1. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
2. Memorize your favourite poem.
3. Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
4. When you say, “I love you,” mean it.
5. When you say, “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye.
6. Never laugh at anyone’s dreams.
7. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.
8. Don’t judge people by their relatives.
9. Talk slow but think quick.
10. When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”
11. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
12. Call your mom.
13. Say “Bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.
14. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
15. Remember the three R’s: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
16. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
17. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
18. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
19. Marry someone you love to talk to. As you get older, conversational skills will be as important as any other.
20. Spend some time alone.
21. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
22. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
23. Read more books and watch less TV.
24. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll get to enjoy it a second time.
25. Trust in God but lock your car.
26. A loving atmosphere in your home is so important. Do all you can to create a tranquil harmonious home.
27. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
28. Read between the lines.
29. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
30. Be gentle with the earth.
31. Pray — there’s immeasurable power in it.
32. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.
33. Mind your own business.
34. Don’t trust a lover who doesn’t close his/her eyes when you kiss them.
35. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
36. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth’s greatest satisfaction.
37. Learn the rules then break some.
38. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.
39. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
40. Remember that your character is your destiny.
40 Rules for Living
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Lionel Mugema 