It can be read here, although I have the paperback version Benjamin Franklin Autobiography
The first 5 pages is background for why he is writing the biography, however it is hard to connect with due to the language and grammer used. Shortly thereafter he dives into the details of his life story which becomes quite interesting.
A couple of interesting findings:
- Entrepreneurial Spirit
- Almost everyone back then had a business or had the ability to start a business
- Since businesses were very local there was much more room for multiple businesses to coexist without the large monopolies and oligopolies that are present today
- Business failure and failing to payback debts seemed to be quite common, however it was not met with the financial ruin that seems to correlate to todays failure
- Frugality
- Ben seemed to get ahead by amassing wealth through frugality which afforded him the ability to invest
- He was frugal with both his money and time, understanding the importance of free-time to accomplish things he felt were needed
- His investments were both direct (businesses and merchant trade) and indirect (investing time and money into reading and the perfection of writing)
- Virtues
- He prized learning, modesty and improving oneself
- He avoided drinking alcohol to excess and focused on drinking only water
- Honorable
- Honorable men seemed much harder to come by in the past then today and credibility over time was critical to becoming a success
- It is interesting to understand how today that honorability is important as well, it is what has allowed me to get my job with my current employer
That's all that jumped out at me for now, but a surprisingly interesting read so far. I've enjoyed how much I can connect with the lifestyle they lead even with the large technological differences that exist between the 1700s and today.
