tendencies toward self-examination and toward self- trifling conversation.
improvement, toward the moral and the practical. 3. Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your
Franklin’s goal for what he calls this “bold and arduous Project” is to live business have its time.
each day without committing any faults. As a rationalist, he sees no reason why he
shouldn’t be able to live according to a standard of moral propriety. He comes to
4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail
realize, however, that there are many ways he can lapse from his high standard— what you resolve.
through habit, carelessness, inclination, and bad example. 5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e.,
waste nothing.
6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut
It was about this time I conceiv'd the bold and arduous project off all unnecessary actions.
of arriving at moral perfection. I wish'd to live without committing any 7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if
fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, you speak, speak accordingly.
custom, or company might lead me into. As I knew, or thought I knew, 8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that
what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the are your duty.
one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of 9. Moderation. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as
more difficulty than I bad imagined. While my care was employ'd in you think they deserve.
guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another; habit took 10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or
the advantage of inattention; inclination was sometimes too strong for habitation.
reason. I concluded, at length, that the mere speculative conviction that 11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or
it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to unavoidable.
prevent our slipping; and that the contrary habits must be broken, and 12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to
good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or
reputation
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
 My intention being to acquire the Habitude of all these virtues, I TEMPERANCE
judg'd it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the
whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should Eat not to Dulness.
be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should Drink not to Elevation.
have gone thro' the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some S M T W T F S
might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arrang'd them with
T
that view, as they stand above. Temperance first, as it tends to procure
S
that coolness and clearness of head, which is so necessary where
O
constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the
unremitting attraction of ancient habits, and the force of perpetual R
temptations. This being acquir'd and establish'd, Silence would be more F
easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I I
improv'd in virtue, and considering that in conversation it was obtain'd S
rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to J
break a habit I was getting into of prattling, punning, and joking, which M
only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second Cl.
place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time T
for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once become Ch.
habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the H.
subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry freeing me from my
remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would I determined to give a week's strict attention to each of
make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., etc. the virtues successively. Thus, in the first week, my great
Conceiving then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras in his guard was to avoid every the least offence against Temperance,
Golden Verses, daily examination would be necessary, I contrived the leaving the other virtues to their ordinary chance, only marking
following method for conducting that examination. every evening the faults of the day. Thus, if in the first week I
I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the could keep my first line, marked T, clear of spots, I suppos'd
virtues. I rul'd each page with red ink, so as to have seven columns, one the habit of that virtue so much strengthen'd and its opposite
for each day of the week, marking each column with a letter for the day. weaken'd, that I might venture extending my attention to
I cross'd these columns with thirteen red lines, marking the beginning of include the next, and for the following week keep both lines
each line with the first letter of one of the virtues, on which line, and in clear of spots. Proceeding thus to the last, I could go thro' a
its proper column, I might mark, by a little black spot, every fault I course compleat in thirteen weeks, and four courses in a year.
found upon examination to have been committed respecting that virtue And like him who, having a garden to weed, does not attempt
upon that day. to eradicate all the bad herbs at once, which would exceed his
reach and his strength, but works on one of the beds at a time,
and, having accomplish'd the first, proceeds to a second, so I
should have, I hoped, the encouraging pleasure of seeing on
my pages the progress I made in virtue, by clearing
successively my lines of their spots, till in the end, by a
number of courses.
I should he happy in viewing a clean book, after a
thirteen weeks' daily examination…