What Are the Most Important Values to Live By?

Benjamin Franklin spent his life identifying, defining, and practicing the values that matter most. His 13 virtues represent decades of refining what he believed were the essential qualities of a good life.

Franklin wasn't a philosopher in an ivory tower—he was a businessman, scientist, diplomat, and civic leader. His values are practical: designed not just for contemplation, but for daily action. Here are the most important values to live by, drawn from Franklin's wisdom.

Key Takeaways

• Self-discipline enables all other values
• Integrity builds trust and self-respect
• Industry creates achievement and meaning
• Justice guides relationships and society
• Tranquility provides stability amid chaos

What Makes a Value Important?

Not all values are equally fundamental. Franklin arranged his 13 virtues in a specific order because some values enable others:

"Temperance first, as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head, which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up."

The most important values are those that make other values possible. Self-discipline, for example, is prerequisite for practicing any virtue consistently. Integrity underlies all trustworthy action.

Franklin's Core Values

While Franklin listed 13 virtues, we can identify 5 foundational values that anchor his philosophy:

1. Self-Discipline — Mastery over impulses and appetites
2. Integrity — Honesty, sincerity, keeping commitments
3. Industry — Productive use of time and energy
4. Justice — Fair treatment of others
5. Tranquility — Emotional stability and equanimity

Value 1: Self-Discipline

Franklin's first virtue—Temperance—is self-discipline applied to appetite: "Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."

But self-discipline extends beyond food and drink. It's the capacity to override impulse in service of principle. Without it, you may believe in other values but fail topractice them.

Why It's Foundational

• Makes other values possible—you need discipline to practice anything consistently
• Provides "coolness and clearness of head" for good decisions
• Builds trust in yourself—you become reliable to your own intentions

How Franklin Practiced

Franklin made Temperance his first focus each 13-week cycle, reinforcing the foundation before working on other virtues.

Value 2: Integrity

Franklin's Sincerity virtue: "Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly."

Integrity means alignment—your words match your thoughts, your actions match your words, your commitments match your follow-through.

Why It's Foundational

• Builds trust with others—people rely on what you say
• Builds self-respect—you can look in the mirror honestly
• Simplifies life—no lies to remember, no pretenses to maintain

"Honesty is the best policy."

Value 3: Industry

Franklin's Industry virtue: "Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions."

Industry isn't workaholism—Franklin defined it as being employed in something "useful," which included study, leisure for health, and meaningful conversation. It's about valuing time and using it purposefully.

Why It's Foundational

• Time is your only non-renewable resource
• Achievement creates meaning and self-respect
• Productive people make both money and contribution

"Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all things easy."

Value 4: Justice

Franklin's Justice virtue: "Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty."

Notice the two parts: don't harm, and don't fail to help when you should. Justice is both passive (avoiding wrong) and active (doing right).

Why It's Foundational

• Relationships depend on fairness—unjust people become isolated
• Society depends on justice—without it, cooperation breaks down
• Self-respect requires treating others as you'd want to be treated

Value 5: Tranquility

Franklin's Tranquility virtue: "Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable."

This is emotional intelligence—the ability to maintain stability when circumstances are unstable. Franklin didn't mean suppressing emotions, but not being controlled by them.

Why It's Foundational

• Clear thinking requires calm—panic leads to poor decisions
• Most troubles are either trifles or unavoidable—no point in disturbance
• Emotional stability allows consistent practice of other values

This echoes Stoic philosophy—Marcus Aurelius and Seneca emphasized similar ideas about not being disturbed by what you can't control.

Applying Values Daily

Values only matter if practiced. Franklin's method for making values real:

1. Define Specifically

Don't just name a value—define it as a specific behavior. "Integrity" becomes "I will not say anything I don't believe is true."

2. Focus One at a Time

Franklin focused on one virtue per week. Concentrated attention builds habits faster than scattered effort.

3. Track Daily

Mark failures each night. You can't improve what you don't measure.

4. Review and Cycle

Complete one cycle through all values, then start again. Repetition builds permanent character.

Start Practicing

Use our Ben Franklin Virtues app to track your weekly focus value and daily practice. Values become real through consistent action, not just aspiration.