Benjamin Franklin Autobiography Summary! To be put on the 100 dollar, you have to be a pretty bad a$$ dude! Benjamin Franklin is that man..
He is someone we should all aspire to be like. There are some great lessons in his autobiography that I have summarized for you in this video.
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1 – Always be honest
"I grew convinced that truth, sincerity and integrity in dealings between man and man were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life"

2 – Be humble

3 – Always strive for self improvement

When he was 20, he wrote down a list of 13 virtues he wanted to live by.

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 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.
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 another's peace or reputation.
13 - Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

He had this to say about his list

"Though I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavor, a better and happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it."

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man"

4 – See the true value of things
He believed we need to look past the price of a thing and see the true value of it. He believed that you shouldn’t give up real things of value, like virtue, repose, and liberty for super flew us things like popularity, being a people pleaser, and for the accumulation of stuff (aka materialism).

"When the well is dry we know the value of water"

5 – Be self-sufficient
Franklin had a do it yourself attitude and believed that we should all be able to do things for ourselves.

6 – Educate yourself and use your time wisely
"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."

"This library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study, for which I set apart an hour or two each day"

7 – Hard work and diligence pay off

8 – Associate with people of similar values

9 – Use your time to build wealth and help others

The more wisely you use your time, the more you can build your wealth… not materialism, but wealth. Franklin retired in 1748 when he was just 42. This allowed him to do whatever he wanted after that, which included reading, conducting experiments, and inventing cool stuff!

He didn’t want to live a foo foo poo poo fancy life. He wanted wealth so he could grow into a noble citizen who was able to serve others in his community.

10 – Wake up early
"The early morning has gold in it’s mouth"

He allocated three hours each morning to read, study, plan, and prepare for the day. The morning is a great time to be alone with your thoughts, to read, to journal, to get clear on your goals and purpose, to exercise, and to plan a productive day.

"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail"
"Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes"

11 – Have a positive outlook and expect a good outcome
"While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us"

"Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight"

12 – Learn how to influence people and don’t let your ego get in the way

13 – Have a healthy sense of humor and laugh
"He that displays too often his wife and his wallet is in danger of having both of them borrowed"

14 – Appreciate the little things in life
"Happiness consists more in the small pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life"

15 – Be a kid at heart.. keep playing, dreaming, and creating
"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing"

16 – Live a life of balance.
Franklin insisted that we make time for family, friends, and fun. Give each part of your life it’s time.

17 – Focus on what’s important
"Never confuse motion with action"

Benjamin Franklin autobiography lessons