You can always add a word to a conversation, but you can never take one away. Those who speak too quickly tend to also quickly fail. So be careful speaking; talk like you were testifying in court or writing your will. This can keep ammunition away from rivals and save your reputation with others. Practice with small and inconsequential conversations and you will be ready for the important and consequential ones. Reserve attracts respect.

Faults—everyone has them and, although often seen clearly, attachment keeps them in our lives. We have irrational loves for avoidable failings that infect our talents (the more talent, the more likely corruption) and degrade our reputations. Even more visible to others, our defects easily overshadow our good qualities and repel people we would like to impress. Although unavoidable and part of who we are, we can become more aware of our imperfections and channel their energy into a deeper kind of integrity.

The highest praise goes to those who speak well about those who speak badly about them. Indulge in envy and die not once but every time the envied wins applause. The glory and success of rivals tortures the envious. A lasting fame for a rival creates an eternal punishment for the jealous. To be made unhappy by another's happiness creates one of life's greatest torments. Instead, disengage from competitive rivalries and focus on the positive, practical ways of finding success.

You cannot become successful without many people failing. The misfortunes of others creates your luck. Therefore never let your sympathy for others' suffering convince you to become involved with their fate. Involvement with the unfortunate can easily pull you down to the same level. Often those envied and despised when successful become pitied with useless support when unfortunate and failing. (cf. #64)

Know the ground you stand on and throw straws in the air to see the wind. Most success depends on support so test for the likelihood of support before seriously starting a new venture. Before deciding, asking, or implementing; float trial balloons and listen carefully to the feedback. Critical when endorsements seem questionable, this process can also gauge and adjust the level of our own confidence and support. With more foresight, we can choose more intelligently which projects to abandon and which to embrace.

In our quests for success; forbidden, cruel weapons and techniques may give a temporary advantage but the honorable do not use them. We may not be able to avoid conflict in life but we can avoid meanness and hatred. When we respond to an enemy's attack with malice, we let them control us and win on the reputation front if not the physical one. Using a confidence from old friendships turned into enemies displays a kind of treason that destroys honor and prevents trust and respect. Victories gained with great costs to our character and self-respect quickly become embarrassing failures. The wise win not only in external ways but also on the psychological fronts.

Find and work with people and organizations that follow up good words with good deeds. Bad words without bad deeds create enough badness; but, good words followed by bad deeds bring about worse situations. We can't eat empty-like-the-wind words and only the very foolish accept them as payment. Like the difference between a friend who values us because of who we are compared to someone who values us because of our wealth or title or position, we can distinguish polite or deceptive words with no likely action from words based on sincerity and commitment.

When troubles arise, rely more and more on yourself. The bigger the problem, the more energy, confidence, and perseverance we need to bring forward. When we surrender to fate, it only makes it more intolerable. By not helping ourselves we only double the weight of our concerns and prevent us from seeing how best to overcome them. Strengthening our weaknesses and confidently going forward dissolves worries and entices success out of failure. The wise know themselves, understand the challenge, increase their knowledge and skills, and therefore conquer all—even the unlucky stars.

Be careful and avoid all the various types of one-sided arrogance: vain egocentrism, blind sectarianism and nationalism, habitual and pompous extravagance. These only make you look like a foolish monster blinded by false hopes and an inability to see the actual derision. This psychological defect undermines any kind of openness to development and change.