Benjamin Franklin, A Biography (1887)

“He was a genuine product of American soil. His mother-wit served him better than learning, and his ready knowledge of human nature was an invaluable resource. He was shrewd and sagacious; prudent, yet bold; frugal, yet generous; a student of philosophy, but a man of the world. He took hold of whatever he did, that he might work out some tangible result. Nothing came to him by luck, but everything through labor. His instinctive modesty was only paralleled by his admirable self-possession. No man was ever more willing to keep himself out of sight, if by that means the cause could be helped on. He sought only stable things; and reputation followed as a matter of course. His clearness and coolness of judgement made him widely sought after as an adviser; and, if he offered a doubt, it was called one of ‘Franklin’s portents,’ which led men to pause and reflect a little longer.” (Pages 7-8) 333 pages