Usually older generations transfer their experience in specific surgical techniques to younger generations. This has been the usual practice in surgery since ever. The hard way is to transfer the general principles of good surgical practice. There are simple principles that, if recognized at an earlier stage of one's career could change the way of one's practice from the start. These principles are so simple but most important to successful practice. Principles which are so simple but, astonishingly, often  need a life time of experience to appreciate fully. This message to the trainees may spare them many years to recognize such simple facts: