Do not obey in advance -- Defend institutions -- Beware the one-party state -- Take responsibility for the face of the world -- Remember professional ethics -- Be wary of paramilitaries -- Be reflective if you must be armed -- Stand out -- Be kind to our language -- Believe in truth -- Investigate -- Make eye contact and small talk -- Practice corporeal politics -- Establish a private life -- Contribute to good causes -- Learn from peers in other countries -- Listen for dangerous words -- Be calm when the unthinkable arrives -- Be a patriot -- Be as courageous as you can.

Snyder draws from the darkest hours of the twentieth century to provide hope for the twenty-first. As he writes, "Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism and communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.