about Benjamin Franklin
Genius is prone to producing envy.Yet it was part of Franklin's genius that he had produced far less his share, due to an unusual ability to disarm those disposed to envy. In youth he discovered that he was quicker in mind and more facile of pen than almost everyone he met; he also discovered that a boy of humble birth, no matter how gifted, would block his own way by letting on that he knew how smart he was. He learned to deflect credit for some of his most important innovations. He avoided arguments wherever possible; when important public issues hinged on others' being convinced of their errors, he often argued anonymously, adopting assumed names, or Socratically, employing the gentle questioning of the Greek master. He became almost as famous for his sense of humor as for his science; laughing, his opponents listened and ere persuaded.