TEN PRETTY GOOD RULES


(These rules were given to me by one of my skippers, the best shiphandler and CO I ever had.)


1. Never wrestle with a pig; you both get dirty, and the pig likes it!
2. Never argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference!
3. Observe everything; admire nothing!
4. It's easier to obtain forgiveness than permission!
5. Never resist the temptation to keep your mouth shut!
6. Don't ask questions if you can't live with the answers!
7. If you want a new idea, read an old book!
8. If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there!
9. Never have a philosophy which supports lack of courage!
10. Never look back unless you intend to go that way!

SOME MORE GOOD RULES


(These are more that I have picked up in my 30 years in the Navy.)

11. You get what you in-spect, not what you ex-pect. - CWO Roland Matoon
12. Never try to teach a goat to sing. It wastes your time, and it pisses off the goat. - Howard Spratt
13. Never worry about stepping on anyone's toes. People who get their toes stepped on are either standing still or sitting down on the job. - ADM Arleigh Burke
14. Either lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way. - Lee Iacocca
15. Life is a terminal illness. Live like it. - LT Elmo Zumwalt II
16. Be Redundant. Two is one, one is none, bring three! - ADM George Worthington
17. Life is Tough! But its tougher when you're Stupid! - John Wayne
18. Never keep people waiting just because you can! - LCDR Jack Spratt
19. Its better to be quiet and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Mark Twain
20. There is no power greater than that of a man with nothing to lose. - Mack Bolan
21. A camel is a racehorse designed by committee. - Anonymous
22. Better is the worst enemy of Good Enough! - CAPT Jon Wright
23. If there's enough time to do it over, there was probably enough time to do it right. - Anonymous
24. Rest is a weapon. - CAPT Tim Holden
25. Never use more than 3 words to say "I don't know"! - LCDR Jack Spratt
26. Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off. - General Colin Powell
28. Sometimes the truth is hard to take ... but its still the truth. - Sun Tsu
29. If someone offers you a breath mint ... take it! - Howard Spratt
30. If you can't point to the person responsible ... nobody is. - ADM Hyman Rickover
31. Always lead from the front, where the troops can see you. - Dick Marcinko
32. Failure is NOT an option. - Gene Kranz
33. Don't ask a bear to dance unless you're prepared to dance until it wants to stop. - Lt Len Perrier
34. Don't sweat the things you can't control. - EWC John Phillips
35. Never step on the toes that may belong to the ass you might have to kiss later. - David Seger
36. If you want a friend...buy a dog! - LT Dave Dymarcik
37. No one is completely worthless. Worst case, they serve as a good bad example. - CWO2 Dave "Twig" Terwilliger (from his friend ENS Cathy Cowell)
38. Good judgement comes from experience.....Experience comes from bad judgement. - Contributed by LT Rick Williams
39. Bad news does not get better with age. - CAPT Jon Underwood. Contributed by PNC(SW) Kevin Arnold
40. Never be the senior man with a secret. - LCDR Chip Shanle, contributed by LT Elmer Keil.
41. Whether you think you can or think you can't, either way, you're absolutely correct. - Henry Ford, contributed by LT Zach Levey.
42. If we give our kids anything they haven't earned it cheapens them.....and that includes respect! - Woody Hayes, contributed by Stephen P. Rushley.
43. There's no help program like a self-help program. - CWO Charlie Roach
44. "Hell, there are no rules here --- we're trying to accomplish something." - Thomas Edison. Contributed by LT Dave Howard.
45. If you ain't the lead horse, the view never changes. -- Contributed by LT Harold James. Of course, I can't help but add the following corollary ... "If you are the leader, make sure those following see more than a horse's ass! - Jack Spratt
46. "You deserve what you tolerate." -- CAPT Don Jagoe (Ret). Contributed by LT Ed Baldueza
47. "Have the courage to trust no one" -- Contributed by Ray Burkhard
48. "If you plan to fail, you will succeed". -- Contributed by LT Keith Davis
49. "If the cart is moving towards your destination as fast as you need to get there, don't beat the horse unless you're willing to pull the cart yourself." -- Contributed by Ensign Kelly Baze.
50. "Leadership is action, not position." -- Donald H. McGannon
51. "If you are going to do something stupid, at least be smart about it." -- Contributed by LT Levey S. Zachary
52. "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do." - Mark Twain
53. "Vision becomes reality to those willing to work." - contributed by LCDR John F. Troyanos

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More to come, as I run across them. If you have any good rules you think might fit, please email them to me. Thanks.

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