Benjamin Franklin：The Project of Moral Perfection
Benjamin Franklin《The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin》· Part Two, the Art of Virtue · Character · Learning · Action
It was about this time I conceiv'd the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection.
Source：
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/148/pg148.txt
Locator：Part Two, the Art of Virtue, paragraph beginning “It was about this time...” · Verified：2026-10-19 · Verification：Exact match
Reading
Character can be trained through a deliberate, auditable project.
Context
Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) was a Boston-born printer, writer, scientist, and statesman who moved to Philadelphia in 1723. In his Autobiography he describes a bold project to reach moral perfection by tracking thirteen virtues week by week. The project failed in practice, but it turned character into a system of deliberate practice rather than a fixed inheritance.
Today's question
If you drew up a list of virtues, which one would you put in week one—and how would you measure it?
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