Switching your favorite sports team is forbidden.
Children should carried in your arms—never in a BabyBjörn.
Workplace e-mails must contain a precise total of zero exclamation points.

Some rules are made to be broken; however, these aren't them. Instead, these man laws are what every living, breathing, beer-guzzling, football-watching guy must put in to practice. The maxims cover a variety of subjects from dating to parenting to work to entertainment, and each comes packed with its importance, examples of the of the maxim in action, and exceptions to the principle (because, well, rules really are made to be broken). This guide will lay down the law with entries like:

• If she is in the mood, you are in the mood.
• Never order a drink that includes—or has even the slightest chance of including—a straw, umbrella, or cherry.
• It is only permissible to wear sunglasses when you're actually in the sun.

It's the complete set of rules for an unruly people.

Jeff Wilser (Brooklyn, NY) has been researching Maxims of Manhood for the last thirty years, ever since he felt guilty for breaking the rule "Never cry at the movies"—granted he was four and the movie was E.T. This book is his atonement. Formerly a USMC Reserves squad leader, Wilser is a regular contributor to GQ online and his journalism career has touched on every maxim of manhood, as he writes about relationships, pop culture, sex, and celebrities.