“Never act unless you think it is prudent to do so.” I had my doubts about this book based on the author and his biography and the first few rules. I expected pompousness and vagueness, but The Art of Worldly Wisdom proved to contain some actionable advice and insights.

If the person doing something suspects he will fail, it will be evident to the person watching…if your judgement wavers in the heat of emotion, you’ll be thought a fool when things cool down. It is dangerous to undertake something when you doubt its wisdom. It would be safer not to act all all.

Obviously don’t pretend to be able to do something or have knowledge of a topic. But I think there are exceptions to this rule. There is something to be said about having or at least feigning confidence in everything you do. There are some activities in which one can never be sure, and confidence is a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite to achieving a goal. I don’t think you should mislead others by feigning confidence but at least learn how to project it. There are lots of situations in life wherein we do them despite a high probability of failure, but a requirement of success is looking like you will succeed. By extension, be on the look out for others feigning confidence, because just because you will not mislead people doesn’t mean others won’t attempt to mislead you.