One of the most incredible books I’ve ever read is called Rules of Civility by Amor Towles.

The story is set in a classic 1966 New York City.

The two core characters are Katey Kontent (pronounced, Kun-Tent) and Tinker Grey.

Katey is a writer who has worked her way up at a local editorial agency where she runs into Tinker Grey, a stunningly handsome and clearly wealthy man.

The two end up hitting it off.

They take long walks inside Central Park when they stop and have snowball fights with local kids.

Happy times.

Tinker takes Katey on glamorous shopping sprees, moonlight dinners, and long evenings to see horse races…

… everything that a young 20-something woman who just moved to New York City would die to experience. And even more so, experience with a man she is clearly falling in love with.

Until Katey starts getting this icky feeling in her stomach.

Tinker is…

… too perfect.

Something has got to be wrong with him?

How is he so polished? Rich? Is he really who he says he is?

She can’t, for two seconds, comprehend in her mind that maybe… just maybe… life hands you lemons and those lemons are covered in gold, cash and comfort.

She’s so insecure that she can no longer let herself enjoy her relationship with Tinker.

She’s convinced herself that he has conned her in some way…

WHICH PROVES TO BE… CORRECT? OR NOT?

Towards the end of the book…

…Katey is snooping through Tinker’s office drawers to see if she can find any sort of red flags.

This is when she comes across a very beaten up copy of George Washington’s 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour book.

Which Katey later refers to “a do-it-yourself charm school…” a sort of How to Win Friends and Influence People 150 years ahead of its time.

She starts flipping through this book and reading the rules out loud.

RULE #7:

Put not off your clothes in the presence of others, nor go out your chamber half dressed.

…

RULE #11:

Shift not yourself in the sight of others, nor gnaw your nails.

…

RULE #24:

Do not laugh too loud or too much at any public spectacle.

…

RULE #49:

Use no reproachful language against anyone, neither curse nor revile.

…

RULE #99:

Drink not too leisurely nor yet too hastily.

…

Katey keeps reading as her face develops into a pureee disgust.

She’s astounded…

He’s a… fraud.

A replication of a manual, she thinks to herself.

This isn’t who he is… he’s portrayed himself into a "character" based off these rules that he’s trained himself on.

She literally says, “He isn’t quite the old-money gentleman he appears to be. He’s someone who studied and performed gentility.”

The “rules” become a symbol of a self that was built rather than born.

They are good manners as “engineered charm” rather than innate character.

And she hates it so much.

She feels like she’s been fooled.

So she ends up breaking up with Tinker and going back to her normal life of “authenticity” where she writes editorials, penny pinches at jazz clubs and eats simple sandwiches at home instead of extravagant caviar at Michelin star restaurants.

The book ends with her exactly how she started.

She went through years of life with Tinker just to throw it all away because she felt cheated.

The author, Amor Towles, leaves the ending of her life with a ton of ambiguity.

Basically allowing the reader — you — to make a decision on what you think of Katey.

My thoughts?

SHE’S A TOTAL CRACK POT.

I think she was so insecure that she was looking for an excuse to blow up her life because she can't justify why a normal girl like her deserved any of this. The money. The lifestyle. The great boyfriend.

It just didn’t click with her.

So she made up some facade of a reason to justify him being “inauthentic.”

When in reality…

Tinker did what any successful man should be doing… investing in yourself.

You should be studying the every single book that develops your character, sales ability, persuasion, communication, writing and power.

That’s not manipulation, Karen! It’s called GROWTH.

What would rather want? A big fat slop who scratches his ass all day while being broke but is “authentic”?

STOP.

You’ll just complain about that too, now won’t you Karen?

The Karen’s of the world are exactly who I don’t want on my email list, let alone buying from me.

But the Tinker’s of the world — I like those people.

In fact, Tinker’s journey of studying George Washington’s 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour book was one of the core inspirations for me writing Client Casanova, which is:

​55 Rules to Make Your Clients Love You, Pay You & Refuse To Hire Any Other Copywriter… But You.​

👆👆👆

It’s only $27.

Give that read and shove some Tinker Grey bucks in your pocket and tell the Karen's to eat a brick.

Hope this helps you a ton.

Your friend,

Alin “Repels Karens” Dragu