[October 24, 2026] Your clothes are not exactly for you; they’re more for other people. In any social setting, your clothing is a gesture of respect to others. You certainly don’t want to look like someone who would have people run away from, who see you for the first time. The Rule is to dress well.
Dress well because people will believe that you are sophisticated enough to know what the social rules are and are capable of following them. We should be sick of the idea that we are like kids, by dressing like them.
This rule doesn’t mean that anyone who fails to dress up in a suit is disrespectful. But, there’s something about outfitting yourself for the task at hand. There’s also something about you putting your best foot forward.
Do you want to look like a slob? Are you announcing that you don’t “give a damn?” Are you saying that you are, in your words, “above it all?” Then consider you are acting like a kid. True enough that our culture pushes the idea that teenage life is some sort of pinnacle, so everybody dresses down so they look like an overgrown 10-year-old. There’s something clearly demeaning about that.
Provide people with an opportunity to dress up in a classic way and look like adults. Present yourself in that manner. There’s something very attractive about that. We haven’t done that recently in our culture. It’s been downplayed for at least since the 1960s hippie generation. Another rule might be, “Don’t be a hippie.”
The 1960s generation fashion has had a hold on us for some time now. It is a sort of rebellious attitude that anything that violates traditional norms, or even anything that’s associated with adulthood is stuffy or antiquated somehow and should be eliminated in favor of what is hypothetically more “free individuality.” It’s not. Everybody now looks the same.
If you are willing to add a little fashion to your dressing well, then perhaps there’s something about you that is a bit “cool.” This means you might just be on the edge, which is kind of an exciting place to be and to meet people. That way, you won’t scare people on your first encounter, and you can introduce yourself. That is not so bad.
Plus, it is an adventure that will take you places, good places, you cannot imagine.
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NOTE: Much of this article is taken from various lectures by Prof. Jordan Peterson.
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***** Dress well, stay clean and critter free, comb your hair, and don’t do stupid stuff to your body like put a nose ring in. *****
Exactly, Doc. Thanks for beating me to the punch on this one.
This rule says your clothes are mostly for other people, so dressing well is a way to show them respect. When you dress well, people see that you understand social rules and are mature, not like a sloppy kid who doesn’t care. For a long time, culture has pushed looking young and casual, like from the 1960s, which makes almost everyone look the same and less grown-up. Dressing in a classic, adult way, and maybe adding a little style, helps you make a good first impression and meet people better. Putting your best foot forward with how you look can lead to good chances and adventures you might not expect.
Dress well.
Stay groomed and clean.
Have good manners.
Sounds like a future movie to me. Ha ha ha ha
I’ve always been a huge huge huge fan of this series, and I loved the book “55 Rules for a Good Life,” which is where Gen. Satterfield is going with this add-on series. Now he is up to the 70s on new “rules.” I do hope he eventually publishes them in another book.
This rule treats clothes mainly as a message sent to other people rather than a private choice, which makes sense because first meetings often decide whether someone wants to keep talking to you. The claim that dressing well shows you know and can follow social rules is useful because it links appearance to reliability; people tend to trust those who look prepared for the situation. Criticizing the long habit of dressing like overgrown kids or hippies points out a real problem: when almost everyone wears the same casual style, the idea of free individuality starts to look like simple sameness. The advice to outfit yourself for the task at hand is practical because a suit is not always required, yet showing up looking careless still signals that you do not care much about the people or the job. Looking like an adult rather than a teenager can feel attractive precisely because it is less common now, so the person who chooses classic clothes stands out without needing loud attention. Adding a little fashion on top of good basics is presented as a way to stay interesting instead of stiff, and that balance can make first meetings easier because you neither scare people nor blend into the background. The rule’s warning against the 1960s attitude that adulthood is stuffy raises a fair question about whether rejecting traditional norms has actually made daily life freer or just more uniform and less polished. Treating dress as an adventure that opens doors assumes that better presentation leads to better opportunities, which is often true in work, friendships, and dating even if it is not the only factor. Overall, the piece argues that caring about how you look is a form of respect that also builds your own chances, and ignoring it can quietly mark you as someone who does not take the social world seriously. Thanks Gen. Satterfield.
Well said, Valkerie. Looking like an adult (and being an adult) is part of being a “free individual.” For that is what we should all strive for. While there are more important things in life than looking good, it surely sends either a positive or negative message.
… I will add to Gen. Satterfield’s RULE 72 … dress classically well. Be dapper. Be a stand out where people notice that you care for your appearance, and that is a marker for caring about other things too.
Doc Jeff, yep. And yet we will totally ignore Gen. S and do so at our own peril. Yet, there are plenty of 20-60 year olds who would rather have their ball cap on backwards (so childish), their sunglasses on the hat (and upside down), a torn pair of jeans (yep, buy them torn…why?), and no belt (for saggy pants like the prisoners). So, go ahead and be childish in your dress because we notice you too when you do dumb things. That is also a marker for ignorance and following the latest fad. That means you are easily convinced to do dumb things, and not a good character.
Army Capt. don’t ya just appreciate those baggy pants. What I don’t know is how do they plan on running fron the po-po when they rob a store? Asking for a friend.