These are gathered from years of observation, and I try to remember them in pursuing goals:
1 - No one has ever won if they've even entertained the thought of quitting.
2 - The way you treat people usually counts much more than anything else in the end.
3 - If you get too cocky, your days are usually numbered. If you're not willing to be humble and give as much as you get, you're probably not gonna get very far. If you ever utter the words "I'm in control of this game," you will probably leave in the same episode. The scrappy, hopeful and tenacious players are the ones who make it far.
4 - Your race, gender, age, sexual orientation, social class etc. don't really matter all that much in determining your chances of winning. All kinds of people have won. What really sets the winners apart is that they showed the most drive, focus, loyalty and tenacity.
5 - If you're not able to adapt to ridiculous twists in the game, you won't make it very far. Winners usually don't complain about twists, but use them to their advantage.
6 - Ruthless, mean and disrespectful people hardly ever win, so having a moral compass increases your chances, but...
7 - Your convictions are not excuses to be lazy or stupid. You can play a clean game, and there are many winners who play a clean game, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to play a nonstrategic game.
8 - Winners are able to make decisions for themselves. It is very rare that a coat-tail rider wins.
9 - The one who ends up on top is not always the one who gets the most out of the experience. Winning really can be bitter-sweet, and not worth stabbing someone in the back or being too stressed all the time. There is fun to be had in the journey.
10 - People from very different walks of life usually make the best allies. Don't judge someone right off the bat and think that they don't have forms of power that you might not have.