The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

After reading about Benjamin Franklin now and then, I always had a query of who he was. Was he a politician, a scientist, an economist or champion of public service. Last week I got a chance to read his autobiography and felt that he was the master of all. In his book "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin", a good account of his life and his work is detailed out. Some text shows his self-praise which he himself have accepted. This book also provides a good log of information on rise of United states as a nation and more so in making of a great society. The book talks about his life in detail. Born in Boston and moved to Philadelphia, he was a self taught man. He learnt the printing work from his brother and later started his own printing press in the city of Philadelphia. From there he never looked back. He learnt languages and then maths and science. It is really amazing to know how a person, who never went to high school could become scientist and did a number of inventions which helped the society in small and big ways. His profession of printing press helped him in getting closure to the administration and there he impacted a lot as an administrator itself. Book shares the details on his experience on war-front with local Indians. Later he helped different counties in coming together and proposing the building of a nation. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of America.

Regarding his belief on religion, he writes- "For the arguments of the Deists, which were quoted to be refuted, appeared to me much stronger than the refutations; in short, I soon became a thorough Deist. I grew convinced that the truth, sincerity and integrity in dealings between man and man were of the utmost importance to the felicity of life. The most acceptable service to God is doing good to man". He shared a detail on Virtues, he developed and practiced in his life and how it helped in making him a better man. He claims that there virtues contributed greatly to his success.

He was the master of conversation and talked about one of the virtue Humility in communication; "When asserted something that I thought an error, I denied myself the pleasure of contradicting him abruptly  and of showing immediately some absurdity in his proposition; and in answering I began by observing that in certain cases or circumstances his opinion would be right, but in present case there appeared or seemed to me some difference, etc."

Franklin talks on importance of reading in his life, "This library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study, for which I set apart an hour or two each day… Reading was the only amusement I allow'd myself. I spent no time in taverns, games, or frolics of any kind.". 

On this note on reading I must say that this book is one of the best autobiographies and worth reading.