[oskarth]

> A Quaker friend told Franklin that he, Benjamin, was generally considered proud, so Benjamin put in the Humility touch as an afterthought. The amusing part is the sort of humility it displays. 'Imitate Jesus and Socrates,' and mind you don't outshine either of these two. One can just imagine Socrates and Alcibiades roaring in their cups over Philadel- phian Benjamin, and Jesus looking at him a little puzzled, and murmuring: 'Aren't you wise in your own conceit, Ben?'

Is this written in jest or is it just poor reading comprehension? It's obvious a writer like Franklin wrote "Imitate Jesus and Socrates" on purpose. It's a self-referential reminder of the kind of statement that doesn't indicate humility. Notice how short it is compared to all the other virtue descriptions. If you read more Franklin you know that he likes witticisms.