Rules For Living
November 3, 2006
Over a decade ago, I did a school project on President James Garfield. If you don’t know him it’s because he was only in office for about 6 months and then was assassinated. In any case, when he was a youngster, an elderly man gave him a list of rules to live by which he cherished until the end of his life. I had this hanging on my wall for years and dug it out just now to put my life in perspective.
Rules For Living
By James A. Garfield
- Never be idle
- Make few promises
- Always speak the truth
- Live within your income
- Never speak evil of anyone
- Keep good company or keep none
- Live up to your engagements
- Never play games of chance
- Drink no intoxicating drinks
- Good character is above everything else
- Keep your own secrets if you have any
- Never borrow if you can possibly help it
- Do not marry until you are able to support a wife
- When you speak to a person, look into their eyes
- Save when you are young and spend when you are old
- Never run into debt unless you can see a way out again
- Good company and good conversation are the sinews of virtue
- Your character cannot be essentially injured except by your own acts
- If anybody speaks evil of you, let your life be so that no one believes him
- When you retire at night think over what you have done during the day
- If your hands cannot be employed usefully, attend to the culture of the mind
- Read the above carefully and thoughtfully at least once a week
Personally, I would change “no” drinks to “less” drinks. But, besides that I’m going to start focusing on this again.
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Those are great!
I like the “less” drinks instead of no drink edit idea also!