10 Iron Rules of Human Nature You Only Understand After 40
1. Parents are the closest, spouses are the nearest.
2. No matter how good sisters are, they fight when they suffer losses; no matter how good brothers are, they cause trouble over borrowed money; no matter how good friends are, it’s hard to maintain relationships when they are broke; no matter how good relatives are, everyone looks out for themselves.
3. The essence of relationships between people is merely the exchange of interests; the strongest connections are financial ones.
4. There are only two things in the world that are most reliable: one is your own strong body, and the other is your ability to make money.
5. You will only be respected when you are strong; when you are weak, very few will give you a break.
6. Being overly kind leads to immediate losses, because people will always pick the soft ones to squeeze.
7. So-called gaffes are just moments when one accidentally speaks the truth.
8. Those who say harsh words upfront are reliable; those who say good words first are outrageous.
9. Friends and relatives wish you well, but they don’t want you to be better than them; aside from parents and family, no one wishes you to do better than them.
10. Don’t meddle in other people’s private matters, family matters, or romantic affairs; if you manage them well, others won’t appreciate you, and if you don’t manage them well, others will hate you.