What Franklin means in this quote is that a person who is
truly great will act as if he is an equal to all men. When I teach about the
Revolutionary War, I often use this quote to talk about what it was that the Patriots
were trying to accomplish in terms of remaking
society.
Franklin was saying that all people should act is
if they are equal. A person who is truly great will do this. Such a person will not
step on a worm -- that is, he will not use his power to abuse those who are lower than
him. Instead, he will treat them as equals. At the same time, he will not suck up to
those above him. Instead, he will treat them with respect, but still as his
equals.
This was the sort of attitude that made America a
country that valued equality much more than Britain and other Old World countries did at
that time.
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