The Character of Benjamin Franklin

his brother was angry with him, though Franklin does admit to being “saucy and provoking. How successful was his project for moral perfection? Were the character flaws of the 17-year-old boy smoothed out, or eradicated by the strict program Franklin established for himself? It’s fair to guess that, like the rest of us, he took two steps forward and one step backward nearly everyday. ” Presumably, this character flaw practicing the virtue of silence would remedy the anger. Doing this, Franklin acquired a habit of seeking virtue if not exactly the “habitude of all these virtues” as he originally intended. Be always employed in something useful. ”

Still, it is easy to imagine him falling short in the discipline of daily self-examination. If anyone could live without committing an fault at any time, it would probably have been Benjamin Franklin; he was a man who got things done. Franklin nearly always accomplished what he set out to do. His purchase of three large rolls was an example of his intemperance and lack of frugality, but he remedies these flaws by giving the bread he has not eaten to a woman and her child. Although he neglected these virtues, Franklin served well on the journey showing ambition. Finally falling asleep in the Quaker meeting house violated his sixth precept, industry, which states: “Lose no time. Franklin left Boston surreptitiously, and he deceived a ship’s captain about why he needed passage and thus neglected the virtue of sincerity. The face that Franklin set out on the journey to Philadelphia without money or prospects indicates that he was also neglecting the virtues of moderation and cleanliness.