A Humble Man

As America celebrates the approaching Independence Day, we should reflect on the July 4th in 1776 when Benjamin Franklin was one of the group of politicians and business men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Franklin is America's original entrepreneur and inventor. He created many worthwhile products, including: bifocals, an odometer, the lightning rod, and the wood stove. What is most remarkable about this man was his humble position on patents as stated in his own autobiography:

"Gov'r. Thomas was so pleas'd with the construction of this stove, as described in it, that he offered to give me a patent for the sole vending of them for a term of years; but I declin'd it from a principle which has ever weighed with me on such occasions, viz., That, as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously."