The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin’

Next week I’ll have a list of books to read this summer. But today instead of having a new book review, because I have many new readers I have included a link to seven book reviews I have already done. [Update: Here is a list of books to read for 2012]

Some of the books on this list you may not have heard of before, but all of them are worth reading. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Analects of Confucius are similar in the sense that both have lessons for us to live by. Though some of the lessons are outdated, there are some that are still applicable today.

If you’d like to understand your friends and customers better and know why they behave the way they do, The New Birth Order may shed some light on the issue. Bunker Bean and Jonathan Livingston Seagull demonstrate that if you believe in yourself you can accomplish anything, but the message is delivered in very different ways. Bunker Bean may drive you nuts the way he drove me nuts, but I am glad that I took the time to finish reading it.

Dorothea Brande’s prescription for success is to act as if it was impossible to fail. Since I read Wake Up and Live!about five years ago there are several books that recommend that you should work through the resistance and complete more projects. If you have a firm belief that you could do anything, you’d take more risks and get more done. Your outcome would be similar if you acted as if it were impossible to fail.

Cover of The AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Bunker Bean, Leon Wilson

Wake Up and Live!, Dorothea Brande (The review is in my newsletter)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach (The review is in my newsletter)

The Analects of Confucius

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young

The New Birth Order, Dr. Kevin Leman

Timeless Ideas Worth Exploring

If you have a Kindle or the Kindle apps for PC click here to download free Kindle books.

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Book List

Autobiography and Other Writings (Oxford World’s Classics)

Wake Up and Live

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

The Analects (Oxford World’s Classics)

A Technique for Producing Ideas (Advertising Age Classics Library)

Birth Order Book, The: Why You Are the Way You Are

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

By Benjamin Franklin

A few days ago I posted a blog titled “Benjamin Franklin in 10 Tweets,” and thought it would be a great follow-up to have today’s post. I reviewed The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin for Ambeck Edge in November 2004 and recommended it with reservation because it was so difficult to read. Four years later, in 2008, I read The Autobiography and Other Writings (Penguin Classics), and found it was easier to read the second time around. Here is the original book review, and the sections highlighted in red are new information that I have added to the review.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is an excellent book, but very difficult to read. It is written in old English and not structured in a way that you would expect. It took three attempts for me to finally read it through. To read this book and get the most from it, you need to set aside at least two hours. This is not a book to read in 15-minute time slots, and you’ll need an open mind when reading it.

The effort you make in reading this book is well worth it. Even though the information in this book was originally recorded in a manuscript in the 1700s, it’s timeless, and reaffirms that there are no new ideas. You will come away feeling richer. There are many lessons you can learn from reading this book. I am amazed at the way he used information to educate the masses.

Franklin wanted to introduce what he called a public subscription library, but when he tried to get the subscriptions, people objected and were reluctant to participate because it was “Franklin’s project”. He immediately learned that it was often more important to relinquish control of a project to benefit humanity if doing so would make it be accepted.

In the book, Franklin talks about his 13 virtues, which he tried to integrate into his life – temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity and humility. He chose a virtue and focused on it for the entire week. Benjamin Franklin wanted to be morally perfect, but found perfection to be elusive. He realized that being perfect wasn’t possible, but he was glad he tried because he was a happier and better man after trying. Some of the virtues may not make sense in today’s world, but it is still worth thinking about. In May 2009 while I was reading The Analects of Confucius, Confucius outlined precepts to live by which reminded me of Franklin’s 13 virtues.

Franklin was also an excellent time manager, accounting for every minute in the day and would never go to bed without first examining his day. As I am revisiting this book review, I am reminded of Socrates‘ famous quote “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

Benjamin Franklin, inventor, printer, publisher, business owner, franchiser, master of strategic alliances, fundraiser and so much more, gives new meaning to the terms “Jack of all Trades” and workaholic.

Five Great Ideas

1. Develop a Code of  Conduct for the way you live and work, so that when situations arise you know how to respond
2. Provide useful information to your clients
3. After making the first $1 million, it is easier to make the second
4. Before going into partnerships, develop contracts with clearly defined expectations and exit clauses to protect all involved parties
5. History is filled with mistakes, learn from them

I recommend this book with reservation because even though it’s so difficult to read.

Related Posts

Benjamin Franklin in 10 Tweets
What Does This Benjamin Franklin Quote Mean to You?
The Analects of Confucius

Excerpt from  Ambeck Edge, November 2004