From The Envy of the World by Ellis Cose

1. Play the race card carefully.
2. Complain all you like about the raw deal you have gotten, but don’t expect complaints to get you anywhere. America likes winners not whiners.
3. Expect to do better than the world expects of you; expect to live in a bigger world than the one you see.
4. Don’t expect support for your dreams from those who have not accomplished much in their lives.
5. If someone is bringing out your most self-destructive tendencies, acknowledge that that person is not a friend.
6. Don’t be too proud to ask for help, particularly from those who are wiser and older.
7. Recognize that being true to yourself is not the same as being true to a stupid stereotype.
8. Don’t let the glitter blind you. "Money, for most drug dealers, is not all that good, and even when it is, it generally doesn’t last very long__partly because the lifestyle so often leads to either prison or to an early grave.
9. Don’t expect competence and hard work to get you the recognition and rewards you deserve.
10. You must seize the time. For it is already later than you think.
11. Even if you have to fake it, show some faith in yourself. Believe that you can go where others say you cannot.
12. Don’t force innocent others to bear the price of your pain.