Powerful Goodness
And the art of procuring pleasant dreams
Art made from the pages of the immortal wisdom of Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography
According to our friend Ben, the road to success requires mastering merely thirteen virtues on the way to “moral perfection.”
Published in 1793, Autobiography is the unfinished diary of Benjamin Franklin which outlines Franklin’s self-made, rags-to-riches path with instructions for others to follow. With only two years of formal schooling, Franklin invented and reinvented himself numerous times.
In addition to narrating his life story, Franklin used his Autobiography to outline his vision for the fledgling new country. After living in France for eight years, Franklin articulated his “Plan for Attaining Moral Perfection” which identified thirteen necessary virtues— temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility— all traits which have woven their way into our shared “American” identity.
In addition to defining American ideals, Franklin provided a concrete strategy for cultivating those virtues with a daily schedule that included an early morning wake-up, reading, dining, diversion, constant self-evaluation, and daily reflection of “what good shall I do this day?” Franklin emphasized practical, classifiable progress, and in doing so, unwittingly launched America’s obsession with self-improvement, goal setting and resolutions.
The pages of Franklin’s Autobiography served as excellent fodder for several original works included in my 2023 solo show, How To Be.
As for the “art of procuring pleasant dreams,” Ben says you need to preserve your health with “due exercise” before meals but not immediately following them, “great temperance,” and “a constant supply of fresh air in your bed-chamber.” He doesn’t mention this specifically, but I’m pretty sure he discourages watching “Stranger Things” before drifting off.
Learn more about the impact of Franklin’s Autobiography on American values and identity in Jess McHugh’s book Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History in Thirteen Bestselling Books which served as the inspiration for the artwork I created for my How To Be show.