Strategy

Chanakya Niti: 6 key ideas

by Chanakya

The core ideas of Chanakya Niti, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.

1. IDEA 1 OF 6

   Test before you trust

   Judge people as gold is tested: by conduct, character, background and behaviour in hard times.

   Words are cheap; patterns tell the truth.

2. IDEA 2 OF 6

   Keep plans to yourself

   Don't reveal what you intend to do.

   Guard your plans and let execution speak.

3. IDEA 3 OF 6

   Learning is a lasting friend

   Knowledge travels with you to foreign lands and protects you in difficult times, when wealth and friends may not.

4. IDEA 4 OF 6

   Choose company carefully

   Associating with the wicked brings ruin, however capable you are.

5. IDEA 5 OF 6

   Save in good times

   Set aside wealth while things go well; it protects you in adversity.

6. IDEA 6 OF 6

   Weigh time and place

   Before acting, consider the time, the place, your allies, your resources and your own capacity.