The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

From whatever walk of life you may come, Ben Franklin’s autobiography can be an indispensable navigation tool. Franklin begins the account of his life with his childhood in Boston in the early 1700s. He tells about his trouble with math, vegetarianism, his apprenticeship at his brother’s print shop, his running away to Philadelphia at 17, being sent to London near penniless, his starting his own newspaper, his various government positions, there’s too much to list really.

He does not, however, provide a comprehensive inventory of his inventions or accomplishments. Rather, he chronicles events from his life that illustrate how he came to be who he is. And in doing so he provides something much more invaluable than a list of accolades. He instead illustrates the inner workings of a genius mind.

With his autobiography, Franklin has left behind exemplary accounts of how to effectively deal with individuals, the masses, and ones self. He takes care to recount his errors as well as his successes and from every one of his numerous anecdotes, whether he was successful or, not you can see that no matter how seemingly insuperable the situation, with the right tactics a desirable result is possible.

Franklin’s story is the account of a man who had society’s best interest at heart and it is because of this that he was able to be so successful. The trust that people had in Benjamin’s character and abilities was a currency that afforded him the ability to make deals and to negotiate in situations where ordinary people would not be able. He wasn’t afraid to make big changes to help people nor did he put himself above making seemingly inconsequential ones. From the Revolution to organizing city street cleaning, Franklin seldom passed an opportunity to help his fellow man.

He realized that the most valuable thing he could leave behind was the framework and philosophy by which he accomplish all of his amazing feats. And this is exactly what he has done. Whether you agrees with his philosophy or not, no one cam read this and not be a tad more enlightened because of it.