Franklin, instead, was able to see the advantages in unfortunate situations, and to use them to his own benefit. He was able to admit that he was a marginal poet and go on to do other things rather than feel injured or insecure.

Again, I feel that having been educated and a talented reader/writer was responsible for much of Franklin's genius, but the ability to be grateful for hardship, to decide what it takes to be a moral person, to contemplate how to help society, to undertake major ideas and turn them into reality, and to possess an insatiable hunger for learning and industry were not an outcome of a challenging childhood.

Franklin was simply blessed with innate insight, humor and gratitude that would have caused him to accomplish great deeds, regardless of his childhood circumstances.

Benjamin Franklin's autobiography is an inspiration. I was able to ignore the outdated hints...
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