42 Rules for Life

Tell the truth... or at least don't lie
Do not do things that you hate
Act so that you can tell the truth about how you act
Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient
If you have to choose, be the one who does things
Instead of the one who is seen to do things
Pay attention
Assume that the person you are listening to
Might know something you need to know
Listen to them hard enough so that they will share it with you
Plan and work diligently to maintain the romance in your relationships
Be careful who you share good news with
Be careful who you share bad news with
Make at least one thing better every single place you go
Imagine who you could be, and then aim single-mindedly at that
Do not allow yourself to become arrogant or resentful
Try to make one room in your house as beautiful as possible
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday
Not to who someone else is today
Work as hard as you possibly can on at least one thing
And see what happens
If old memories still make you cry
Write them down carefully and completely
Maintain your connections with people
Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions
Or artistic achievement
Treat yourself as if you were someone
That you are responsible for helping
Ask someone to do you a small favour
So that he or she can ask you to do one in the future
Make friends with people who want the best for you
Do not try to rescue someone who does not want to be rescued
And be very careful about rescuing someone who does
Nothing well done is insignificant
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
Dress like the person you want to be
Be precise in your speech
Stand up straight with your shoulders back
Don't avoid something frightening if it stands in your way
But don't do unnecessarily dangerous things
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Do not transform your wife into a maid
Do not hide unwanted things in the fog
Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated
Read something written by someone great
Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street
Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
Don't let bullies get away with it
Write a letter to the government if you see something
That needs fixing
And propose a solution
Remember that what you do not yet know
Is more important than what you already know
Be grateful in spite of your suffering