Thread by @orderofman

26 lessons I'm working to teach my sons:

1. There’s a difference between being hurt and injured. Know what it is and act accordingly.

2. Avoid confrontation if you can but if you must, let there be no question as to whether or not the threat has been eliminated.

3. A man who has the capacity for violence but can control it is a better man than he who does not have the capacity at all.

4. Displaying meekness, kindness, compassion, and empathy does not make you less of a man. Not knowing when to express it does.

5. If you shake people’s hands too hard, you’re an asshole. If you shake people’s hands too lightly, you’re a weenie. Always shake with the right amount of firmness. P.S. Women appreciate a firm handshake. If you find one who doesn’t, she’s not the one for you. Trust me.

6. Always hold the door open for women. Her approval is not a pre-requisite for being a gentlemen.

7. Offer your seat to women and the elderly. If they don’t accept, stay standing.

8. Wipe the toilet seat off. The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.

9. You can never take back the words that pass through your lips. Remember that when your emotions are compromised.

10. If you said you’ll do it, do it. If you don’t intend on doing it, don’t say you will.

11. What people think of you is their problem, not yours.

12. If you don’t know how to drive stick, you don’t know how to drive.

13. You’re going to mess up. Don’t compound your problems. Address them head on and fix them quickly.

14. Learn to shoot a gun. I hope you’ll never be in a position where you have to but it’s better to know how and not need to than to need to and not know how.

15. If she doesn’t treat you with respect, fix yourself. If she still doesn’t treat you with respect, find someone else.

16. Leave every place better than when you found it. This is the single greatest key to wealth, abundance, and fulfillment.

17. No one cares about your success as much as you do. Or, at least, that’s the way it should be.

18. Weak people will always be intimidated by strong men. Don’t make yourself weaker to make them feel comfortable.

19. Do not bask in other people’s failures. Strive to lift them up.

20. Learn from your mistakes but more importantly, learn from others’.

21. People are going to judge you based on how you look. If you want people to respect you, don't dress like an asshole.

22. A dog is a great judge of character. If your dog doesn’t trust an individual, you probably shouldn’t either.

23. Take care of yourself and those who cannot do it for themselves.

24. Don’t stick things (your nose, your neck, and your dick) where they don’t belong and/or aren’t appreciated.

25. Address your life from a position of reality, not fantasy. The way you hope things to be has no basis in the way they actually are.

26. Being a male is a matter of birth. Being a man has to be earned.