Benjamin Franklin · 1791 · Memoir
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Franklin began this memoir in 1771 as a letter to his son and returned to it in several stages until shortly before his death. It follows him from a modest Boston childhood and an apprenticeship in his older brother’s printing shop, to his arrival in Philadelphia as a teenager with almost nothing, and on to success as a printer, publisher and civic organiser.
Much of its appeal lies in his account of deliberate self-improvement. He describes teaching himself to write, forming a club of friends for mutual improvement, and helping to found a subscription library, a fire company and other public institutions. He also sets out his plan for practising thirteen virtues. The account ends in the late 1750s, long before his role in American independence.
Key insights
- Franklin worked on thirteen virtues by focusing on one each week and marking lapses in a small chart. Tackling a single habit at a time made progress visible.
- He planned each day on paper, opening with a question about what good he would do and closing with a review of what good he had done.
- He learned to write by summarising essays he admired, rewriting them later from his notes and comparing the results. Imitation with honest feedback is a strong teacher.
- Franklin stopped stating opinions as absolute certainties and framed them as his current view. He found people argued less and cooperated more readily.
- When proposing public projects, he presented them as the idea of a group of friends rather than his own, which reduced envy and won wider support.
Read it if you enjoy practical self-improvement and want to see how one curious, disciplined person shaped his character and career.