Benjamin Franklin's thirteen virtues for moral perfection

The Summer Break 2010 quest towards moral perfection. Is it possible to be morally perfect? Well, just try it out and find out the answer for yourself.


1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION. Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11. TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.


These are Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues for Moral Perfection. It is summer break, thus I advise you all to work on becoming morally perfect. I think it's best that you only focus on one virtue at a time and then add on to it. For example, you work on temperance for a week. For that week you would focus on moderating your food intake. Eat enough food that you know that you are full; do not overindulge and do not eat until you've got a food baby. Just eat enough food that it satisfies your hunger. Also, if you're a drinker, don't drink 'til you're drunk. I think it's best that you just stop drinking completely. It's summer break, so it's time to make some major modifications to your behavior!

After you've got temperance down, then you can add the virtue of silence. Thus, the second week, you would have to make sure that you work on both temperance and silence. At this point, temperance should be really easy, so you won't have to think about it as much. This week, though, you've got to work on silence. If you're a talker, then it'll be difficult; if you're timid, this might just be your virtue.
Silence, overall, is that you avoid superficial talk. Americans are famous for their superficial conversations. "Don't you just love the weather? I love the teacher's accent and your t-shirt." It's just conversations that really have no point except to break the silence. We do this all the time with people we don't like very much or don't know very well. Go past these superficial conversations and delve deeper into more personal areas. If there is no possibility of any personal conversations with this person, then don't say anything at all. Silence is better than superficiality.

So do you get my point? Of course, this is just one way to achieve moral perfection. You can think of your own way of achieving all thirteen virtues. Perhaps, you think it's better to just work on all thirteen at once over the summer break. Perhaps, you prefer that you attempt the easier virtues and wait until you're stronger to attempt the more harder ones. Perhaps, you would like to evaluate yourself before trying to become morally perfect; you record how many times you break a virtue over a course of a week. You can do whatever you want. You are free to try to become morally perfect or not. Benjamin Franklin attempted to become morally perfect and he realized that it might actually be impossible. Everybody should have a chance to find out for him or herself if they can achieve moral perfection.

Here's just a little summary of the other virtues:

Order: Organization. Are all your office supplies in the place where they belong? You can't work in an area that is disorganized because then your life is disorganized. Your time must be organized as well. Don't do things spontaneously. Have order in your life by planning and following suit. Both an organized environment and life is what you're trying to achieve.

Resolution: Did you set any goals for today? If you did, then you'd better go through with it. Ddi you have any New Year's Resolutions? If yes, you better get working on them! You planned to achieve those goals and that is exactly what you'll do!

Frugality: It speaks for itself. It's all about altruism. Whatever that you're doing better benefit others or yourself. Don't behave in a way that it hurts yourself or others.

Industry: No more Facebook or listening to music if it's just to pass the time. Be productive in everything you do! Do not waste precious time; get rid of all the distractions that prevent you from doing so.

Sincerity: Always speak the truth. You might end up getting slapped by your girlfriend for telling her that she looks hideous in that dress, but it's the truth. Telling her the truth, making her mad, and forcing her to change clothes is much better than lying and having to go to the party with this beast.

Justice: Do what is your duty. If you said that you would take out the trash, do it! If it's your responsibility to clean the dog, then freaking clean the dog already! It's your job-your responsibility.

Moderation: Overall, moderation in everything that you do. Do not overindulge. Moderation of sleep, exercise, baseball, Edward Norton, or whatever you do. Don't go overboard with all behaviors.

Cleanliness: Speaks for itself. Go out and clean your body, clothes, and house! Your thinking will be more clear!

Tranquility: Stop looking at the past. If you made a major mistake, don't think about it again. "Keep Moving Forward." (loving motto of Meet the Robinsons) Don't regret anything. It was meant to happen for a reason, so just look forward to the future.

Chastity: Have sex only for reproduction. Who the heck does this nowadays? Benjamin Franklin didn't achieve moral perfection because of this. So, he really shouldn't have put it as a requirement for moral perfection!

Humility: Be prideful, but not too much! A good example of this is that you tell your colleagues that you spend only 10 minutes on a presentation (but the truth is that you stayed up all night working on it) so the presentation is really good and your colleagues think you're absolutely amazing to have done so in just 10 minutes. Be prideful of your hard work, but don't make it seem like you're an absolute genius of something.