Life is short. Eat more pancakes and fewer rice cakes.
Learn to make great chili.
Drive inexpensive cars, but own the best house you can afford.
Be forgiving of yourself and others.
Ask for a raise when you feel you've earned it.
Teach some kind of class; be a student in some kind of class.
Plant a tree on your birthday.
Donate two pints of blood every year.
Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
Don't postpone joy.
Write thank-you notes promptly.
Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen every day.
Don't waste time learning the "tricks of the trade." Instead, learn the trade.
Buy vegetables from truck farmers who advertise with handlettered signs.
Surprise loved ones with little unexpected gifts.
Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
Never mention being on a diet.
Admit your mistakes.
Use your wit to amuse, not abuse.
Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.
Demand excellence and be willing to pay for it.
Give to charity all the clothes you haven't worn during the past three years.
Never hire someone you wouldn't invite home to dinner.
Choose a charity in your community and support it generously with your time and money.
Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with the big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.
Don't take good health for granted.
Forget the Joneses.
When you want to teach a lesson, tell a story.
Refill ice cube trays.
Never invest more in the stock market than you can afford to lose.
Make it a habit to do nice things for people who'll never find out.
Always have something beautiful in sight, even if it's just a daisy in a jelly glass.
Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.
Lend only those books you never care to see again.
Never start a business with someone who has more troubles than you.
Learn how to read a financial report.
Use credit cards only for convenience, never for credit.
Take a brisk thirty-minute walk every day.
Learn to identify local wildflowers, birds, and trees.
Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and car.
Don't buy expensive wine, luggage, or watches.
Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly.
Wear audacious underwear under the most solemn business attire.
Never deprive someone of hope, it might be all they have.
When people are relating important events that happened to them, don't try to top them with a story of your own. Let them have the stage.
When starting out, don't worry about not having enough money. Limited funds are a blessing, not a curse. Nothing encourages creative thinking in quite the same way.
Don't buy cheap tools.
Keep a flashlight and extra batteries under the bed and in the glove box of your car.
Skip one meal a week and give what you would have spent to a homeless person.
Get acquainted with a good lawyer, accountant, and plumber.
Talk slow but think quick.
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
Avoid negative people.
Don't waste time responding to your critics.
Be original.
Never take action when you're angry.
Read carefully anything that requires your signature. Remember, the big print giveth and the small print taketh away.
Give people a second chance, but not a third.
When you're proud of your children, let them know it.
Be your wife's best friend.
Do battle against prejudice and discrimination wherever you find it.
Wear out, don't rust out.
A person's greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
Never criticize the person who signs your paycheck. If you are unhappy with your job, find another one.
Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
Determine the quality of a neighborhood by the manners of the people living there.
Look for ways to make your boss look good.
Show respect for all living things.
Choose work that is in harmony with your values.
Give your best to your employer. It's one of the best investments you can make.
Commit yourself to constant self-improvement.
When complimented, a sincere "thank you" is the only response required.
Spend less time worrying who's right and more time deciding what's right.
Praise in public; criticize in private.
Don't major in minor things.
Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.
Never tell anyone they look tired or depressed.
Never pay for work before it's completed.
Keep a daily journal.
Teach your children the value of money and the importance of saving.
Remember the three R's: respect for self, respect for others; responsibility for all your actions.
Respect tradition.
Never cut what can be untied.
Hire people smarter than you.
Never ask a lawyer or accountant for business advice. They are trained to find problems, not solutions.
Take family vacations whether you can afford them or not. The memories will be priceless.
When meeting people for the first time, resist asking what they do for a living. Enjoy their company without attaching any labels.
Every day show your family how much you love them with your words, with your touch, and with your thoughtfulness.
Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.
Leave everything a little better than you found it.
Arrive at work early and stay beyond quitting time.
When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to fail. If you're going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce.
Fill your gas tank when it falls below one-quarter full.
Don't expect money to bring you happiness.
Remember that overnight success usually takes about fifteen years.
When paying cash, ask for a discount.
Never underestimate your power to change yourself. Never underestimate your power to change others.
Practice empathy. Try to see things from other people's point of view.
Discipline yourself to save money. It's essential to success.
Get and stay in shape.
Find some other way of proving your manhood than by shooting defenseless animals and birds.
