Ten Rules For Being Human

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Rule One: You will receive a body. You may love it or hate it, but it will be yours for the duration of your life on Earth.

Rule Two: You will be presented with lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called 'life.' Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.

Rule Three: There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of experimentation, a series of trials, errors, and occasional victories. The failed experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that work.

Rule Four: A lesson is repeated until learned. Lessons will be repeated to you in various forms until you have learned them. When you have learned them, you can then go on to the next lesson.

Rule Five: Learning does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

Rule Six: 'There' is no better than 'here'. When your 'there' has become a 'here,' you will simply obtain a 'there' that will look better to you than your present 'here'.

Rule Seven: Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.

Rule Eight: What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you.

Rule Nine: Your answers lie inside of you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

Rule Ten: You will forget all of this at birth. You can remember it if you want by unravelling the double helix of inner knowing.

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22 Past Reflections
MG
Maj Gaerlan
Apr 25, 2026
I remember this from P.S.I. seminars back in 1991 in Manila. This was started by Thomas Willhite in the U.S.
YU
Yuri
Dec 30, 2025
Muy buena reflexión ,
Aveces uno se detiene para hacer cosas por miedo al que dirán. Saludos 🙋🏻‍♀️
TE
Terrance
Oct 3, 2023
This was a beautiful read
BO
bon
Jun 17, 2023
Vic this is good i think
MP
Michael Pomije
Jun 5, 2023
Embracing these rules for Being Human provides a framework for a confusing and complicated world. It enables us to navigate the turbulent waters of change, conflict, and identity through the lens of learning lessons and growing. They are profound and must be read by everyone, as Oprah said on her program.
TI
Nov 22, 2007
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL INDEED!
MY
Muhammad Yasir Khatri Jun 6, 2020
a rhtjy yrhg
SR
sria
Sep 12, 2007
hey
everyone of us have to learn this lesson.earlier the better.Its so much true that we hate some charecteristics of others which probably are inherent of our own!!so, always think +ve.
AL
alancia
Aug 12, 2007
the rules for being human

i liked rule number seven cause it is naturally what happens in human nature.we all need to know this
VI
Jul 16, 2007
mark, that was hilarious!

i agree, that was a cryptic phrase. the way i took double helix of inner knowing:

we all have this innate inner knowing ... so innate, that it's like our dna, intrinsically there, and i think the point is that so is inner knowing -- and it just needs to be unraveled.
KM
kennedy momanyi
Jul 15, 2007
Am inspired by these intelligence thoughts.They carry truth value.
EL
Jul 12, 2007
The ten rules are the pillars on which mankind must lay his or her foundation:with the foundations kept intact man is sure to walk the paths of life with ease.
KK
Krishna Kumar
Jul 11, 2007
Excellent. 10 rules, Really wonderfull. These touched my heart.
Thank you very much.
MS
Jul 10, 2007
Walking along the 10 ruled path was fairly light and generally useful...until the last rule---"the double helix of inner knowing" lost at birth?....cryptic knots or koans tied to a rather elegant if not simplistic previous list of 9 is offputting--maybe a hook was intended and I am supposed to say..: oh wow, gimme that double helix dose of ineer knowing....it must be the real thing because it's so organic of a thing like DNA..right..."---or is it just a simple commercial for a new brand of looking within and getting calm and seeing what we are and that we can let it all just go and be which has no name...or many...like "paying attention"...oy...am I on a judgemental tangent??? or in a convolted way pointing out the discongruity to the intital approach culminated in a "mysterious" nonsense....not to say that nonsense doesn't have it's place...well now...and now and then...back to now
thanks..you double helix's you
SH
Shalini
Jul 10, 2007
The most beautiful lessons I ever learnt. Thanks a lot!!
RI
Rishi
Jul 10, 2007
This is a wonderful thought. I'm feeling really nice after reading it.. Loved Rule 6!
KA
Kat
Jul 10, 2007
I'm printing that to reread a few more times. The one rule that disturbs me was the one about others being a mirror. I can be quite critical of others and if they are mirroring me then I am one irritating bitch. I've been involved in personal growth for decades and I've yet to become perfect however I do enjoy myself more and I am gracious towards others more often. I also identify with his rule about being here and desiring to be there. Now did I really sign up for this? If so, I may have fallen behind, unless things are exactly the way they're suppose to be, then I'm right on time, speaking of on time, I have to head to work!
SE
Jul 10, 2007
It puts suffering into perspective.
ON
Jul 10, 2007
...yes, and it basically says that it is all there, we've got everything in our own hands - or better - our own mind.

What a fortunate journey!
ER
Elizabeth Riminton
Jul 10, 2007
THis is sublime teaching - extracting the essence of life and encapsulating it in simple clear language as a universal message! Wonderful.
PA
Jul 10, 2007
so simple yet profound. Beautiful..
SW
sweena
Jul 10, 2007
good one.. :)