Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness

Episode 12: Silence in Order to Listen

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In our last episode, listeners share some big and small changes that they have made. Plus, Jeffrey Rosen, filmmaker Ken Burns, and scholar Robert P. George explore Benjamin Franklin’s virtue of silence, which he defines as “speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.” 

Watch the full performance of the Pursuit of Happiness: Song Cycles by Jeffrey Rosen. 

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    Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.
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    Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to HappinessBy National Constitution Center