The truth is Franklin failed often. He never folded, though. When confronted with a setback, he didn’t abandon the idea. He retooled it and tried again. Franklin never let failure discourage him from taking new risks, including his biggest gamble of all: jumping from British Loyalist to American rebel, and at age sixty-nine. For Franklin, failure was a down payment on success.

That from a fascinating new book Ben & Me. Ben Franklin, late bloomer. Kept an open mind at age sixty-nine.

Weiner, Eric. Ben & Me: In Search of a Founder’s Formula for a Long and Useful Life. United States, Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, 2024. p.104