My Advice

Photo by Maurice Branger, 1925

"The true secret of giving advice is,
after you have honestly given it,
to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not,
and never persist in trying to set people right."
---Hannah Whithall Smith

I have some advice:

1. If you want someone to take your advice, make them think they thought of it themselves.
2. Don't take any credit when someone follows your advice and it works.
   
3. When somebody asks for advice they usually just want validation.
4. Quote a more important source than yourself when giving advice. The people who know you well enough to ask you for it, don't respect you enough to take it.
5. When you ask for advice, don't immediately tell the person that you've already thought of that idea and it's a dumb one.
6. Only ask someone's opinion when you have time to listen to it.
7. Never follow up on the advice you gave, especially if it was unsolicited.
8. Surround any tiny speck of criticism with mountains of praise.
   
9. Take your own advice.
   
10. Remember, our opinions only matter to the people who agree with us anyway.

What's your advice?