10 Rules for Good Men: Jordan Peterson

[August 14, 2026]  There is nothing like an end-of-week delve into the thoughts of Prof. Jordan Peterson, and today I have a classic.  Many of you will reinforce that thought because the core of these ideas are closely linked to the ancient philosophy of Stoicism.  If you thought that, you’d be correct.  Here are his 10 rules for good men.

Peterson is known for his ability to take complex, and confusing ideas, then say them in such a way that makes it all easy to understand.  He has done that with 10 rules for good men.  In this he is referring primarily to the relationship between men and women; from the viewpoint of men.

I, for one, am glad that he puts in some effort here.  Some of these you will have seen already quoted.  My book “55 Rules for a Good Life” moves along similar lines of thought.  Writing it was fairly easy.  Some of you may already have guessed that there are many more rules than either Peterson or myself lay out in our writings.

Well, I’m beginning to ramble, so here are 10 of Prof. Jordan Peterson’s rules for good men:

1. Do not pick on women, under any circumstances.  Strength directed at the vulnerable is not strength.
2. A good man is a dangerous man who keeps the capacity for violence under voluntary control.  The harmless man is not a good man. Be formidable—capable, but disciplined.
3. Be civilized, disciplined, and competent.  Competence is the foundation of genuine generosity and usefulness.
4. Take your proper place in the world.  Stand up, carry weight, and occupy the space that responsibility requires.
5. Dress well.  Presentation signals self-respect and seriousness to yourself and others.
6. Do not act like teenage boys; perpetual adolescence is not the pinnacle of life.  Grow up. Responsibility and maturity are the path.
7. Hedonism and happiness are not the goal.  Seek a compelling, worthwhile adventure instead.
8. Take on the most difficult challenges that are worth it. Voluntary confrontation of difficulty builds the man.
9. Seek the truth without considering the results, and avoid the spirit of deception.  Tell the truth, or at least do not lie. Precision and honesty are non-negotiable.
10. Make yourself competent and generous.  Build real capability, then deploy it in service of others.

The list retains the masculine, responsibility-first, anti-weakness tone that runs through your Peterson-related writing (competence, voluntary control of the “monster,” rejection of the domesticated/harmless ideal, and the call to difficult, meaningful aims).

These rules land hard on us because they don’t soft-pedal the truth. A man who refuses to grow up, who stays soft and aimless, ends up useless to himself and to everyone around him. Peterson keeps pointing back to the same idea the old Stoics knew: you get stronger by choosing hard things on purpose, not by running from them.

I have watched plenty of men waste years chasing comfort and calling it freedom. That path never builds anything lasting. Competence, self-control, and honest speech still matter more than feelings or applause. When a man actually takes responsibility and carries real weight, people notice. They trust him.

My own book tries to push the same direction with more rules because life keeps handing out new challenges. The list above is a solid start. Use it. Test it. Then go build the kind of man who can stand steady when things get rough.

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Please read my books:

1. “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
2. “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).