Living in a world of chaos and order, everyone has "darkness" that can "turn them into the monsters they're capable of being" to satisfy their dark impulses in the right situations. The book's central idea is that "suffering is built into the structure of being" and although it can be unbearable, people have a choice either to withdraw, which is a "suicidal gesture," or to face and transcend it. "Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street."."Do not bother children when they are skate-boarding."."Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t."."Tell the truth - or, at least, don’t lie."."Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)."."Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world."."Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them."."Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today."."Make friends with people who want the best for you."."Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping."."Stand up straight with your shoulders back.".The book is divided into chapters with each title representing one of the following twelve specific rules for life as explained through an essay. Peterson stated that it "isn't only written for other people. The early vision and promotion of the book aimed to include all rules, with the title "42".
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Peterson's interest in writing the book grew out of a personal hobby of answering questions posted on Quora one such question being "What are the most valuable things everyone should know?", to which his answer comprised 42 rules.