In Benjamin Franklin’s Project for Moral Perfection he listed 13 characteristics that he wanted to improve during his lifetime. Yes, he wanted to become perfect. He had trouble with one of them and said:
“My list of virtues contain’d at first but twelve, but a Quaker friend having kindly informed me that I was generally thought Proud; that my pride show’d itself frequently in conversation; that I was not content with being in the right when discussing any point, but was overbearing, and rather insolent, of which he convinc’e me by mentioning several instances; I determined endeavoring to cure myself, if I could, of this vice or folly among the rest and I added humility to the rest.”
In Ben’s Project for Moral Perfection, he listed the third principle, “Order” as possibly the hardest of men’s shortcomings to overcome or be perfect in. He defined it as “Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.”
Thomas Jefferson suggested that editors divide their newspapers into four sections: Truths, possibilities, possibilities and lies.
The Founding Fathers were patriots. The root word of ‘founding’ is ‘found’, which means to “take the first steps in building”. The first builders of the nation. The use of the word ‘father’ in this sense means originator. They began the whole thing.