When you write biographies, whether it's about Ben Franklin or Einstein, you discover something amazing: They are human.

I've always had an abundance of material about the subjects of my biographies.

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

I think that Benjamin Franklin felt very strongly in foreign policy in this world, that you needed to at least show some humility, especially when you were strong.

What Einstein was able to do was - to use a cliche - think out of the box.

It was elitism, sort of a condescending elitism that looked down on Franklin for having basic middle class values.