Don’t Play To Win

For those of you who are competing somewhere, consider the following the advice from Kenko in the 13th century Japanese text, the Essays in Idleness:

I once asked someone skilled at the board game of sugoroku for hints on how to play. “Don’t play to win,” he said. “Play not to lose. Consider what moves would make you lose most quickly, and avoid them. Choose a method that will make you lose after your opponent, even if only by a single square.

This lesson from one who knows his art equally applies to the arts of governing both self and nation.

Translation by Meredith McKinney

Good advice, I think.

Of course, sometimes the best way to win is to not play, too. 😎 Of, if playing Dungeons and Dragons, you’re probably just there for the loot anyway. 💰