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The Library
of Alexandria

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part 9 summary

Part 9 of 23 · 17 min to read the part

In Plan for Achieving Moral Perfection, the narrator organizes thirteen virtues into a system of weekly practice, daily examination, and recorded faults, finding improvement rather than perfection. He explains his difficulties with order and pride, describes an unwritten guide to virtue, and outlines a proposed society whose development remains blocked by other responsibilities.

What happens

  1. The narrator finds that knowing right from wrong cannot overcome habit, so he defines thirteen virtues and practices them separately.
  2. He creates daily fault tables, assigns each virtue a week, and draws up a daily schedule.
  3. His faults decrease, but Order remains difficult, and competing responsibilities bring his regular examinations to an end.
  4. He credits the practice with greater happiness and describes a planned guide to virtue that remains unwritten.
  5. A Quaker friend exposes his pride, prompting him to add Humility and adopt less forceful ways of expressing opinions.
  6. He outlines a religiously inclusive society for mutual improvement, but business and public duties prevent him from developing it.

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Which virtue gives the narrator the most trouble?

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