Famous Health Quotations Philosophers

Benjamin Franklin – The Ideal American

We all heard a lot about “American dream”, but never seen its personification within the human. That human did exist, we even know how he looked like, because his face is always looking upon us for the decades from the US 100 dollar bill. Meet Benjamin Franklin – politician, scientist, writer, philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.

Life on a whiff

His biography should be studied by those who don’t believe that human’s possibilities are unlimited. Benjamin was born on 17-th of January, 1706 in Boston. He became the 10-th and the youngest son of the tallow chandler, a maker of candles and soap, who had 17 children. The young boy studied at school only for two years, and since he became 10 – he was earning for his life at the candle works, then printing house. When he got 17, Benjamin went to Philadelphia without a coin in his pocket; there he was employed at the printing house. Some time passed and Benjamin became the master of the printing business, and even improved some equipment there. During his leisure time Benjamin self-educated himself on many topics like ancient and modern languages, philosophy, physics, and literature.

At 1729 Benjamin started to publish “The Pennsylvania Gazette” which soon became the most popular publication in Northern America. It was Franklin’s idea to create the Public library that could be visited by anybody. First of these libraries in English colonies were opened in 1731. The same year Benjamin Franklin was accepted to the freemasons at the St. John’s Craft in Philadelphia, three years later he already was the Great Master of the Great Craft. He was getting more and more worried about the future of English colonies, about their freedom and development prospects. Franklin started to publish his opinions not just in newspapers, but in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” also, which made him popular.

Shortly people started to consider his opinion – he became very respectable person. That’s how Franklin became politician, in 1737 he was chosen as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Assembly, in 1753 he was appointed as the general postmaster of North American colonies. During his staying at this post he cardinally reformed post service, and for the long time it was the most advanced in the world.

In 1743 Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society, and in 1751 – Academy of Philadelphia, which was reorganized into the University of Pennsylvania. It was Franklin, who in 1754 offered the plan to unite English colonies, which was though rejected by the colonies themselves. After the war for independence he was participating actively in preparation of Declaration of Independence and signed it in 1776. He was amongst the ones who participated in development of symbolic of the Great Seal of The United.

At the same time Franklin carried on extensive economic research, which initiated the beginning of labor theory of value. Moreover he didn’t put an end to the study of essential sciences.

He invented lightning rod, which helped during the storms, he invented the theory of storm winds (northeasters) and participated in the studies of Gulfstream. His research in the electricity received international acknowledgement. Last years of his life, Benjamin Franklin devoted to his work on Constitution of the United States and struggle against slavery in all its forms. Few days before his death he signed the famous petition against slavery. And not long before that he received a letter from George Washington, where he expressed the attitude of all the Americans to the Founding Father of United States:
“… If to be venerated for benevolence, if to be admired for talents, if to be esteemed for patriotism, if to be beloved for philanthropy can gratify the human mind, you must have the pleasing consolation to know that you have not lived in vain; and I flatter myself that it will not be ranked among the least grateful occurrences of your life to be assured that so long as I retain my Memory, you will be thought on with respect, veneration and affection by Dear Sir Your sincere friend and Obedient Humble Servant, G. Washington”

Franklin’s Journal

They often say that people like Franklin were born under the lucky star. Indeed it is easier to explain the impetuous spiritual growth of human by prophesy or some fortunate foresight, than discern behind the outer successes laborious and continuous task. But we are fortunate: When Franklin was at the age of 79 – he wrote his autobiography, that clarifies the true motives of his successes. Here are some quotations out of it:
“It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection. I wished to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into. As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another; habit took the advantage of inattention; inclination was sometimes too strong for reason. I concluded, at length, that the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest to be completely virtuous was not sufficient to prevent our slipping, and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct. For this purpose I therefore contrived the following method.

In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I met in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous, as different writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. Temperance, for example, was by some confined to eating and drinking, while by others it was extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure, appetite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our avarice and ambition. I proposed to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annexed to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully expressed the extent I gave to its meaning.

These names of virtues, with their precepts were:
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; cut off all unnecessary actions.
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. Tranquillity – 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.

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