One Hundred and One Rules of Effective Living

In more than thirty years as a writer, editor, and publisher, I have, to my best reckoning, introduced, abridged, issued or reissued, and read nearly every major work of inspirational literature produced or translated into English. Based on experience, the “rules” of effective living—at least those I consider befitting an ethical and accountable person—are reducible to these: 1) Do your work—do it on time and fully, if not early and overabundantly. 2) Deal plainly. 3) Acknowledge failure. 4) There exists uncanny congruity between thought and experience. 5) Pay people on time. 6) Be willing to clean toilets and wash floors. 7) Do not over-talk. 8) Speak only of what you know well. 9) Apologize. 10) Judge quality not category. 11) Research every important question independently. 12) Expect corruption. 13) “Beware the devastation of conflict; war must never be pursued lightly.” (Sun Tzu) 14) The loftier the language, the lower the behavior. 15) Take due credit. You will ge ... Read full article.