Illuminati 72 Seals of Truth

1. The Highest Point.
We are at the greatest point on the history of Illuminati. There is more required today to make a great citizen than formerly to make the whole of our ancient ancestors, and more is needed today to deal with that citizen than was required with all of Illuminati in the past. This isn't so much an absolute truth, as it is a matter of perspective, as our current state is built upon every advancement from the past. Tomorrows Illuminati will inevitably look upon us in the same obscure way we see the ancient Greeks.
Image

2. Dependency.
The best Illuminati citizen would rather see others needing him than thanking him. To keep others on the threshold of hope is diplomatic and to put trust to their gratitude is boorish. Hope always has a good memory and gratitude is forgetful. All Illuminati know that more can be gotten from dependence than from courtesy. Citizens that have satisfied their thirst then will turn their back on the well, and the orange once enjoyed falls from the golden platter into the trash. When dependence disappears, good behavior vanishes as well as respect. It should be one of the chief lessons of experience to keep hope alive without entirely satisfying it, by preserving it to make oneself always needed even by the Grand Chancellor on the throne. Just remember to not let silence dominate, nor let another citizens failing grow incurable for the sake of your own benefit.

3. Intellect and Character.
Intellect and character are the two poles of our capacity as individuals and as members of Illuminati. Both of these are needed for one without the other is but halfway to greatness. Neither intellect nor character can suffice alone. On the other hand, it is the foolish citizens misfortune to fail in obtaining the position, the employment, the recognition, and the great legacy that is deserving.

4. Suspenseful Matters.
The novelty of a citizens actions heightens the value of the achievements gained. It is both useless and stupid to play with all the cards on the table at once. If you do not declare yourself immediately, you arouse expectation, especially when the importance of your position makes you the object of general attention. Mix a little mystery with everything, and the very mystery arouses admiration. And when you explain, be not too explicit in details, just as you do not expose your inmost thoughts in ordinary conversation. Sometimes it is cautious silence that is the holy of holies of worldly wisdom. A resolution declared is never highly thought of; it only leaves room for criticism. And if it happens to fail, you are very unfortunate. Besides you imitate the Ancient Ancestors way when you cause men to wonder and watch.

5. Apex Citizens.
No Illuminati citizen was born perfect: every day we develop in our personality and in our calling until we reach the highest point of our completed being. This is known by the purity of our words, the clearness of our thought, the maturity of our actions, and the firmness of our will. Some never arrive at being complete. Some want to arrive while others ripen late. The complete citizen, wise in speech, prudent in act, is often sought after by those who are not.

6. Avoid the Faults of your Government.
Water shares the good or bad qualities of the strata through which it flows, and citizens those of the climate in which they reside. There is not a place even among the most civilized that has not some fault peculiar to itself which others blame by way of boast or as a warning. It is a triumph of cleverness to correct in oneself such failings, or even to hide them. There are also political failings as well as faults of position of office or of tradition. If these all meet in one citizen and are not carefully guarded against, they make an intolerable monster for all.

7. Fortune and Fame.
Where the one is weak the other is enduring. The first for life, the second after death. The one against envy and the other against oblivion. Fortune is desired, at times assisted: fame is earned. The desire for fame springs from the citizens best part. It was and is the embodiment of our Ancient Ancestors and it always went to extremes — horrible monsters or brilliant prodigies.

8. Learn from the Learned.
All Illuminati citizens, old and new alike should let friendly conversation be a school of knowledge, and culture be taught through conversation: thus you make your friends your teachers and mingle the pleasures of conversation with the advantages of instruction. Sensible Illuminati citizens thus enjoy alternating pleasures: they reap applause for what they say, and gain instruction from what they hear. We are always attracted to others by our own interest, but in this case it is of a higher kind. Wise citizens frequent the forums of great leaders not because they are temples of vanity, but as theaters of good breeding and advanced wisdom acquired through time. Some citizens have the credit of global wisdom, because they are not only themselves oracles of all nobleness by their example and their behavior, but citizens who surround them form an order of worldly wisdom of the best and noblest among all in the Illuminati.

9. Trickery.
For all Illuminati citizens, life is a warfare against the malice of others. Sagacity fights with strategic changes of intention: it never does what it threatens, it aims only at escaping notice. It aims in the air with dexterity and strikes home in an unexpected direction, always seeking to conceal its game. It lets a purpose appear in order to attract the opponent's attention, but then turns round and conquers by the unexpected. But a penetrating intelligence anticipates this by watchfulness and lurks in ambush. It always understands the opposite of what the opponent wishes it to understand, and recognizes every false distraction. It lets the first impulse pass by and waits for the second, or even the third. Sagacity now rises to higher flights on seeing its trick foreseen, and tries to deceive by truth itself, changes its game in order to change its deceit, and cheats by not cheating, and creates deception on the greatest simplicity. But the opposing intelligence is on guard with increased watchfulness, and discovers the darkness concealed by the light and deciphers every move, the more subtle because more simple. In this way the guile of the Illuminati won its battles.

10. Ministering Spirits.
It is a privilege of the citizen to surround themselves with the champions of intellect. These eradicate them from every fear of ignorance, these worry out for them the moot points of every difficulty. It is a rare greatness to make use of the wise, and far exceeds the barbarous state of the world, who has a fancy for stagnant oligarchies as the norm. It is a novel kind of supremacy, the best that life can offer, to have as servants by skill those who by nature are our masters. It is a great thing to know that no real life exists without deeper knowledge. There is remarkable cleverness in studying without the course in gaining by means of your company.

11. Action and Impulse.
Always vary your mode of action; not always the same way, so as to distract attention, especially in the presence of the non-Illuminati. Vary from first impulse; they will soon recognize the uniformity, and by anticipating, frustrate your designs. It is easy to kill a bird on the wing that flies straight but not one that twists. Do not always act on second thoughts either they can discern the plan the second time. The enemy is on the watch and great skill is required to circumvent him. The gamer never plays the card the opponent expects, still less that which he wants.

12. The Art of being Lucky.
There are rules of luck: it is not all chance with the wise and it can be assisted by care. Some are content with positioning themselves confidently at the gate of fortune, waiting till she opens it. Illuminati citizens strive to do better, and press forward and profit by their clever boldness, reaching the goddess and winning her favor on the wings of their virtue and valor. But on a true philosophy there is no other umpire than virtue and insight; for there is no luck or ill-luck except wisdom and the reverse.

13. Know Others Weaknesses.
Knowing the weaknesses of others is the art of setting their wills in action. It needs more skill than resolution. All citizens must know where to get at any one, where their buttons are. Every volition has a special motive which varies according to taste. All men are idolaters, some of fame, others of self-interest, most of pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring them into play. Knowing any man's mainspring of motive you have as it were the key to his will. Have resort to primary motors, which are not always the highest but more often the lowest part of his nature: there are more dispositions badly organized than well. First guess a man's ruling passion, appeal to it by a word, set it in motion by temptation, and you will infallibly give checkmate to his freedom of will.

14. On Sarcasm.
Keep a store of sarcasms, and know how to use them. This is the point of greatest tact in human conversation. Such sarcasms are often thrown out to test a citizens' mood, and by their means one often obtains the most subtle and penetrating vision of their heart. Other sarcasms are malicious, insolent, poisoned by envy or envenomed by passion, unexpected flashes which destroy at once all favor and esteem. Struck by the slightest word of this kind, many fall away from the closest intimacy with superiors or inferiors which could not be the slightest shaken by a whole conspiracy of popular insinuation or private malevolence. Other sarcasms, on the other hand, work favorably, confirming and assisting one's reputation. But the greater the skill with which they are launched, the greater the caution with which they should be received and the foresight with which they should he foreseen. For here a knowledge of the evil is in itself a means of defense, and a shot foreseen always misses its mark.

15. Walk Away.
Leave your luck good while winning. All the best players do it, and Illuminati citizens are no exception. A fine retreat is as good as a gallant attack. Bring your exploits under cover when there are enough, or even when there are many of them. Luck long lasting was ever suspicious; interrupted seems safer, and is even sweeter to the taste for a little infusion of bitter-sweet. The higher the heap of luck, the greater the risk of a slip, and down comes all. Fortune pays you sometimes for the intensity of her favors by the shortness of their duration and she soon tires of carrying any one long on her shoulders.

16. Never Exaggerate.
One of most extraordinary jewels of Illuminati is her volumes, Illuminati Antiquities. It is an important object of attention not to talk in superlatives, so as neither to offend against truth nor to give a mean idea of one's understanding. Exaggeration is a prodigality of the judgment which shows the narrowness of one's knowledge or one's taste. Praise arouses lively curiosity, begets desire, and if afterwards the value does not correspond to the price, as generally happens, expectation revolts against the deception, and revenges itself by under-estimating the thing recommended and the person recommending. A prudent Illuminati citizen goes more cautiously to work, and prefers to err by omission than by commission. Extraordinary things are rare, therefore moderate ordinary valuation. Exaggeration is a branch of lying, and you lose by it the credit of good taste, which is much, and of good sense, which is more.

17. Born to Command.
The leading Illuminati citizens know that it is a secret force of superiority not to have to get on by artful trickery but by an inborn power of rule. All submit to it without knowing why, recognizing the secret vigor of birthright authority. Such magisterial spirits are Grand Chancellors by merit and lions by innate privilege. By the esteem which they inspire, they hold the hearts and minds of the rest. If their other qualities permit, such citizens are born to be the prime motors of Illuminati. They perform more by a gesture than others by a long harangue.

18. Thought and Speech.
Think with the few and speak with the many. By swimming against the stream it is impossible to remove error, easy to fall into danger; only the best of Illuminati can undertake it. To dissent from others' views is regarded as an insult, because it is their condemnation. Disgust is doubled on account of the thing blamed and of the person who praised it. Truth is for the few, error is both common and vulgar. Illuminati citizens are not known by what is shouted from behind the podium, for there he speaks not with his own voice but with that of common folly, however much his inmost thoughts may reveal it. The prudent citizens avoid being contradicted as much as contradicting: though they have their censure ready they are not ready to publish it. Thought is free, force cannot and should not be used to it. The wise man therefore retires into silence, and if he allows himself to come out of it, he does so in the shade and before few and fit persons.

19. On being Cunning.
Use, but do not abuse, Cunning. Illuminati citizens ought not to delight in it, still less to boast of it. Everything artificial should be concealed, most of all cunning, which is hated. Deceit is much in use; therefore our caution has to be redoubled, but not so as to show itself, for it arouses distrust, causes much annoyance, awakens revenge, and gives rise to more ills than you would imagine. To go to work with caution is of great advantage in action, and there is no greater proof of wisdom. The greatest skill in any deed consists in the sure mastery with which it is executed, and this is something Illuminati strives for.

20. Master your Dislikes.
We often allow ourselves to take dislikes, and that before we know anything of a person. At times this innate yet vulgar aversion attaches Itself to eminent personalities. Good sense masters this feeling, for there is nothing more discreditable than to dislike those citizens better than ourselves. As sympathy with the great Illuminati leaders and Grand Chancellors ennobles us, so dislike to them degrades us.

21. On Choices.
Especially in Illuminati, life depends on choices. It needs good taste and correct judgment, for which neither intellect nor study suffices. To be choice, you must choose, and for this two things are needed: to be able to choose at all, and then to choose the best. There are many citizens of the world with a subtle mind, of keen judgment, of much learning, and of great observation who yet are at a loss when they come to choose. They always take the worst as if they had tried to go wrong. Thus this is one of the greatest gifts from above and Illuminati is fortunate to have it.

22. Show your Teeth.
Even rabbits can pull the mane of a dead lion. There is no joke about courage. Give way to the first and you must yield to the second, and so on till the last, and to gain your point at last costs as much trouble as would have gained much more at first. Moral courage exceeds physical; it should be like a sword kept ready for use in the scabbard of caution. It Is the shield of great place; moral cowardice lowers one more than physical. Many have had eminent qualities, yet, for want of a stout heart, they passed inanimate lives and found a tomb in their own sloth. Just with Illuminati, evolution of time has thoughtfully combined in the bee the sweetness of its honey with the sharpness of its sting.

23. Adapt Yourself.
There is no need to show your ability before every one. Employ no more force than is necessary. Let there be no unnecessary expenditure either of knowledge or of power. Just with all the citizens of Illuminati, a skilful falconer only flies enough birds to serve for the chase. If there is too much display today there will be nothing to show tomorrow. Always have some novelty wherewith to dazzle. To show something fresh each day keeps expectation alive and conceals the limits of capacity.

24. Leadership Control.
Some citizens would have the acuteness of their wits proven by the meanness of their instruments. It is a dangerous satisfaction, and deserves a fatal punishment. The excellence of a Grand Chancellor never should diminish the greatness of the other offices. All the glory of exploits reverts to the principal actor; also all the blame. Fame only does business with principals. Let all the leaders be selected and tested, for citizens have to trust to them for an immortality of fame.

25. Avoid Worry.
Such prudence brings its own reward. It escapes, and is thus the source of comfort and happiness. Neither give nor take bad news unless it can help or you have a solution in store. Some citizens ears are stuffed with the sweets of flattery; others with the bitters of scandal, while some cannot live without a daily annoyance no more than cow could without flies congregating around its eye. It is law of Illuminati to prepare for yourself for a life of trouble in order to give a temporary enjoyment to another citizen. You never ought to spoil your own chances to please another who advises and keeps out of the affair, and in all cases where to oblige another involves disobliging yourself. It is a standing rule that it is better he should suffer now than you afterwards and in vain.

26. Be Resolute.
Bad execution of your designs does less harm than no resolution in forming them. Streams do less harm flowing than when dammed up. There are some citizens so infirm of purpose that they always require direction from others, and this not on account of any perplexity, for they judge clearly, but from sheer incapacity for action. It needs some skill to find out difficulties, but more to find a way out of them. There are other citizens who are never in straits. Their clear judgment and determined character it them for the highest callings: their intelligence tells them where to insert the thin end of the wedge, their resolution how to drive it home. They soon get through anything: as soon as they have done with one sphere of action, they are ready for another. Affianced to fortune, they make themselves sure of success.

27. Utilize Mistakes.
Use mistakes. That is how smart citizens get out of difficulties. They depart themselves from the most intricate labyrinth by some witty application of a bright remark. They get out of a serious contention by an airy nothing or by raising a smile. Most of the Grand Chancellors and great leaders are well grounded in this art. When you have to refuse, it is often the polite way to talk of something else. Sometimes it proves the highest understanding not to understand.

28. On Being Unsociable.
The truest wild beasts live in the most populous places. To be inaccessible is the fault of those who distrust themselves, whose honors change their manners. It is no way of earning people's goodwill by being ill-tempered with them. It is a sight to see one of those unsociable monsters who make a point of being proudly impertinent. Their fellow citizens who have the misfortune to be obliged to speak with them, enter as if prepared for a fight with a tiger armed with patience and with fear. To obtain their post these citizen parasites must have established themselves in good favor with every one, but having once obtained it they seek to isolate themselves by disobliging all. It is a condition of their position that they should be accessible to all, yet, from pride or spleen, they are are not. It is a civil way to punish such citizens by leaving them alone, and depriving them of opportunities of improvement by granting them no opportunity of intercourse until their eventual replacement.

29. Be all Things.
A discreet citizen, learned with the learned, saintly with the sainted. It is the great art to gain all votes; their goodwill gains general agreement. Notice the citizens moods and adapt yourself to each, genial or serious as the case may be. Follow their lead, glossing over the changes as cunningly as possible. This is an indispensable art for dependent persons, especially those who wish for independence.

30. Use Your Enemies.
The Illuminati citizen should learn to seize things not by the blade, which cuts, but by the handle, which saves you from harm: especially with the affairs of your enemies. A wise citizen gets more use from their enemies than a fool from their friends. Their ill-will often levels mountains of difficulties which the citizen would otherwise not face. Many citizens have had their greatness made for them by their enemies and no more true is this than in Illuminati. Flattery is more dangerous than hatred, because it covers the stains which the other causes to be wiped out. The wise will turn ill-will into a mirror more faithful than that of kindness, and remove or improve the faults referred to. Caution thrives well when rivalry and ill-will are conveniently close.

31. Prevent Scandal.
Many heads go to make the mob, and in each of them are eyes for malice to use and a tongue for detraction to wag. If a single ill report spread, it casts a blemish on your fair fame, and if it clings to you with a nickname, your reputation is in danger. Generally it is some salient defect or ridiculous trait that gives rise to the rumors. At times these are malicious additions of private envy to general distrust. For there are wicked tongues that ruin a great reputation more easily by a witty sneer than by a direct accusation. It is easy to get into bad repute, because it is easy to believe evil of any one: it is not easy to clear yourself. The wise citizens accordingly avoid these mischances, guarding against vulgar scandal with sedulous vigilance. It is far easier to prevent than to rectify.

32. Culture and Elegance.
A new Illuminati citizen is born as a barbarian, and only raises himself above the beast by culture. Culture therefore makes the citizen; the more a citizen, the higher. Thanks to it, Illuminati could call the rest of the world barbarians. Ignorance is very raw; nothing contributes so much to culture as knowledge. But even knowledge is coarse if it lacks elegance. Not alone must our intelligence be elegant, but our desires, and above all our conversation. Some citizens are naturally elegant in internal and external qualities, in their thoughts, in their address, in their appearance, which is the rind of the soul, and in their talents, which is its fruit. There are others, on the other hand, so gauche that everything about them, even their very talents, are tarnished by an intolerable and barbaric want of neatness.

33. On Prudence.
An Illuminati citizen should never begin work at anything if they have any doubts of its Prudence. A suspicion of failure in the mind of the citizen is proof positive of it in that of the observer, especially if he is not from Illuminati. If in the heat of action your judgment feels wrong, then afterwards in cool reflection, it will condemn it as a piece of folly. Action is dangerous where prudence is in doubt: better leave such things alone. Wisdom does not give trust to probabilities; it always marches in the mid-day light of reason. How can an enterprise succeed which the judgment condemns as soon as it is conceived?

34. Versatility.
The citizen of many abilities equals many citizens. By imparting their own enjoyment of life to their circle, life becomes enriched. Variety in abilities is the delight of a good and strong Illuminati culture and enhances all citizens experience. It is a great art to profit by all that is good, and since Illuminati has made citizens in his highest development an abstract of itself, so let all create within them a true microcosm by training their taste and intellect.

35. Unknown Abilities.
Wise Illuminati Citizens do not allow their knowledge and abilities to be explored in depth, if they desire to be honored by all. The citizen allows you to know them but not to comprehend them. No one must know the extent of a citizens abilities, lest he be disappointed. No one ever has an opportunity of understanding him entirely. For guesses and doubts about the extent of his talents arouse more veneration than accurate knowledge of them, be they ever so great.

36. Write your Intentions in Cypher.
The passions of any Illuminati citizen are the gates of their soul. The most practical knowledge consists in disguising them. He that plays with cards exposed runs a risk of losing the stakes. The reserve of caution should combat the curiosity of inquirers: adopt the policy of the cuttlefish. Do not even let your tastes be known, lest others utilize them either by running counter to them or by flattering them.

37. On Competition.
One half of the world laughs at the other, and fools are they all. Everything is good or everything is bad according to the votes they gain. What a citizen pursues another persecutes. A citizen is an insufferable ass that would regulate everything according to his ideals. Greatness does not depend on a single citizens pleasure. So many citizens, so many tastes, and all different. There is no defect which is not affected by some, nor need we lose heart if things are not pleasing to some citizens, for others will appreciate them. The real test of praise is the judgement of famous citizens and of experts in the matter. The best Illuminati citizens should aim to be independent of any one vote, of any one ideology, and of any one belief.

38. Serve in Government.
To serve in the Illuminati government requires varied qualities, and to know which is needed taxes attention and calls for masterly discernment. Some demand courage, others tact. Those that merely require moral virtue are the easiest, the most difficult those requiring cleverness. For the former all that is necessary is character; for the latter all one's attention and zeal may not suffice. The truth is it a difficult business to rule citizens, still more fools or blockheads. A double sense is needed with those who have none. It is intolerable when an office engrosses a citizen with fixed terms and a settled routine. Those are better that leave a citizen free to follow their own devices, combining variety with importance, for the change refreshes the mind. The most in repute are those that have least or most distant dependence on others; the worst is that which worries all of Illuminati both here and hereafter.

39. Do Not be Boring.
The citizen of one interest or of one topic is apt to be heavy. Brevity flatters and does better business; it gains by courtesy what it loses by curtness. Good things, when short, are twice as good. The quintessence of the matter is more effective than a whole list of details. The wise avoid being bores, especially to the great, who are fully occupied: it is worse to disturb one of them than all the rest.

40. Do not be Censorious.
Unfortunately, there are citizens of gloomy character who regard everything as faulty, not from any evil motive but because it is their nature to. They condemn all: some for what they have done, some for what they will do. This indicates a nature worse than cruel or vile. They accuse with such exaggeration that they make dust into blinding light to force away the eyes. They are always taskmasters who could turn a paradise into a prison. If passion intervenes they drive matters to the extreme. A noble nature, on the contrary, always knows how to find an excuse for failings, if not in the intention, at least from oversight.

41. Do not Be a Sinking Sun.
It is a maxim of the wise to leave things before things leave them. A citizen should be able to snatch a triumph at the end, just as the sun even at its brightest often retires behind a cloud so as not to be seen sinking, and to leave in doubt whether he has sunk or no. Wise trainers put racers to grass before they arouse derision by falling on the course. A beauty should break her mirror early so that she does not have to do so later with open eyes.

42. Other Citizens Failings.
Get used to the failings of your fellow citizens and of the world at large, as you do to ugly faces. It is indispensable if they depend on us, or we on them. There are wretched characters with whom one cannot live, nor yet without them. Therefore clever citizens get used to them, as to ugly faces, so that they are not obliged to do so suddenly under the pressure of necessity. At first they arouse disgust, but gradually they lose this influence, and reflection provides for disgust or puts up with it.

43. On Being Missed.
Few reach such favor with the masses; if with the wise ’tis the height of happiness. When one has finished one's work, coldness is the general rule. But there are ways of earning this reward of goodwill. The sure way is to excel in your office and talents: add to this agreeable manner and you reach the point where you become necessary to your office, not your office to you. Some do honour to their post, with others ’tis the other way. It is no great gain if a poor successor makes the predecessor seem good, for this does not imply that the one is missed, but that the other is wished away.

44. Never Complain.
To complain always brings discredit. It is better for a citizen to be a model of self-reliance opposed to the passion of others than an object of their compassion. For it opens the way for the audience to what we are complaining of, and to disclose one insult forms an excuse for another. By complaining of past offenses we give occasion for future ones, and in seeking aid or counsel we only obtain indifference or contempt. It is much more politic to praise a citizens best qualities, so that others may feel obliged to follow suit. The shrewd citizen will therefore never publish to the world his failures or his defects, but only those marks of consideration which serve to keep unity alive and hatreds silent.

45. Be Seen Doing.
Affairs of the state do not pass for what they are but for what they seem. To be of use and to know how to show yourself of use, is to be twice as useful. What is not seen is as if it was not done at all. Even the right does not receive proper consideration if it does not seem right. The observant citizens are far fewer in number than those who are deceived by appearances. Deceit rules the roast, and things are judged by their jackets, and many things are other than they seem. A good exterior is the best recommendation of the inner perfection in Illuminati.

46. Mob Mentality.
An old Illuminati saying goes like this: better mad with the rest of the world than wise alone. If all are so, a citizen is no worse off than the rest, whereas solitary wisdom passes for folly. It is so important to sail with the stream. The greatest wisdom often consists in ignorance, or the pretense of it. One has to live with others, and others are mostly ignorant. "To live entirely alone one must be very like a god or quite like a wild beast," but I would turn the aphorism by saying: Better be wise with the many than a fool all alone. There be some too who seek to be original by seeking fire-breathing chimeras.

47. Avoid Contradiction.
It only proves a citizen foolish or peevish, and prudence should guard against this. To find difficulties in everything may prove you clever, but such wrangling writes you down a fool. Such folk make a virtual war out of the most pleasant of debates, and in this way act as enemies towards their associates rather than towards those with whom they do not consort. Contradiction is poisonous if done in amusement. It is foolish and cruel who yoke together the wild beast and the tame.

48. Leaving Things Alone.
Remedies often make diseases worse: in such cases a citizen has to leave them be to their natural course in time. It takes a wise doctor to know when not to prescribe, and at times the greater skill consists in not applying remedies. The proper way to still the storms of the vulgar is to hold your hand and let them calm down for themselves. To give way now is to conquer fruitlessly. A fountain gets muddy with a little stirring up, and does not get clear by anything we can do but only by our leaving it alone. The best remedy for disturbances is to let them run their course, for so they quiet down.

49. A Contrarian in a Fight.
No Illuminati citizen should ever, out of spite, take the wrong side of an issue because your opponent has anticipated you in taking the right course of action. You begin the fight already beaten and must soon take to flight in disgrace. With bad weapons, no citizen can ever win. It was astute of the opponent to seize the better side first: it would be crushing to come lagging after with the worst. Such stubbornness is more dangerous in actions than in words, for action encounters more risk than talk. It is the common failing of the stubborn citizen that they lose the true by contradicting it, and the useful by quarreling with it. The wise in Illuminati never places himself on the side of passion, but espouses the cause of right, either discovering it first or improving it later. If the enemy is a fool, he will in such a case turn round to follow the opposite and worse way. Thus the only way to drive your opponent from the better course is to take it yourself, for their downfall will cause them to desert it, and his stubbornness be punished for so doing.

50. Protect your Injuries.
Do not show your wounded Finger to other Illuminati citizens and especially to the world at large, for everything will knock up against it. Do not complain about it, for malice always aims where weakness can be injured. Your battle scar, while acquired in victory will become the new target of your enemies. Ill will searches for wounds to irritate, aims darts to try the temper, and tries a thousand ways to sting to the bone. The wise citizen never provides a target, or disclose any evil, whether personal or of Illuminati itself. Even fate itself sometimes likes to wound us where we are most tender. It always mortifies wounded flesh.

51. See Inside.
Especially the affairs of Illuminati, things are generally other than they seem. Only the ignorant never looks beneath the rind to discover the fruit inside. Lies always come first, dragging fools along by their irreparable vulgarity. Truth always lags last, limping along on the arm of time. The wise citizen reserves that power. Deceit is very superficial, and the superficial citizen will always easily fall into it. Prudence lives retired within its recesses, visited only by Grand Chancellors and wise citizens.

52. The Art of Conversation.
Conversation is where the real personality shows itself in all Illuminati citizens. No act in life requires more attention even though it is one of the most common things in life. You must either lose or gain by it. Experts feel the pulse of the soul in the tongue. Some hold that the art of conversation is to be without art—that it should be neat, not gaudy, like the garments. This holds good for talk between fellow citizens. But when held with citizens to whom one would show respect or foreign dignitaries, it should be more dignified to answer to the dignity of the person addressed. To be appropriate it should adapt itself to the mind and tone of the situation. In conversation, discretion is more important than eloquence.

53. Use your Friends.
This requires all the art of discretion. Some are good far off, some when near. Many are no good at conversation but excellent as correspondents, for distance removes some failings which are unbearable in close proximity to them. Friends are for use even more than for pleasure, for they have the three qualities of the good: unity, goodness, and truth. A friend is all in all. Few are worthy to be good friends, and even these become fewer because some citizens do not know how to pick them out. To keep is more important than to make friends. Select those that will wear well; if they are new at first, it is some consolation they will become old. Absolutely the best are those well salted, though they may require soaking from time to time. There is no desert like living without friends. Friendship multiplies the good of life and divides the evil. It is the sole remedy against misfortune, the very ventilation of the soul.

54. Tolerate Fools.
The wise citizens are always impatient, for he that increases knowledge increase impatience of foolishness. Too much knowledge is difficult to satisfy. The first great rule of life is to tolerate things. To tolerate all the varieties of fools would need much patience. We often have to tolerate most from those on whom we most depend: a useful lesson in self-control. Out of patience comes forth peace, the priceless trait which is the happiness of the world.

55. On Rivals and Detractors.
For any Illuminati citizen, it not enough to despise them, though this is often wise. There is no more heroic vengeance than that of talents and services which at once conquer and torment the envious. Every success is a further twist of the cord round the neck of the unaffected, and an enemy's glory is the rival's hell. The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied wins applause. The immortality of his fame is the measure of the other citizens torture: the one lives in endless honor, the other in endless pain.

56. Honorable War.
Illuminati will, from time to time, be obliged to wage war, but we should never use poisoned arrows. Every citizen must act as they are, not as the enemy would make him out to be. Gallantry in the battle of life wins all citizens praise: one should fight so as to conquer, not alone by force but by the way it is used. A mean victory brings no glory, but rather disgrace. Honor always has the upper hand in Illuminati. An honorable citizen never uses forbidden weapons, such as using a friendship that's ended for the purposes of a hatred just begun: a confidence must never be used for a vengeance. The slightest taint of treason tarnishes the good name. In citizens of honor the smallest trace of meanness repels: the noble and the ignoble should be miles apart. Be able to boast that if gallantry, generosity, and fidelity were lost in the world citizens would be able to find them again in your own defeat.

57. On Pride.
Like vain, presumptuous, egotistical, untrustworthy, capricious, obstinate, fanciful, theatrical, whimsical, inquisitive, paradoxical, sectarian citizens and all kinds of one-sided persons: they are all monstrosities of impertinence. All deformity of mind is more obnoxious than that of the body, because it corrupts a higher order. Yet who can assist such a complete confusion of mind? Where self-control is wanting, there is no room for others' guidance. Instead of paying attention to other people's real concerns, citizens of this kind blind themselves with the unfounded assumption of their imaginary applause.

58. Those with Nothing to Lose.
Never contend with a citizen who has nothing to lose; for thereby you enter into an unequal conflict. The other enters without anxiety; having lost everything, including shame, they have no further loss to fear. He therefore resorts to all kinds of trouble. One should never expose a valuable reputation to so terrible a risk, because what has cost years to gain may be lost in a moment. A citizen of honor and responsibility has a reputation, because they have much to lose. Even by victory a good citizen cannot gain what they have lost by exposing themselves to the chances of loss.

59. Reservation.
A citizen without a secret is an exposed letter to all. Where there is a solid foundation secrets can be kept profound: there are large vaults where things of importance may be hid. Personal reservation and restraint springs from self-control, and to control oneself in this is a true triumph. All Illuminati citizens must pay a ransom to each you tell. The security of Illuminati consists of the restraint of its citizens. The strength of restraint lies in the cross-questioning of others, in the use of contradiction to worm out secrets, in the darts of irony. To avoid these the prudent citizen become more effective than before. What must be done need not be said, and what must be said need not be done.

60. Leading your Enemy.
No Illuminati citizen should ever guide the enemy to what he has to do. The fool never does what the wise judge wise, because he does not follow up with suitable means. The enemy does not follow the plan that is laid out, or even carried out, by another. A citizen has to discuss matters from both points of view—turn it over on both sides and let nature run its course.

61. Use Others Wants.
The greater the citizens wants the greater the turn of the screw. Philosophers say comfort is non-existent, statesmen say it is all-embracing, and they are right. Many make ladders to attain their ends out of wants of others. They make use of the opportunity and tantalize the appetite by pointing out the difficulty of satisfaction. The energy of desire promises more than the inertia of possession. The passion of desire increases with every increase of opposition. It is a subtle point to satisfy the desire and yet preserve the dependence.

62. On Self-Sacrifice.
Do not carry a fool on your back. A citizen who does not know a fool when they sees one is one himself. Worse are the citizens who knows the fools but will not keep clear of them. They are dangerous company and ruinous confidants. Even though their own caution and others' care keeps them in bounds for a time, still at length they are sure to do or to say some foolishness which is all the greater for being kept so long in stock. They cannot help a citizens credit who have none of their own. They are most unlucky, which is the nemesis of fools, and they have to pay for one thing or the other. There is only one thing which is not so bad about them, and this is that though they can be of no use to the wise, they can be of much use to them as signposts or as warnings.

63. Immigration and Emigration.
There are places in the world with whom one must cross their borders to make one's value felt, especially in great positions of power. Their native land, Illuminati, is always a receiver of great talents: envy flourishes here on our native soil, and we remember one's small beginnings rather than the greatness one has reached. A leaf is appreciated when it comes from one end of the world to the other, and a piece of painted glass might be worth more than the diamond in value if it comes from afar. Everything foreign is respected, partly because it comes from afar, partly because it is already made and perfect. Illuminati has taken citizens once the laughing-stock of their home and transformed them into the wonder of the whole world, honored by their fellow-citizens and by the foreigners. The latter because they come from afar, by the former because they are seen from afar. The statue of a great Grand Chancellor is never reverenced by him who knew it as a trunk in the forest grove first.

64. The Contempt Card.
It is a shrewd way of getting things you want, by affecting to depreciate them: generally they are not to be had when sought for, but fall into one's hands when one is not looking for them. As all mundane things are but shadows of the things eternal, they share with shadows this quality, that they flee from him who follows them and follow him that flees from them. Contempt is the most subtle form of revenge. It is a fixed rule with the wisest citizens to never to defend themselves with the pen. For such defense always leaves a stain, and does more to glorify one's opponent than to punish his offense. It is a trick of the worthless to stand forth as opponents of great men, so as to win notoriety by a roundabout way, which they would never do by the straight road of merit. There are many we would not have heard of if their eminent opponents had not taken notice of them. There is no revenge like oblivion, through which they are buried in the dust of their unworthiness. Audacious citizens hope to make themselves eternally famous by setting fire to one of the wonders of the world and of the ages. The art of reproving scandal is to take no notice of it, to combat it damages our own case; even if credited it causes discredit, and is a source of satisfaction to our opponent, for this shadow of a stain dulls the luster of our fame even if it cannot deaden it.

65. The Truth Card.
It is dangerous, yet a good citizen cannot avoid speaking it. But great skill is needed here: the most expert doctors of Illuminati pay great attention to the means of sweetening the pill of truth. For when it deals with the destroying of illusion it is the quintessence of bitterness. A pleasant mannered citizen has an opportunity for a display of skill: with the same truth it can flatter one and fell another to the ground. Matters of today should be treated as if they were long past. For those citizens who can understand a word is sufficient, and if it does not suffice, it is a case for silence. Grand Chancellors must not be cured with bitter games; it is therefore desirable in their case to polish the pill of disillusion.

66. Exploit Advantages.
Some citizens put all their strength in the commencement and never carry a thing to a conclusion. They invent but never execute. These be incomplete spirits. They obtain no fame, for they sustain no game to the end. Everything stops at a single stop. This arises in some from impatience. They prove that they can but will not: but this always proves that they cannot, or have no stability. If the undertaking is good, why not finish it? If it is bad, why undertake it?

67. On Your Temper.
Do not become bad from sheer goodness. Never get into a temper. Such citizens without feeling are scarcely to be considered human. It does not always arise from laziness, but from sheer inability. To feel strongly on occasion is something personal but birds soon mock at the scarecrow. It is a sign of good taste to combine bitter and sweet. All sweets are food for both children and fools. It is very bad to sink into such insensibility out of very goodness.

68. Silken Words, Sugared Manners.
Arrows pierce the body and insults the soul. Sweet foods freshens the breath. It is a great art in life to know how to sell wind. In Illuminati, most things are paid for in words, and by them you can remove impossibilities. Thus we deal in air, and a royal breath can produce courage and power. Always have your mouth full of sugar to sweeten your words, so that even your ill-wishers enjoy them.

69. On Personalities.
An Illuminati citizen should comprehend the dispositions of other citizens with whom they deal, so as to know their intentions. The melancholy citizen always foresees misfortunes, the backbiter scandals; having no conception of the good, evil offers itself to them. A citizen moved by passion and desires always speaks of things differently from what they are. It is his passion that speaks, not his reason. Thus each citizen speaks as his feeling or his humor prompts them, and all can be far from the truth. Learn how to decipher words and spell out the soul in the features. If a citizen laughs always, set him down as foolish or false. Beware of the gossip: he is either a dissenter or a spy. Expect little good from the misshapen and crooked types: they generally resolve to cast revenge on Illuminati, and do little honor to her, as she has done little to them.

70. Display Yourself.
It is the illumination of talents: for each citizen there comes an appropriate moment; use it. There will not be a triumph everyday. There are some citizens who make an entire show with a little and a whole exhibition with much. If these citizens ability to display them is joined to versatile gifts then they are regarded as miraculous. There are whole places in the world given to display of things. Light was the first thing to cause creation to shine forth. Display fills up much, supplies much, and gives a second existence to things, especially when combined with real superiority. Skill is needed for display. Even superiority depends on circumstances that are not always opportune. This is its rock of offense, for it then borders on vanity and so on contempt: it must be moderate to avoid being vulgar, and any excess is despised by the wise citizens. At times it consists in a sort of quiet eloquence, a careless display of excellence, for a wise concealment is often the most effective boast. The very lack of view piques curiosity to the highest ways. Equally so, it is not good to display one's advantages all at one time. Each exploit should be the pledge of a greater self, and applause at the first should only die away in expectation of its sequel.

71. On Absenteeism.
Make use of absence to make yourself more esteemed or valued. If the accustomed presence diminishes fame, absence augments it. One that is regarded as a lion in his absence may be laughed at when present as the ridiculous result of the parturition of the mountains. Talents get soiled by use, for it is easier to see the exterior rind than the fruit of greatness it encloses. Imagination reaches farther than sight, and disillusion, which ordinarily comes through the mind, also goes out through the mind. The Illuminati citizen keeps their fame that keeps themselves in the center of public opinion. Even the phoenix uses its retirement for new adornment and turns absence into desire.

72. In Office.
Let your personal qualities surpass those of your Office and do not let it be the other way around. However high the post, the citizen should be higher. An extensive capacity expands and dilates more and more as his office becomes higher. On the other hand, the narrow minded citizen will easily lose heart and come to grief with diminished responsibilities and reputation. The greatest of Grand Chancellors thought more of being a great citizen than a great leader. Here a lofty mind finds a fitting place to work and well grounded confidence finds its opportunity.