Despise the free lunch: What is offered for free is dangerous – it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay full price – there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.

You get what you pay for is the common metaphor that seems so obvious. Worth is a subjective amount that is driven by essentially market demands. The market may be made up of minions or just a single soul. Like the diamond market, if you culture and control your markets, your value increases.