Bill Clinton Reveals 12 Simple Rules for Surviving Politics: Read Them Here (Exclusive)

In advance of the former president's new book 'Citizen,' out Nov. 19, he shares his advice for anyone looking to get into government

President Bill Clinton has a new book out about his life after he left the White House, and PEOPLE has an exclusive excerpt.

Citizen: My Life After the White House, out Nov. 19 from Alfred A. Knopf, is the former president's first-person account of his years after he became a private citizen on Jan. 20, 2001, after nearly 30 years in politics and eight years as president. "Over the next two decades, he would create an enduring legacy of public service and advocacy work, from Indonesia to Louisiana, Northern Ireland to South Africa and in the process, reimagine philanthropy and redefine the impact a former president could have on the world," explains the book's official synopsis.

The book includes Clinton's account of significant events such as 9/11 and the Iraq War, the Haiti earthquake, the Great Recession, the January 6 insurrection and issues facing our country and society, including "the unprecedented challenges brought on by a global pandemic, ongoing income inequality, a steadily warming planet and authoritarian forces dedicated to weakening democracy," according to a press release shared with PEOPLE.

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In addition to political issues, Citizen also lets readers into his life as a father, grandfather and husband. He recounts his support for wife Hillary Clinton during her time as senator, secretary of state and presidential candidate, and shares the "frustration and pain" of the 2016 election.

Related: See Every Time Former U.S. Presidents Have Gotten Together

A follow-up to his previous memoir My Life, this book is a "frank reflection on the past and, with it, a fearless embrace of our future" and "a testament to one man’s unwavering commitment to family and nation."

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In advance of its publication, read an exclusive excerpt from Citizen detailing his humorous "rules for politics" and listen to Clinton read it below.

For years, going back to my days in Arkansas, I kept handy a list of “Clinton’s Rules of Politics” that I used to explain, enlighten and lighten up political conversations:

1. Never tell anyone to go to hell unless you can make them go (Sam Rayburn told LBJ that).

2. Never drink in public — you might act like yourself.

3. Whenever you hear, "It’s nothing personal,” brace yourself.

4. When someone can shift the heat from himself to you, prepare to be barbecued.

5. Everyone is for change in general but often against it in particular — it depends on whose ox is being gored.

6. When people say, “It’s not a money problem,” they’re always talking about someone else’s problem.

7. If you see a turtle on a fence post, it didn’t get there by accident.

8. When you start to have a good time, you’re supposed to be somewhere else.

9. You’re always most vulnerable when you feel invulnerable or when you’re angry and exhausted.

10.  Take criticism seriously, but not personally (one I got from Hillary and well explained by Don Miguel Ruiz in The Four Agreements).

11.  If you want to bring your feelings to work, get in another line of work.

12.  Don’t give up on people — if you dig long enough, there’s almost always still a person down there somewhere.

The 2016 election forced me to go to a baker’s dozen with a new rule: “If you’re ever in the room with someone who says ... but you’re going to win anyway,’ smile, thank them for their time and get out of that room as fast as you can.” They may want you to win, but they don’t want to speak up for you for fear of criticism or punishment. “Anyway” is the tell word. When you hear it, get ready to move.

Excerpted from CITIZEN: My Life After the White House by Bill Clinton, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Group, and Penguin Random House Audio, both divisions of Penguin Random House LLC. Copyright © 2024 by Bill Clinton. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Citizen: My Life After the White House by Bill Clinton comes out Nov. 19 from Alfred A. Knopf and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.