Key insights from
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Audio available
10 minute read
Published Jun 1, 2004
What you'll learn
“Well done is better than well said.” “You may delay, but time will not.” Ben Franklin is known for his witty homespun aphorisms and creative inventions, but there’s so much more to explore in the life of one of America’s most influential sons.
Key insights
- 1 The Franklin family maintained a proud tradition of free thinking and independence going back to the 1500s at least.
- 2 The Franklin family's move to America was both religiously and economically motivated.
- 3 Benjamin Franklin exhibited qualities of leadership, inventiveness, and thrift from an early age.
- 4 Franklin only received two years of formal schooling.
- 5 Franklin hated the simplicity of his father’s candle trade, but hit his stride working in printing and publication.
- 6 Lack of formal training was ultimately to Franklin’s advantage in his pursuit of inventions for the common good.
- 7 Views of Franklin have changed significantly over the past several centuries.
Similar titles
