“Benjamin Franklin has a huge influence on my life,” I say indignantly to my husband.

“Oh really?” he smirks, “How so?”

“His virtue chart, for example.  He created a very effective system to bring a series of tasks into his daily awareness in order to refine his character.  It’s scientifically proven to work because the chart visually keeps your goals at the forefront of your mind.  In fact, Gretchen Rubin, a personal hero, based her entire Happiness Project on the system of Benjamin Franklin’s virtue chart.”

“All right, I hear you.  You’re a fan of charts and Declarations of Independence, but do you need to buy his book of quotes?  You can look them up on line.”

“No.  I need a hard copy, something I can refer to.”

“Hm,” he smiles, “something you can refer to once, but never again.”

“How do you know I won’t refer to my slim Benjamin Franklin quote book on a daily basis?”

“Because,” he smiles, “I know you.  You will buy it, you will schlep it around in your bag and you will never look at it more than once.”

“We’re in Philadelphia.  We’re at the Franklin Institute.  It would be philosophically irresponsible and unpatriotic if I didn’t glean some wisdom here from one of our country’s most famous founders.”

With that, I purchased the slim volume.  I took it back to the hotel and tore into it as soon as our son went to sleep.

The first quote I read-

An undutiful daughter will prove an unmanageable wife.

Oh jeeeeze.  I haven’t looked at it since.