Timeless Advice from Benjamin Franklin on Forging Formidable Intellects
✨An investment in knowledge pays the best interest ~Benjamin Franklin
Ever wonder how one of the world’s most exceptional thinkers, Benjamin Franklin, was educated?
Spoiler: It wasn’t in a school.
The man didn’t just help create a whole new country, he experimented with lightning & electricity, started his own printing press as a teenager, served as an ambassador to France, founded the first public library, and is even credited with inventing bifocal glasses.
All this, and more, without a conventional education!
So what did his education look like?
Glad you asked. I just read Benjamin Franklin’s unfinished auto-biography. While I was disappointed to learn he didn’t get to write about the Revolution, he did go into a LOT of detail about his early life and his self-education - Yes, SELF-education. So, without further ado…
8 Tips From Franklin on Forging Formidable Intellects
READ EXCEPTIONAL BOOKS, LOTS & LOTS OF EXCEPTIONAL BOOKS: In the 1700s, books were rare treasures, especially in the colonies. To get one, you had to order from London and wait for it to cross an ocean. Franklin, an avid collector, credited his early success to meeting influential thinkers who were drawn to his library. Even today, being well-read never loses its charm—it opens doors to the connected, educated, and ambitious.
Franklin didn’t just read; he revisited exceptional works like Pilgrim’s Progress repeatedly. This book stands out for its exquisite language and its themes of perseverance and the human spirit’s quest for meaning. Here’s an abridged version my oldest read at 9—it’s the kind of book that inspires self-improvement and a strong work ethic.
MASTER THE SOCRATIC METHOD: Franklin studied and practiced the Socratic Method extensively in his youth. He got so good at it, he could win arguments where he had no prior knowledge of the subject. He later stopped using this method because … well… it didn’t win him a lot of friends. But he credits it with his ability to learn deeply about any new subject.
Interested in learning the Socratic Method for your kids, you might enjoy my Workshop: Socratic Method for Beginners.
START A BUSINESS AS A TEENAGER: Franklin literally rowed a boat to another city as a teenager to work at a printing shop. He later became the primary owner and operator. He did all of this before he turned 20. If it’s at all possible to help your kids start a business - even if it never turns a profit, it will provide benefits for their whole professional lives.
IMITATE GREAT WRITERS: Franklin didn’t just read exceptional works, he spent thousands of hours rewriting these great works. This process of imitating great writing is part of the progymnasmata which is one of the pre-exercises of the ancient Greek rhetoric programs. There are modern day curriculums that teach children this process including Memoria Press - which is the program my children use - but you can do similar exercises like this less formally at home. Confused, don’t worry, I’ve got a post coming up on how to do this in the Spring.
CREATE LEARNING CLUBS TO IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING: Franklin created his first learning club while living in London in his 20s. What did these look like? All members would write something and the others were only allowed to give criticism. He wanted his ideas to be exceptional. He constantly worked at improving his logic and reasoning. I started a history/science club so my children will have a group to learn and think with. There are a 1,000 ways to ensure this happens for your kids, but seek out opportunities for them not just to learn but to DISCUSS what they’re learning. This becomes increasingly important as children age.
USE TIME WISELY: Franklin had very little respect for youth who were not actively engaged in learning or making the world a better place. Even after he was married with children running a full-time business, he devoted an hour a day to study. I’m still a proponent for children to have lots of time for play; however as they get older focusing that play on activities of value → building, writing, creating, deep hobbies, starting a business are far more useful than the ways many of today’s teenagers idle their time away on social media.
SERVE THE WORLD BY FIXING WHAT IS BROKEN: When Franklin saw a problem, he didn’t wait for another to fix it; he sought to do it! Franklin talks a lot about the problem of the street lights getting cloudy in the evenings, so he redesigned them later claiming that Philadelphia’s lights were superior to even London (He wasn’t great at humility - but was self-aware see next point). Are there any problems in your community that your kids can work to solve?
INSTILL VIRTUES: Franklin famously created his own system to ensure he became more virtuous. He had a list of 13 virtues he sought to exemplify: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility. He opined often that he struggled the most with humility, which is clear from his book but also adorably self-aware. You don’t have to pick these virtues, but spending time with your kids thinking about what are the values of your family is well worth doing. Need help creating your family’s values, you might enjoy THIS.
BONUS: VIRTUE OVER POPULARITY: Franklin was a vegetarian when it was very quite unpopular. I point this out not to encourage you or your children to be vegetarian but because the notion of holding true to your own personal moral code in the face of disparagement from society trains the mind to be powerful and resilient. Teach your children how to stand up for themselves, be themselves unabashedly, and live a life worth imitating.
As we move into a brand new year, may I encourage you to pick one of these tenets to bring into your life.
Every year, we are given the gift of more time.
Don’t waste it♥️
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I will have to read this. At the beginning of the school year, I developed a Ben Franklin unit study. I would love to do a John Adam’s unit study as well so students can compare and contrast these leaders. They were both so talented and fighting for the same thing but did not like one another at all. So many lessons to learn there.