Search
Cookie Usage Statistics Colour Key Sudden Death Monthly Poll Caption Comp eMail Author Shops
Ships Fleets Weaponry Species People Timelines Calculators Photo Galleries
Stations Design Lineage Size Charts Battles Science / Tech Temporal Styling Maps / Politics
Articles Reviews Lists Recreation Search Site Guide What's New Forum
Introduction A Matter of Time All Good Things All Our Yesterdays Assignment : Earth Captain's Holiday Carpenter Street Cause and Effect Children of Time E Squared Endgame Eye of the Needle First Contact Fury Future Tense Future's End Generations Little Green Men Parallax Past Tense Relativity Shockwave Storm Front The Edge of Forever The Visitor The Voyage Home Time And Again Time Squared Time's Orphan Timeless Times Arrow Tomorrow is Yesterday Trials and Tribble-ations Twilight Visionary We'll Always Have Paris Year of Hell Yesterday's Enterprise

Rules of Acquisition List

Show All
Rule Description Episode
? A man is only worth the sum of his possessions. [1]
? Exploitation begins at home [2]
1 [3] Once you have their money, you never give it back. [3]
3 [4] Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to. [4]
6 [3] Never allow family to stand in the way of opportunity. Also stated as 'Never allow family to stand in the way of profit' in ENT "Acquisition" [3]
7 [5] Keep your ears open. [5]
8 [6] Small print leads to large risk. [6]
9 [7] Opportunity plus instinct equals profit. [7]
10 [8] Greed is eternal. [8]
13 [6] Anything worth doing is worth doing for money. [6]
16 [9] A deal is a deal. [9]
17 [10] A contract is a contract is a contract, but only between Ferengi. [10]
18 [11] A Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all. [11]
19 [6] Satisfaction is not guaranteed. [6]
21 [12] Never place friendship above profit. [12]
22 [12] A wise man can hear profit in the wind. [12]
23 [1] Nothing is more important than your health... except for your money. [1]
27 [6] There is nothing more dangerous than an honest businessman. [6]
31 [13] Never make fun of a Ferengi's mother. [13] The Siege
33 [12] It never hurts to suck up to the boss. [12]
34 [14] War is good for business. [14]
35 [14] Peace is good for business. [14]
40 [6] She can touch your lobes, but never your latinum. [6]
41 [6] Profit is its own reward. [6]
44 [6] Never confuse wisdom with luck. [6]
45 [1] Expand or die. [1]
47 [15] Don't trust a man wearing a better suit than your own. [15]
48 [16] The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife. [16]
52 [6] Never ask when you can take. [6]
57 [17] Good customers are as rare as latinum. Treasure them. [17]
58 [6] There is no substitute for success. [6]
59 [12] Free advice is seldom cheap. [12]
60 [6] Keep your lies consistent. [6]
62 [12] The riskier the road, the greater the profit. [12]
63 [18] Work is the best therapy - at least for your employees. [18]
65 [6] Win or lose, there's always Hupyrian beetle snuff. [6]
74 [19] Knowledge equals profit. [19]
75 [20] Home is where the heart is, but the stars are made of latinum. [20]
76 [21] Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies!. [21]
79 [6] Beware of the Vulcan greed for knowledge. [6]
82 [6] The flimsier the product, the higher the price. [6]
85 [6] Never let the competition know what you're thinking. [6]
89 [6] Ask not what your profits can do for you, but what you can do for your profits. [6]
94 [22] Females and finance don't mix. [22]
95 [2] Expand or die. [2]
97 [6] Enough... is never enough. [6]
98 [23] Every man has his price. [23]
99 [6] Trust is the biggest liability of all. [6]
102 [24] Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever. [24]
103 [12] Sleep can interfere with· (remainder of rule unknown). [12]
104 [6] Faith moves mountains... of inventory. [6]
106 [6] There is no honour in poverty. [6]
109 [15] Dignity and an empty sack is worth a sack. [15]
111 [25] Treat people in your debt like family. Exploit them. [25]
112 [26] Never have sex with the bosses sister. [26]
113 [6] Always have sex with the boss. [6]
121 [6] Everything is for sale, even friendship. [6]
123 [6] Even a blind man can recognize the glow of latinum. [6]
125 [27] You can't make a deal if you're dead. [27]
139 [28] Wives serve, brothers inherit. [28]
141 [6] Only fools pay retail. [6]
144 [6] There's nothing wrong with charity... as long as it winds up in your pocket. [6]
162 [6] Even in the worst of times, someone turns a profit. [6]
168 [29] Whisper your way to success. [29]
177 [6] Know your enemies... but do business with them always. [6]
181 [6] Not even dishonesty can tarnish the shine of profit.  [6]
189 [6] Let others keep their reputation. You keep their latinum.  [6]
190 [30] Hear all, trust nothing. [30]
192 [6] Never cheat a Klingon... unless you can get away with it. [6]
194 [31] It's always good business to know about your customers before they walk in your door. [31]
202 [6] The justification for profit is profit. [6]
203 [32] New customers are like razor-toothed Gree worms. They can be succulent, but sometimes they bite back. [32]
208 [22] Sometimes, the only thing more dangerous than a question is an answer. [22]
211 [33] Employees are the rungs on the ladder of success. Don't hesitate to step on them. [33]
214 [34] Never begin a business negotiation on an empty stomach. [34]
217 [25] You can't free a fish from water. [25]
218 [6] Always know what you're buying. [6]
223 [6] Beware the man who doesn't make time for oo-mox. [6]
229 [22] Latinum lasts longer than lust. [22]
236 [6] You can't buy fate. [6]
239 [10] Never be afraid to mislabel a product. [10]
242 [6] More is good. All is better. [6]
255 [6] A wife is a luxury... a smart accountant a necessity.  [6]
261 [6] A wealthy man can afford anything except a conscience. [6]
263 [33] Never allow doubt to tarnish your lust for latinum. [33]
266 [6] When in doubt, lie. [6]
284 [6] Deep down, everyone's a Ferengi.  [6]
285 [35] No good deed ever goes unpunished. [35]

In the episode "Prophet Motive", the Grand Nagus produced a revised set of the Rules of Acquisition whilst under the influence of the Bajoran Prophets. The following are the known rules from this set, all copies of which were destroyed when the Nagus regained his original personality.

Rule Description Episode
1 [8] If they want their money back, give it to them. [8]
10 [8] Greed is dead. [8]
21 [8] Never place profit before friendship. [8]
22 [8] Latinum tarnishes, but family is forever. [8]
23 [8] Money can never replace dignity. [8]
285 [8] A good deed is its own reward. [8]

Additionally, the Voyager episode "False Profits" featured Neelix telling two Ferengi stranded in the Delta Quadrant that rule of acquisition number 299 was "When you exploit someone, it never hurts to thank them". We do not know if this is an accurate quotation; if it is, then we would need to believe that the Ferengi have added extra rules sometime prior to Voyagers accident and that Neelix has read up on these since.

In DS9's "House of Quark", Quark himself suggested an additional rule: Rule 286, "When Morn leaves, it's all over". Quark was bemoaning the state of his business at the time, and it is unlikely that this rule is a real one.


Colour key

Canon source Backstage source Novel source DITL speculation

References

# Series Season Source Comment
1 ENT 1 Acquisition
2 VOY 3 False Profits
3 DS9 1 The Nagus
4 DS9 2 The Maquis, Part 2
5 DS9 1 In the Hands of the Prophets
6 Novel : Legends of the Ferengi
7 DS9 1 The Storyteller
8 DS9 3 Prophet Motive
9 DS9 2 Melora
10 DS9 4 Body Parts
11 DS9 3 Heart of Stone
12 DS9 2 Rules of Acquisition
13 DS9 2 The Siege
14 DS9 3 Destiny
15 DS9 2 Rivals
16 Star Trek : Titan, Book 4 - Sword of Damocles
17 DS9 2 Armageddon Game
18 Star Trek : Titan, Book 5 - Over a Torrent Sea
19 VOY 7 Inside Man
20 DS9 3 Civil Defense
21 DS9 2 The Homecoming
22 DS9 5 Ferengi Love Songs
23 DS9 6 In the Pale Moonlight
24 DS9 2 The Jem'Hadar
25 DS9 3 Past Tense, Part 1
26 DS9 2 Playing God
27 DS9 7 The Siege of AR-558
28 DS9 2 Necessary Evil
29 DS9 7 Treachery, Faith, and the Great River
30 DS9 5 Call to Arms
31 DS9 2 Whispers
32 DS9 4 Little Green Men
33 DS9 4 Bar Association
34 DS9 2 The Maquis, Part 1
35 DS9 2 The Collaborator
Series : ENT Season 1
Episode : Acquisition
Series : VOY Season 3
Episode : False Profits
Series : DS9 Season 1
Episode : The Nagus
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : The Maquis, Part 2
Series : DS9 Season 1
Episode : In the Hands of the Prophets
Novel : Novel : Legends of the Ferengi
Series : DS9 Season 1
Episode : The Storyteller
Series : DS9 Season 3
Episode : Prophet Motive
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : Melora
Series : DS9 Season 4
Episode : Body Parts
Series : DS9 Season 3
Episode : Heart of Stone
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : Rules of Acquisition
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : The Siege
Series : DS9 Season 3
Episode : Destiny
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : Rivals
Novel : Star Trek : Titan, Book 4 - Sword of Damocles
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : Armageddon Game
Novel : Star Trek : Titan, Book 5 - Over a Torrent Sea
Series : VOY Season 7
Episode : Inside Man
Series : DS9 Season 3
Episode : Civil Defense
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : The Homecoming
Series : DS9 Season 5
Episode : Ferengi Love Songs
Series : DS9 Season 6
Episode : In the Pale Moonlight
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : The Jem'Hadar
Series : DS9 Season 3
Episode : Past Tense, Part 1
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : Playing God
Series : DS9 Season 7
Episode : The Siege of AR-558
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : Necessary Evil
Series : DS9 Season 7
Episode : Treachery, Faith, and the Great River
Series : DS9 Season 5
Episode : Call to Arms
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : Whispers
Series : DS9 Season 4
Episode : Little Green Men
Series : DS9 Season 4
Episode : Bar Association
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : The Maquis, Part 1
Series : DS9 Season 2
Episode : The Collaborator

© Graham & Ian Kennedy Page views : 365,645 Last updated : 19 Mar 2024