Over a decade ago, I did a school project on President James Garfield.  If you don’t know him it’s because he was only in office for about 6 months and then was assassinated.  In any case, when he was a youngster, an elderly man gave him a list of rules to live by which he cherished until the end of his life.  I had this hanging on my wall for years and dug it out just now to put my life in perspective.

Rules For Living
By James A. Garfield

• Never be idle
• Make few promises
• Always speak the truth
• Live within your income
• Never speak evil of anyone
• Keep good company or keep none
• Live up to your engagements
• Never play games of chance
• Drink no intoxicating drinks
• Good character is above everything else
• Keep your own secrets if you have any
• Never borrow if you can possibly help it
• Do not marry until you are able to support a wife
• When you speak to a person, look into their eyes
• Save when you are young and spend when you are old
• Never run into debt unless you can see a way out again
• Good company and good conversation are the sinews of virtue
• Your character cannot be essentially injured except by your own acts
• If anybody speaks evil of you, let your life be so that no one believes him
• When you retire at night think over what you have done during the day
• If your hands cannot be employed usefully, attend to the culture of the mind
• Read the above carefully and thoughtfully at least once a week

Personally, I would change “no” drinks to “less” drinks.  But, besides that I’m going to start focusing on this again.