Today I found out that Benjamin Franklin, through extensive study of the world’s major religions and various moral codes, came up with a list of thirteen main virtues that he felt every person should strive to live their life by. As such, he himself attempted to always live by this code and developed charts with which he charted his progress from day to day, to make sure that he was constantly improving towards this end.

He would start with one of the virtues and plot his progress on the chart until he mastered that virtue; then moving on to the next; and so on until he mastered them all. He ordered them specifically as shown below, as some of them naturally lend towards others. Thus by sticking to this order, he felt it made it easier to achieve the whole.

This code is as follows:

Temperance: Eat not to Dullness, drink not to elevation Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling Conversation Order: Let all your Things have their Places. Let each Part of your Business have its Time Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve. Frugality: Make no Expense but to do good to others or yourself: i.e. Waste Nothing Industry: Lose no Time. Be always employ’d in something useful. Cut off all unnecessary Actions Sincerity: Use no hurtful Deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak; speak accordingly. Justice: Wrong none, by doing Injuries or omitting the Benefits that are your Duty. Moderation: Avoid Extremes. Forbear resenting Injuries so much as you think they deserve. Cleanliness: Tolerate no Uncleanness in Body, Clothes, or Habitation Tranquility: Be not disturbed at Trifles, or at Accidents common or unavoidable. Chastity: Rarely use Venery but for Health or Offspring; Never to Dullness, Weakness, or the Injury of your own or another’s Peace or Reputation. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

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