82 Commandments For Successful Living

82 COMMANDMENTS FOR
SUCCESSFUL LIVING,
COURTESY OF ALEJANDRO
JODOROWSKY
1
Whatever you think of Alejandro Jodorowsky‘s artistic
expressions, his bounty of good advice is something to be grateful
for — even if the man is really just a messenger. Although one
could easily get the impression that what follows is a guide to
good living formulated by Jodorowsky himself, this is, in fact,
a recollection of principles propagated by spiritual
instructor George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, itself recalled by his
daughter, Reyna d’Assia, from whom the director learned some
things after a sexual encounter. Inspiration can come from many
places.
And again: good advice is something to be grateful for. Collected
from his book The Spiritual Journey of Alejandro
Jodorowsky by Dangerous Minds, this collection contains 82 bite-
sized bits to chew on, and none, as far as I can tell, should be
considered absurd. Some are obvious (“Do not complain”), some
tricky (“Do not become attached to anything that can destroy you
2
in the course of time”), and some easier said than done (“Do not
think of the profits your work will engender”), but all useful —
perhaps more enlightening than a few of Jodorowsky’s films,
even.
See the list below:
1. Ground your attention on yourself. Be conscious at every
moment of what you are thinking, sensing, feeling, desiring, and
doing.
2. Always finish what you have begun.
3. Whatever you are doing, do it as well as possible.
4. Do not become attached to anything that can destroy you in the
course of time.
5. Develop your generosity ‒ but secretly.
6. Treat everyone as if he or she was a close relative.
7. Organize what you have disorganized.
8. Learn to receive and give thanks for every gift.
9. Stop defining yourself.
10. Do not lie or steal, for you lie to yourself and steal from
3
yourself.
11. Help your neighbor, but do not make him dependent.
12. Do not encourage others to imitate you.
13. Make work plans and accomplish them.
14. Do not take up too much space.
15. Make no useless movements or sounds.
16. If you lack faith, pretend to have it.
17. Do not allow yourself to be impressed by strong personalities.
18. Do not regard anyone or anything as your possession.
19. Share fairly.
20. Do not seduce.
21. Sleep and eat only as much as necessary.
22. Do not speak of your personal problems.
23. Do not express judgment or criticism when you are ignorant of
most of the factors involved.
24. Do not establish useless friendships.
25. Do not follow fashions.
26. Do not sell yourself.
27. Respect contracts you have signed.
4
28. Be on time.
29. Never envy the luck or success of anyone.
30. Say no more than necessary.
31. Do not think of the profits your work will engender.
32. Never threaten anyone.
33. Keep your promises.
34. In any discussion, put yourself in the other perso n’s place.
35. Admit that someone else may be superior to you.
36. Do not eliminate, but transmute.
37. Conquer your fears, for each of them represents a camouflaged
desire.
38. Help others to help themselves.
39. Conquer your aversions and come closer to those who inspire
rejection in you.
40. Do not react to what others say about you, whether praise or
blame.
41. Transform your pride into dignity.
42. Transform your anger into creativity.
43. Transform your greed into respect for beauty.
5
44. Transform your envy into admiration for the values of the other.
45. Transform your hate into charity.
46. Neither praise nor insult yourself.
47. Regard what does not belong to you as if it did belong to you.
48. Do not complain.
49. Develop your imagination.
50. Never give orders to gain the satisfaction of being obeyed.
51. Pay for services performed for you.
52. Do not proselytize your work or ideas.
53. Do not try to make others feel for you emotions such as pity,
admiration, sympathy, or complicity.
54. Do not try to distinguish yourself by your appearance.
55. Never contradict; instead, be silent.
56. Do not contract debts; acquire and pay immediately.
57. If you offend someone, ask his or her pardon; if you have
offended a person publicly, apologize publicly.
58. When you realize you have said something that is mistaken, do
not persist in error through pride; instead, immediately retract it.
59. Never defend your old ideas simply because you are the one
6
who expressed them.
60. Do not keep useless objects.
61. Do not adorn yourself with exotic ideas.
62. Do not have your photograph taken with famous people.
63. Justify yourself to no one, and keep your own counsel.
64. Never define yourself by what you possess.
65. Never speak of yourself without considering that you might
change.
66. Accept that nothing belongs to you.
67. When someone asks your opinion about something or someone,
speak only of his or her qualities.
68. When you become ill, regard your illness as your teacher, not
as something to be hated.
69. Look directly, and do not hide yourself.
70. Do not forget your dead, but accord them a limited place and
do not allow them to invade your life.
71. Wherever you live, always find a space that you dev ote to the
sacred.
72. When you perform a service, make your effort inconspicuous.
7
73. If you decide to work to help others, do it with pleasure.
74. If you are hesitating between doing and not doing, take the risk
of doing.
75. Do not try to be everything to your spouse; accept that there
are things that you cannot give him or her but w hich others can.
76. When someone is speaking to an interested audience, do not
contradict that person and steal his or her audience.
77. Live on money you have earned.
78. Never brag about amorous adventures.
79. Never glorify your weaknesses.
80. Never visit someone only to pass the time.
81. Obtain things in order to share them.
82. If you are meditating and a devil appears, make the devil
meditate too.

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82 COMMANDMENTS FOR

expressions, his bounty of good advice is something to be grateful

for — even if the man is really just a messenger. Although one

could easily get the impression that what follows is a guide to

good living formulated by Jodorowsky himself, this is, in fact,

a recollection of principles propagated by spiritual

instructor George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, itself recalled by his

daughter, Reyna d’Assia, from whom the director learned some

things after a sexual encounter. Inspiration can come from many

And again: good advice is something to be grateful for. Collected

from his book The Spiritual Journey of Alejandro

Jodorowsky by Dangerous Minds, this collection contains 82 bite-

considered absurd. Some are obvious (“Do not complain”), some

perhaps more enlightening than a few of Jodorowsky’s films,

See the list below:

1. Ground your attention on yourself. Be conscious at every

moment of what you are thinking, sensing, feeling, desiring, and

2. Always finish what you have begun.

3. Whatever you are doing, do it as well as possible.

4. Do not become attached to anything that can destroy you in the

5. Develop your generosity ‒ but secretly.

6. Treat everyone as if he or she was a close relative.

7. Organize what you have disorganized.

8. Learn to receive and give thanks for every gift.

9. Stop defining yourself.

11. Help your neighbor, but do not make him dependent.

12. Do not encourage others to imitate you.

13. Make work plans and accomplish them.

14. Do not take up too much space.

15. Make no useless movements or sounds.

16. If you lack faith, pretend to have it.

17. Do not allow yourself to be impressed by strong personalities.

18. Do not regard anyone or anything as your possession.

19. Share fairly.

20. Do not seduce.

21. Sleep and eat only as much as necessary.

22. Do not speak of your personal problems.

23. Do not express judgment or criticism when you are ignorant of

most of the factors involved.

24. Do not establish useless friendships.

25. Do not follow fashions.

26. Do not sell yourself.

27. Respect contracts you have signed.

29. Never envy the luck or success of anyone.

30. Say no more than necessary.

31. Do not think of the profits your work will engender.

32. Never threaten anyone.

33. Keep your promises.

35. Admit that someone else may be superior to you.

36. Do not eliminate, but transmute.

37. Conquer your fears, for each of them represents a camouflaged

38. Help others to help themselves.

41. Transform your pride into dignity.

42. Transform your anger into creativity.

43. Transform your greed into respect for beauty.

45. Transform your hate into charity.

46. Neither praise nor insult yourself.

48. Do not complain.

49. Develop your imagination.