The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates is a popular, but fictional, compilation of far more than seven rules, many of dubious value, featured in the web comic Schlock Mercenary — which I don’t (yet) read.
I enjoyed Rule 21:
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Take his fish away and tell him he’s lucky just to be alive, and he’ll figure out how to catch another one for you to take tomorrow.
(Hat tip to ERC Rodson, commenting on Somali piracy.)