12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

In Chapter 7, Peterson writes:

Aim up. Pay attention. Fix what you can fix. Don’t be arrogant in your knowledge. Strive for humility, because totalitarian pride manifests itself in intolerance, oppression, torture, and death. Becomes aware of your own insufficiency—your cowardice, malevolence, resentment and hatred. Consider the murderousness of your own spirit before you dare accuse others, and before you attempt to repair the fabric of the world. Maybe it’s not the world that’s at fault. Maybe it’s you. You’ve failed to make the mark. You’ve missed the target. You’ve fallen short of the glory of God. You’ve sinned. And all of that is your contribution to the insufficiency and evil of the world. And, above all, don’t lie. Don’t lie about anything, ever. Lying leads to Hell (198).

This quote sums up most of the main ideas in the book, and within the quick-succession list of rules is the repetition of the role of individual awareness, reflection, and responsibility in creating a meaningful life and just community of peers. Many of the items center on recognizing flaws and areas for improvement within one’s self, though at other moments in the book, Peterson emphasizes the need to be kind to one’s self as well.