Peter’s Laws Listing
The Creed of the Persistent and Passionate Mind
- 1. If anything can go wrong, Fix It!!… to hell with Murphy!
- 2. When given a choice… take both!!
- 3. Multiple projects lead to multiple successes.
- 4. Start at the top then work your way up.
- 5. Do it by the book … but be the author!
- 6. When forced to compromise, ask for more.
- 7. If it’s worth doing, it’s got to be done right now.
- 8. If you can’t win, change the rules.
- 9. If you can’t change the rules, then ignore them.
- 10. Perfection is not optional.
- 11. When faced without a challenge, make one.
- 12. “No” simply means begin again at one level higher
- 13. Don’t walk when you can run.
- 14. Bureaucracy is a challenge to be conquered with a righteous attitude, a tolerance for stupidity, and a bulldozer when necessary.
- 15. When in doubt: THINK!
- 16. Patience is a virtue, but persistence to the point of success is a blessing.
- 17. The squeaky wheel gets replaced.
- 18. The faster you move, the slower time passes, the longer you live.
- 19. The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself!
- 20. The ratio of something to nothing is infinite.
- 21. You get what you incentivize.
- 22. If you think it is impossible, then it is… for you.
- 23. An expert is someone who can tell you exactly how it can’t be done.
- 24. The day before something is a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.
- 25. If it were easy it would have been done already.
- 26. Without a target you’ll miss it every time.
- 27. Bullshit walks, hardware talks.
- 28. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.
- 29. The world’s most precious resource is the passionate and committed human mind.
- 30. If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
Copyright, 1986, 2009, Peter H. Diamandis, All Rights Reserved. Laws # 14 & #18 by Todd B. Hawley. #19 Adopted from Alan Kay. #26 by Byron K. Lichtenberg. #27 by Gregg E. Maryniak. Contact info: peter@xprize.org


