Rules of Acquisition

"Every once in a while, declare peace. It confuses the hell out of your enemies!"
-- 76th Rule of Acquisition

The Ferengi, ultra-capitalists of the Star Trek universe, follow 285 rules (never entirely codified in the run a of series, but most of them have been written and used), referred to as the "Rules of Acquisition".

"You can't free a fish from water."
-- 217th Rule of Acquisition

The Ferengi first appeared in ST:TNG, but didn't really get fleshed-out until ST:DS9.

"Treat people in your debt like family. Exploit them."
-- 111th Rule of Acquisition

In addition to the Rules, the Ferengi also recognize the five Stages of Acquisition: infatuation, justification, appropriation, obsession, and resale. Unfortunately, until late in DS9's run, Ferengi society was extremely sexist (that is, their women were expect to deal with the home, in the nude).