Understand: You should be radiating confidence, not arrogance or disdain.

Over the centuries, people have placed a wall around mastery. They have called it genius and have thought of it as inaccessible…But that wall is imaginary. This is the real secret: the brain that we possess…was designed to lead us to mastery.

The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant, completely yourself.

Apprentice yourself in failure.

Even the worst shit that happens to you can be converted into gold if you are clever enough.

It is your own bad strategies, not the unfair opponent, that are to blame for your failures. You are responsible for the good and bad in your life.

Mistakes and failures are precisely your means of education. They tell you about your own inadequacies.

If you are afraid to learn from your mistakes, you will more than likely keep repeating them.

You must always be prepared to place a bet on yourself, on your future, by heading in a direction that others seem to fear.

You must cut yourself loose from the past and open your eyes to the present.

Once the ego inflates it will only come back to earth through some jarring failure.

"Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent"

"Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist."

"Many a serious thinker has been produced in prisons, where we have nothing to do but think."

"...But the human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will tun wild and cause you grief."

"There is nothing more intoxicating than victory, and nothing more dangerous."

"Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies."

"Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter"

"Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a price to pay."

"For the future, the motto is, "No days unalert."

"When our emotions are engaged, we often have trouble seeing things as they are."

"Despise The Free Lunch"

"Sweet are the thoughts that savour of content, The quiet mind is richer than a crown..."

"A Prince asked the dying spanish statesman, "Does your Excellency forgive all your enemies?" "I do not have to forgive all my enemies," answered the stateman, "I have had them all shot."

"People are more complicated than the masks they wear in society."

"Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated"

"12--Lose Battles, But Win The War: Grand Strategy Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it."

"No one is really going to help you or give you direction. In fact, the odds are against you."

"The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways."

"Person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect."

"Never whine, never complain, never try to justify yourself."

"The time that leads to mastery is dependent on the intensity of our focus."

"The key to power, then, is the ability to judge who is best able to further your interests in all situations. Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent."

"Nothing is stable in the realm of power, and even closest of friends can be transformed into the worst of enemies."

"The human tongue is a beast that few can master."

"Friendship and love blind every man to their interests."

"Do not fight them. Instead think of them the way you think of children, or pets, not important enough to affect your mental balance"

"The passive ironic attitude is not cool or romantic, but pathetic and destructive."

"Your fears are a kind of prison that confines you within a limited range of action. The less you fear, the more power you will have and the more fully you will live."

"An emotional response to a situation is the single greatest barrier to power, a mistake that will cost you a lot more than any temporary satisfaction you might gain by expressing your feelings."

"Never be distracted by people’s glamorous portraits of themselves and their lives; search and dig for what really imprisons them."

"When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet."

"All masters want to appear more brilliant than other people."

"It is in fact the height of selfishness to merely consume what others create and to retreat into a shell of limited goals and immediate pleasures."

"Any titles, money, or privilege you inherit are actually hindrances. They delude you into believing you are owed respect."

"He who poses as a fool is not a fool."

"If, for example, you are miserly by nature, you will never go beyond a certain limit; only generous souls attain greatness."

"Sadness of any sort is also seductive, particularly if it seems deep-rooted, even spiritual, rather than needy or pathetic—it makes people come to you."

"Become who you are by learning who you are."

"Our natural tendency is to project onto other people our own belief and value systems, in ways in which we are not even aware."