Rules of Acquisition

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The Rules of Acquisition were a numbered series of aphorisms, guidelines, and principles that provided the foundation of business philosophy in Ferengi culture. In the mid-22nd century there were 173 rules, but by the 24th century there were 285. Commentaries existed for the Rules. (ENT: "Acquisition", DS9: "Rules of Acquisition")

There was also a short-lived revised edition of the Rules written by Grand Nagus Zek after having his state of mind changed by the Bajoran Prophets. These rules were almost complete opposites of the original rules and promoted honesty and charity. After Zek recovered, he ordered all copies of the new rules to be destroyed. (DS9: "Prophet Motive")


Official Rules

Number Rule Source
1 Once you have their money, you never give it back. The Nagus|Heart of Stone
3 Never pay more for an acquisition than you have to. The Maquis, Part II
6 Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity.[1] The Nagus; ENT|Acquisition
7 Keep your ears open. In the Hands of the Prophets
9 Opportunity plus instinct equals profit. The Storyteller
10 Greed is eternal. Prophet Motive; VOY|False Profits
16 A deal is a deal.[2] Melora
17 A contract is a contract is a contract ... but only between Ferengi. Body Parts
18 A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all. Heart of Stone
21 Never place friendship above profit. Rules of Acquisition
22 A wise man can hear profit in the wind. Rules of Acquisition; VOY|False Profits
23 Nothing is more important than your health ... except for your money. Acquisition
31 Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother.[3] The Siege
33 It never hurts to suck up to the boss.[4] Rules of Acquisition|The Dogs of War
34 War is good for business[5] Destiny|The Siege of AR-558
35 Peace is good for business.[6] The Perfect Mate; DS9|Destiny
45 Expand or die.[7] Acquisition
47 Never trust a man wearing a better suit than your own. Rivals
48 The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife. Rules of Acquisition
57 Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them. Armageddon Game
59 Free advice is seldom cheap. Rules of Acquisition
62 The riskier the road, the greater the profit. Rules of Acquisition|Little Green Men
74 Knowledge equals profit. Inside Man
75 Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum. Civil Defense
76 Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies. The Homecoming
94 Females and finances don't mix. Ferengi Love Songs|Profit and Lace
95 Expand or die. False Profits; ENT|Acquisition[7]
98 Every man has his price. In the Pale Moonlight
102 Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever. The Jem'Hadar
103 Sleep can interfere with your lust for latinum.[8] Rules of Acquisition
109 Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. Rivals
111 Treat people in your debt like family ... exploit them. Past Tense, Part I|The Darkness and the Light
112 Never have sex with the boss's sister. Playing God
125 You can't make a deal if you're dead. The Siege of AR-558
139 Wives serve, brothers inherit. Necessary Evil
168 Whisper your way to success. Treachery, Faith and the Great River
- A man is only worth the sum of his possessions.[9] Acquisition
190 Hear all, trust nothing. Call to Arms
194 It's always good to know about new customers before they walk in your door. Whispers
203 New customers are like razor-toothed gree-worms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back. Little Green Men
208 Sometimes the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer. Ferengi Love Songs
211 Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them. Bar Association
214 Never begin a negotiation on an empty stomach. The Maquis, Part I
217 You can't free a fish from water. Past Tense, Part I
229 Latinum lasts longer than lust. Ferengi Love Songs
239 Never be afraid to mislabel a product.[10] Body Parts
263 Never let doubt interfere with your lust for latinum. Bar Association
285 No good deed ever goes unpunished. The Collaborator|The Sound of Her Voice

Unofficial Rules

The following sayings were either not given a number, not explicitly stated to be a Rule, or were not part of the generally-accepted canon by the Ferengi Commerce Authority.

Number Rule Source
142 Only fools sell wholesale. (See Rule #141)
286 When Morn leaves, it's all over. The House of Quark
299 After you've exploited someone, it never hurts to thank them. That way, it's easier to exploit them next time.[11] False Profits
 — Exploitation begins at home. False Profits
(The unwritten rule) When no appropriate rule applies, make one up. False Profits
 — When the messenger comes to appropriate your profits ... kill the messenger. False Profits
 — Time, like latinum, is a highly limited commodity. Bar Association
 — Always inspect the merchandise before making a deal.[12] The Abandoned
 — Money is money, but females are better.[13] Life Support
 — Why ask, when you can take?[14] Babel
 — A good lie is easier to believe than the truth.[15] Shattered

Notes

  1. ↑ As late as 2151 the rule was quoted as being slightly different. "Never allow family to stand in the way of profit" (where profit replaces opportunity). (ENT|Acquisition)
  2. ↑ Legends of the Ferengi concludes Rule #16 with "...until a better one comes along."
  3. ↑ Legends of the Ferengi concludes Rule #31 with "...insult something he cares about instead."
  4. ↑ Brunt stated a variation of this Rule (without referring to it by number) with: "It's never too early to suck up to the boss".
  5. ↑ Quark has stated a corollary: "only from a distance, the closer to the front lines, the less profitable it gets"
  6. ↑ Although spoken before the production staff's creation of the Rules of Acquisition, Par Lenor stated something quite similar to this rule: "Peace is good for trade ... unless you happen to be an arms merchant!"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Rule of Acquisition #95 was quoted as Rule #45 in ENT|Acquisition. It might be possible though, that in the roughly 200 years between the two episodes, the arrangement of the Rules of Acquisition slightly changed. Alternatively, it may have been decided that the rule bears repeating. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "rule95" defined multiple times with different content
  8. ↑ This rule was interrupted before it could be finished.
  9. ↑ Though not given a number, this rule was clearly official, among the first 173, and considered "the most important one" by Krem
  10. ↑ In DS9|Body Parts, it is suggested in a dream of Quark's, that the Rules of Acquisition themselves are merely guidelines, and the book was mislabeled by Gint so as to sell more copies than the "Suggestions of Acquisition." However, this may be no more than Quark trying to justify breaking rule #17, since this rule is obviously higher than ENT's "original" 173 rules. It could also be noted that the Grand Nagus has the power to change the Rules of Acquisition, so it is still possible this rule changed position over time (DS9|Prophet Motive).
  11. ↑ May be a purely fictional rule, as it was quoted by Neelix, who had no previous contact with Ferengi, and it did not exist by the time the target Ferengi became stranded in the Delta Quadrant
  12. ↑ Not quoted word for word, but when Sisko asks if such a rule exists, Quark acknowledges that there is. Quark may be referring to the apocryphal Rule 218 (see below).
  13. ↑ A personal rule quoted by Nog.
  14. ↑ As told to Odo by Quark when the latter illegally uses replicators in empty crew quarters. He seems to have been paraphrasing the apocryphal Rule 52 (see below).
  15. ↑ This un-numbered "rule"'s provenance derives merely from Janeway quoting it as something "the Ferengi say". It may not, therefore, be a genuine Rule.

Appendices

Background Information

The Rules of Acquisition were created at the beginning of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (beginning with e|The Nagus) and were mentioned throughout the Star Trek spinoffs. While a Rule was never heard in Star Trek: The Next Generation, e|Force of Nature mentioned that the Ferengi were debating changing one of the Rules.

Apocrypha

Deep Space Nine writers Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe expanded upon the Rules and Ferengi culture in the non-canon books, The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition and Legends of the Ferengi.

The following rules are derived from non-canon sources:

Number Rule Source
2 The best deal is the one that brings the most profit. The 34th Rule (1999)
2 Money is everything. Strange New Worlds 9 (2006)
8 Small print leads to large risk. Legends of the Ferengi
13 Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. Legends of the Ferengi
19 Satisfaction is not guaranteed. Legends of the Ferengi
27 There is nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman. Legends of the Ferengi
40 She can touch your lobes, but never your latinum. Legends of the Ferengi
41 Profit is its own reward. Legends of the Ferengi
44 Never confuse wisdom with luck. Legends of the Ferengi
52 Never ask when you can take. Legends of the Ferengi
53 Never trust anybody taller than you. Twilight
58 There is no substitute for success. Legends of the Ferengi
60 Keep your lies consistent. Legends of the Ferengi
65 Win or lose, there's always Hupyrian beetle snuff. Legends of the Ferengi
79 Beware of the Vulcan greed for knowledge. Legends of the Ferengi
82 The flimsier the product, the higher the price. Legends of the Ferengi
85 Never let the competition know what you're thinking. Legends of the Ferengi
89 Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profits. Legends of the Ferengi
97 Enough... is never enough. Legends of the Ferengi
99 Trust is the biggest liability of all. Legends of the Ferengi
104 Faith moves mountains... of inventory. Legends of the Ferengi
106 There is no honor in poverty. Legends of the Ferengi
113 Always have sex with the boss. Legends of the Ferengi
121 Everything is for sale, even friendship. Legends of the Ferengi
123 Even a blind man can recognize the glow of latinum. Legends of the Ferengi
141 Only fools pay retail. Legends of the Ferengi
144 There's nothing wrong with charity... as long as it winds up in your pocket. Legends of the Ferengi
147 People love the bartender. Fearful Symmetry
162 Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit. Legends of the Ferengi
177 Know your enemies... but do business with them always. Legends of the Ferengi
181 Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit. Legends of the Ferengi
189 Let others keep their reputation. You keep their latinum. Legends of the Ferengi
192 Never cheat a Klingon... unless you can get away with it. Legends of the Ferengi
202 The justification for profit is profit. Legends of the Ferengi
218 Always know what you're buying. Legends of the Ferengi
218 Sometimes what you get free costs entirely too much. Malibu DS9: "Baby on Board"
223 Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox. Legends of the Ferengi
235 Duck; death is tall. Twilight
236 You can't buy fate. Legends of the Ferengi
242 More is good. All is better. Legends of the Ferengi
255 A wife is a luxury... a smart accountant a necessity. Legends of the Ferengi
261 A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience. Legends of the Ferengi
266 When in doubt, lie. Legends of the Ferengi
267 If you believe it, they believe it. Star Trek Titan: Taking Wing
284 Deep down, everyone's a Ferengi. Legends of the Ferengi
305 Always be considerate. (Not a real Rule, of course, but quoted by Quark.) Twilight
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