Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
by Walter Isaacson
Related videos
53:42
In-depth discussion between author and Charlie Rose
73K
1K
Feb, 2017
Spoiler:
Walter Isaacson and Charlie Rose touch on some of the most known facts about Ben Franklin—such as his irreplaceable role as a diplomat in the American Revolution—but Isaacson also recounts some lesser-known anecdotes. For example, Franklin and John Adams once had to share a bed at an inn. Franklin kept opening the window, in spite of the freezing weather, because he had a theory that illnesses could be caught through lack of ventilation. Of course he was right, although Adams spent the night protesting and trying to shut the window.
29:27
Walter Isaacson presents at University of Pennsylvania
64K
437
Feb, 2008
Spoiler:
Isaacson gives an overview of Franklin’s life from birth to death, emphasizing both his flaws and the virtues he consistently exhibited, such as tolerance and the ability to compromise. Isaacson tells anecdotes about Franklin’s interactions with other greats, such as Thomas Jefferson; for example, when Jefferson asked Franklin to edit his draft of the Declaration of Independence, Franklin replaced Jefferson’s original “We hold these truths to be sacred” with the now famous “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” because he wanted reason, not inherited dogma, to rule the new nation.
2:01
Author appears on PBS to discuss Franklin and show slides
140
2
Apr, 2022
Spoiler:
Calling him “the founder we most need right now,” (that is, in the current divided U.S.), the author compliments PBS for being the closest thing we have to “common ground,” likening the broadcasting network to the shade tree under which Franklin would gather people for discussions in his Philadelphia backyard. He says Franklin was eternally curious and a marvelous diplomat. He also discusses his collaboration with Ken Burns, saying that they agreed that the nation needs Benjamin Franklin more than ever.
Follow the author
Walter Isaacson is a bestselling American author, journalist, and history professor at Tulane University. He has been the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C., the chair and CEO of CNN, and the editor of Time. Isaacson is a graduate of Harvard University and Oxford University. He received the National Humanities Medal in 2023.
Other books by Walter Isaacson
Publications
The Guardian: America's founding yuppie
The New York Times: The Many-Minded Man
Forbes: The Useful American
New York Magazine: Electric Ladies’ Man
Ask Albert:
Rate the book
⚡️ Find Out Even More Wisdom
"To anyone I’ve offended, I just want to say, I reinvented electric cars and I’m sending people to Mars in a rocket ship. Did you think I was also going to be a chill, normal dude?"
“My biggest problem was that I had succeeded, at least in the pursuit of building my company. Where I had failed was with the rest of my life.”
"I wanted to coach women to be the best in the world, but without subscribing to the dominant paradigm that athletes are disposable and that winning was worth just about any price."
"Between 1942 and 1944, an estimated six tons of dental gold were deposited in the vaults of the Reichsbank."
“This book is for... every immigrant who has crossed, who has tried to, who is crossing right now, and who will keep trying.”
"My biggest discovery was that you can literally re-create your life. You can redefine it. You don’t have to live in the past."
recommends
"Over and over, the answer is the same, isn’t it? Love, love, love. The salve and the cure."
"We now have the power to control our genetic future, which is awesome and terrifying. So we must move forward cautiously and with respect for the power we’ve gained."
"Catching greenlights is about skill: intent, context, consideration, endurance, anticipation, resilience, speed, and discipline."
"When you lift up women, you lift up humanity."
recommends
"When you think you're done, you're only at 40% of what your body is capable of doing. That's just the limit we put on ourselves."
"For me, becoming isn't about arriving somewhere or achieving a certain aim. I see it instead as forward motion, a means of evolving, a way to reach continuously toward a better self."
recommends
"The key, though, is being aware of how you’re feeling and how you need to be feeling. It all starts with awareness."
"The minute you start compromising for the sake of massaging somebody's ego, that's it, game over."
recommends
"My life was narrated for me by others. Their voices were forceful, emphatic, absolute. It had never occurred to me that my voice might be as strong as theirs."
recommends
"The ability to make connections across disciplines—arts and sciences, humanities and technology —is a key to innovation, imagination, and genius."
"I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over."
"I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills."