Benjamin Franklin’s Road to Riches

Title and author: The Road to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin

Content Synopsis:

This is a compilation of various writings by the grandfather of America’s success, Benjamin Franklin. It begins with the introduction he wrote to his autobiography. It is then divided into three sections:

the road to riches

In this section, Franklin discusses the importance of industry (what today we would call hard work); self-sufficiency; Frugality; charity; Experience; and all sprinkled with concise axioms and Yankee sayings. Little has changed since Franklin wrote these words. He did not invent these ideas. They represented the indigenous Yankee work ethic and the Judeo-Christian ethic.

Tips for a young worker

In this brief article, Franklin recalls the disciplines and methods that served him so well in his youth in the world of work. It is a brief review of those “virtues” as he calls them, of hard work, perseverance, frugality, etc. He frames these ideas for the young man or woman looking to get things right.

the path to virtue

As a young man, Franklin began a self-improvement project, focusing on one virtue each week until he felt he had incorporated them into his life. He speaks of the value of temperance (avoid overindulgence), silence (avoid small talk), resolve (resolve to go ahead), frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, tranquility, chastity, and humility.

As was the custom in the eighteenth century, Franklin did not divorce personal integrity and virtue from personal success. The improvement of the person was required to achieve success both on a personal and business level. He understood, like Jim Rohn two centuries later, that you cannot be less of a person and succeed at the same time.

While some of Franklin’s moral teachings may seem naïve and preachy today, one must wonder if the world wouldn’t be a much better place if more people heeded this advice. Today’s headlines too often describe deceit, deception, and a lack of integrity among our leaders and business leaders. Franklin understood that one must constantly work to improve oneself in order to be successful. One must be a good person to be a successful person.

Utility:

Anyone who is serious about genuine self-improvement and developing the whole being to succeed will benefit from this timeless work. In it you will find the fundamental principles that almost all successful authors have defended since then.

Readability/Write Quality:

Franklin wrote with remarkable clarity for an eighteenth-century author. He wrote for the common man, not for the intellectual. While the organization and style of that period are a bit difficult for modern readers, his work was much more readable than that of most of his contemporaries.

Author’s Notes:

Benjamin Franklin was an eminently successful American of the 18th century. He is so successful in the printing and publishing business that he was able to retire from active business at the age of 40. He spent the rest of his life as a statesman, diplomat, and inventor. He was instrumental in many public improvement projects by founding the first public library, insurance company, and fire department in the United States. He became one of the wise men and chief architects of our nation and helped write the United States Constitution. He was one of the most important founding fathers.

Three great ideas you can use:

1. When someone complained about paying taxes, Franklin replied, “Our idleness taxes us twice as much, our pride triples our pride, and our folly quadruples.

2. Franklin appreciated the value of time, our most precious commodity. He wrote: “If you love life, then don’t waste time, because that’s what life is made of.”

3. In a proverb, Franklin embodies both the need for hard work and balance equally important to a successful life: “Run your business, don’t let it drive you; and early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy.” and tasty”. , and wise, says poor Ricardo”.

Disclosure Information:

Benjamin Franklin’s Road to Riches

Published by Best Success Books (Kindle). This material is in the public domain.