People are selfish

Yes. Everyone no matter how saintly they appear to be are selfish at the end of the day including you.

And that's not a bad thing at all.

But at the same time you need to be aware of this fact to make better decisions for yourself.

Never put too much trust in friends

There's an old saying, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

You might never know exactly how your friends truly feel.

Keep friends for friendship but work with the experienced and qualified.

Make other people come to you

This is a simple rule of life.

The one who's in power never goes into someone else's territory.

Lure others into your territory and you will have the upper hand.

Use absence to increase strength and honor

The straightforward rule of supply and demand.

The more the supply, the lesser will be its demand and vice versa.

The more you are seen and heard of,

The more they take you for granted.

Create value through scarcity.

Always say less than necessary

The famous Shakespeare quote, "Have more than you show Speak less than you know."

You can never be too careful.

Once your words exit your mouth you can never take them back.

Keep them under control.

Never outshine the master

As tempted as you might feel to zoom past your masters and show them that you became better than them...

It's actually a mistake when it comes to power.

Don't take your position for granted.