Principles

This is a list of my own principles. This list was inspired by Ray Dalio. Ray lamented in his book that there wasn’t a written down list of principles from many of the greatest thinkers of our society.

I believe a world of shared principles would be a better place. Therefore I’ll list my own principles here in the hopes it inspires others to think critically about their principles.

Principles

This is a working list.
Updated May 4th 2018

 

1. 1. Honesty is an attribute which pays infinite dividends. Always be a person who speaks the truth and executes on the plans one commits to. Honesty is the core of all trusting relationships. If you allow yourself to be dishonest, it will be forever impossible to become honest again.
   2. Be kind to people. Kind people get more from every interaction.
   3. Be happy with people. Happy people get more from every interaction.
   4. Supporting the goals of others is an excellent way to improve one’s own’s chances of achieving one’s own goals.
   5. Constantly improving one’s knowledge of philosophy, engineering, art, athletics will lead to a consistently enriched life.
   6. If someone is angry with you, remember that their anger is probably a derivative of their own disappointment in themselves. Therefore, respond to anger with patience and sympathy.
   7. When getting ripped off or robbed, remember that you will survive the event. The thief will lose the long-term capacity to improve their lives. Note: This does not serve one in extreme situations.
   8. In extreme situations, the evils of the outside world need to be responded to with extreme force. Avoid extreme situations where you are subject to evil. If an extreme situation is unavoidable, plan consciously and absolutely to destroy the source of the situation.
   9. Trusting people is a brave and powerful tool.
   10. Read about historical brutality (especially wars, torture and genocide) to become grateful for the modern times.
   11. Zero-sum-games are less common in the real world than in economics books. More often than not, there is a way for all parties to achieve mutually beneficial relationships.
   12. New experiences stretch one’s understanding of the opportunities in life.  Try to get out of your comfort zone enough to continue developing as a person.
   13. When experiencing hard times in life, it is always your fault. Never assign the reasons for your failures to others. It does you no service to exiting those hard times and it makes you powerless to others.

Inspired by Ray Dalio

Learn More about Principles

You can pick up Ray Dalio’s book by click thing here.

I made a random principle generator of Ray’s Principles, you can check out by clicking here. 

Final Thoughts on Sharing One’s Principles

What if everyone wrote down their principles?

What if everyone thought critically about their principles?

If you find this list useful, please feel free to list your own principles and link them in the comment section below.

I hope you found this useful.