Ben Franklin’s Thirteen [Tactical] Virtues

Born on Milk Street in Boston in 1706, Ben Franklin was raised under a Puritan roof where religion and modest behavior were part of the culture. But, like many of us, when he was in his teens he struggled with his idea of God, morality, and what he believed. After much contemplation and a variety of personal experiences, Franklin came to the conclusion, “Since without virtue man can have no happiness in this world, I firmly believe He (God) delights to see me virtuous, because He is pleased when He sees me happy.”

Though Franklin was certainly not without his faults, he was brilliant in thought and deed and ever so practical in the application of principles. In order to be virtuous, he had to identify what those virtues were and then measure himself against them. He needed a target to aim at.

Franklin identified thirteen cardinal virtues and made a notebook that contained a kind of scorecard. Each page in the notebook listed one virtue for him to track each week. Every day he would mark in his notebook how he did holding to that particular virtue. Then, the next week he focused on the next virtue, track it each day, and so on. He practiced one virtue a week for thirteen weeks. This process would repeat for a total of four cycles in a calendar year (13 x 4 = 52). The idea was that if he habitually tracked and measured his progress, he could eventually master each one.

With intentionality and a simple system in place, Franklin practiced these:

Thirteen Cardinal Virtues

I. Temperance
Eat not to dullness.
Drink not to elevation.

II. Silence
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself.
Avoid trifling conversation.

III. Order
Let all your things have their places.
Let each part of your business have its time.

IV. Resolution
Resolve to perform what you ought.
Perform without fail what you resolve.

V. Frugality
Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself.
Waste nothing.

VI. Industry
Lose no time.
Be always employed in something useful.
Cut off all unnecessary actions.

VII. Sincerity
Use no hurtful deceit.
Think innocently and justly; and if you speak, speak accordingly.

VIII. Justice
Wrong none, by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

IX. Moderation
Avoid extremes.
Forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

X. Cleanliness
Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes, or habitation.

XI. Tranquility
Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

XII. 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.

XIII. Humility
Imitate Jesus and Socrates

Imagine what we could do, how we could change, what we could master, if we focused on the things that we wanted to improve like he did! How much progress could we make in bettering ourselves and our lives if we were as deliberate and systematic? For Franklin, all it took was a decision and a notebook.  That’s pretty tactical.

(If you’re interested in giving it a whirl and starting your own journal, The Art of Manliness Store has a nice one).

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• Which of these virtues come easiest to you?
• Which come hardest?
• What are you doing about it?

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