Lessons to live by

I can't be too sure where I found this list as it was a long time ago, but have found it always helpful when I'm not sure what comes next. Over time I have changed bits to fit with my life better, but if you know its original source, please tell me so I may credit it :) I hope it helps you too.


1. Always give people more than they expect to receive. Do so cheerfully.


2. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or loaf all you want.


3. When you say "I love you", mean it.


4. When you say "I'm sorry", look the person in the eyes.


5. Be engaged for at least 6 months before marriage.


6. Never laugh at someone's dreams. People without dreams don't have much at all.


7. Love deeply and passionately. There's a good chance you're going to get hurt, but you take a bigger risk by never loving at all.


8. In disagreements, always fight fairly. Leave the name-calling out of it.


9. Don't judge people by their relatives, or the life they were born into.


10. Teach yourself to speak slowly but think quickly.


11. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.


12. Call your mum.


13. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.


14. Follow the three Rs: Respect for yourself, respect for others and responsibility for your actions.


15. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.


16. When you realise you have made a mistake, correct it as soon as humanly possible.


17. Smile when you answer your phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.


18. Marry a person you love to talk to. When you're both older and not so youthful, looks will be far less important than your conversations together.


19. Remember to schedule in some alone time with yourself every now and then.


20. Sometimes silence is the best answer.


21. Don't just listen to what someone is saying. Listen to why they are saying it.


22. Share your knowledge. It's a way to reach immortality.


23. Be gentle with the earth. We only have one.


24. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.


25. Mind your own business.


26. Never trust anyone who doesn't close their eyes while kissing.


27. Once a year, go somewhere you've never been before.


28. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.


29. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.


30. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.


31. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.


32. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for one another.


33. Live with the knowledge that your character is your destiny.