What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Daily Writing Prompt – 2846

As someone wiser than me probably once said, we all love stories where someone makes a fool of themselves. And who am I to deny us that simple pleasure?

Asking for advice is a very human thing, isn’t it? We start asking other people for help when we’re young because we need support. On the other hand, advice is one of those things people love to give, whether we ask for it or not. Everyone is an expert — especially when it comes to your life, your vegetable garden, or your choice of low-carb snacks.

Over the years, I’ve received a flood of unsolicited advice. Most of it was, to put it scientifically, absolute nonsense. People are crazy — often irrational. Maybe not everyone, but most of them. Be careful. That’s actually good advice.

Among all that strange and well-meaning madness, one piece of advice has stayed with me. I can’t remember who gave it to me, but it was sometime in the late 1990s, back when talking with friends meant standing outside someone’s house instead of sending messages.

The advice was simple, elegant, and delivered with complete seriousness.

Don’t be an asshole.

That’s it. The greatest wisdom anyone has ever shared with me. No philosophy. No mysterious life lessons. Just a few words — a user manual for life.

And you know what? I’ve been trying to follow that advice ever since.

The results have been mixed.

So there you have it. A universal rule. It hasn’t always stopped me from being a jerk, but it has often given me a moment to stop and think before making an even bigger mistake.