Ferengi Rules of Acquisition

The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition are a collection of 285 sayings that form the basis of Ferengi philosophy.

History of the Rules
The rules of acquisition were written by Gint, the first Grand Nagus of the Ferengi people. According to a dream Quark had (which may or may not have been accurate), calling them "rules" was a marketing ploy, as nobody would buy a book entitled The Suggestions of Acquisition. Also in this dream, Gint made reference to Rule #239, implying that at least that many had been written by Gint. (DS9 episode: "Body Parts") According to some sources the rules were written out of order, and Gint only wrote Rule #162 (DS9 reference books The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition and Legends of the Ferengi). In 2151, Krem says that there are 173 rules of acquisition, although he may have been mistaken. (ENT episode: "Acquisition")

By 2370, at the latest, all 285 rules had been written. 

In 2371, Grand Nagus Zek re-wrote the Rules of Acquisition, giving them a more altruistic spin, after an experience with a Bajoran orb. The new rules were entitled The Rules of Acquisition, Revised for the Modern Ferengi. However, these revised rules were never published, and were only revealed to a handful of Ferengi on Deep Space Nine. (DS9 episode: "Prophet Motive")

Questionable Rules

 * In 2151, Krem quoted the 6th rule slightly differently, and calls the 95th rule the 45th. He also says there are only 173 rules of acquisition. The discrepancies may all be the result of later changes to the rules, or he may simply be incorrect (he says himself he does not have the "lobes" for business).


 * The DS9 Young Adult novel Prisoners of Peace gives FRoA#3 as "I found it; it's mine".


 * TNG novel Balance of Power gives FRoA#60 as "Let's you and him fight", as well as coming up with a rule it says is #303..."The sheep want to be fleeced!".


 * DS9 Young Adult novel Highest Score simplifies FRoA#16 to just "A deal is a deal".
 * A Voyager episode:"In a Emergency, MAKE UP A RULE OF ACQUISITION!".


 * In DS9 episode The House of Quark, Quark recites "Rule of Acquisition 286, when Morn leaves, it's all over." When Rom asserts there is no such rule, Quark states that there should be.