The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
by Benjamin Franklin · first published 1791
64% recommend36% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Franklin's account of how he built his printing business, improved himself, and pursued practical goals; read as a self-improvement guide and a view of the entrepreneurial spirit, suited to founders and curious readers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Few men could compare to Benjamin Franklin. Virtually self-taught, he excelled as an athlete, a man of letters, a printer, a scientist, a wit, an inventor, an editor, and a writer, and he was probably the most successful diplomat in American history. David Hume hailed him as the first great philosopher and great man of letters in the New World. Written initially to guide his son, Franklin's autobiography is a lively, spellbinding account of his unique and eventful life. Stylistically his best work, it has become a classic in world literature, one to inspire and delight readers everywhere.
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In the excellent The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin[1] the author describes that Freedom of the Press isn't worth a whit unless you own one and that was why he got into the printing business. It's been common knowledge for a very long time that the primary…
on “The Bullshit” ↗"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life" "The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" "The toilet paper entrepreneur" "The lean startup" "Anything you want"
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm Franklin was the equivalent of an open source purist. He was determined to uncover truth, better himself, and inform the world. "I had form'd…
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - he goes a little bit into how he did the stuff he did.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗My Experiments with Truth - Mahatma Ghandhi Autobiography of a Yogi - Beyond the last blue mountain - RM Lala (on JRD Tata) The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin O Manas ke Hans (Hindi biography of Ramkrishna Paramhans who was the guru of Shri Vivekanand) Narendra Modi - nilanjan mukhopadhyay Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel - kaushal goyal Steve…
on “Ask HN: Biographies recommendations – both Westerner and Non-westerner” ↗The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin https://twitter.com/naval/status/1002103360646823936 The Economic History of the Jewish People
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗It's "How to Win Friends and Influence People", and it's one of Paul Graham's recommended books (see http://www.paulgraham.com/startupfaq.html ), along with the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. There's also "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", which is often recommended in the same breath.
on “Be Kind” ↗…very little on design / user experience / human behavior, which arguably contribute much more to the overall impressions end users have of programmers' work. First, the greatest book of all time, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - an amazingly introspective and insightful look into how to live an examined life and improve oneself. And then if you want to learn lower-case "design thinking", my top 10 books * Design for Everyday…
on “Alan Kay's answer to ‘what are some forgotten books programmers should read?’” ↗You should thanks hhm. As far as I can remember he posted the first chapter a while back. (And that's how the book got in my bookmarks in the first place.) You might also like 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin' (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=312332). Mr Franklin also has something to say about making your fortune in an ethical way.
on “Golden Rules for Making Money by P. T. Barnum (1880)” ↗- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - Growing a Business - Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier. (The original death-march) - The Entrepreneur and Small Business Problem Solver - Web and Software Development by Nolo Press
on “Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read” ↗The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/148 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2680 He wasn't the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but he was Emperor of Rome. ;) Walden http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205…
on “Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?” ↗My runner up sales books are: Be My Guest by Conrad Hilton The Success System That Never Fails by W. clement stone The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Watch all of Brene Browns TED talks about vulnerability. Sales requires trust and trust is built on connection and connection is built by being vulnerable.
on “Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?” ↗Big impact for me both professionally and personally : The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
on “Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?” ↗…Logic of Failure" by Dietrich Dorner. Sort of an applied "Heuristics and Biases". "The Moral Animal" by Robert Wright. It unlocked the reasons why my impulses and aspirations were at such odds. "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin". Very practical advice for how to better oneself. Caveat: Reading them earlier is one thing. Appreciating them is another.
on “Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?” ↗…Life and Work by Henry Ford My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla by Ben Johnston and Nikola Tesla The Autobiography of Charles Darwin by Charles Darwin Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
on “Ask HN: Biographies recommendations – both Westerner and Non-westerner” ↗