Benjamin Franklin on how to be a nice, likable person

Benjamin Franklin on how to be a nice, likable person
Benjamin Franklin on how to be a nice, likable person

Delve into the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, a man renowned for his charm and affability. Explore his timeless insights on cultivating likability and fostering positive relationships, and discover how his principles can be applied in our modern world.

Benjamin Franklin

His simple recipe for being good company is to be genuinely interested in others and to accept them for who they are

  • Being good company means listening to people and ignoring their faults
  • Two things that make someone likable are to genuinely listen to what others say and to overlook or excuse foibles

The sort of person nobody likes

Talking too much and becoming a “chaos of noise and nonsense”

  • Asking too many questions
  • Storytelling
  • Debating
  • Being too eager for a fight or debate
  • Misjudging
  • Ribbing

On Practical Philosophy

All it takes to be good company is to listen and accept someone for who they are.

  • Philosophy doesn’t always have to be about huge questions of truth, beauty, morality, art, or meaning. Sometimes it can teach us simply how to not be a jerk.

Source