Philosophy is the art and law of life, and it teaches us what to do in all cases, and, like good marksmen, to hit the white at any distance.

Having worked out what you think in advance means you are not improvising every decision under pressure. The person who seems to respond well in difficult moments is usually not quicker than you; they settled the question earlier, when nothing was at stake, and are now simply applying it. Judgement practised in calm conditions is what holds up in awkward ones.

Write down where you stand on two or three things that keep coming up: what you will not do for money, how you handle being wrong, when you say no. Decide them now. You will need them at a bad moment.