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Morality is a subject so tricky and nuanced that the only time in human history there might be consensus is when humans are no longer around. So it probably shouldn’t be surprising that there are a number of ways to get ahead in life (or at least make your days easier) that might not seem particularly “nice.”
Someone asked “What's the most evil life hack you know?” and people shared their least ethical tips for getting things done. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to comment your own ideas and experiences below.

#1

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know “Kill them with kindness” biggest troll ever. Whenever someone is super mad at you. Don’t fight back. Be understanding. Listen to them and don’t respond with anything mean. It will drive them nuts and save you such a big headache.

HippoPebo , Vitaly Gariev/Pexels Report

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Taryn Bailey
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, it really does work. It's HILARIOUS. There they are, doing all they can to get to you, and you're just ignoring it, and they just keep getting angrier and angrier.....

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#2

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Work correspondence hack:

Anything that benefits you, put it in an email, letter, etc. so it can be memorialized when possible. 

Anything that is detrimental to you, make a call or discuss the issue face to face verbally.  Don’t leave a paper trail. .

Ethylbabe2004 , Torsten Dettlaff/Pexels Report

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Schmebulock
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

100% Always document to cover yourself and avoid anything negative that could go against you.

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#3

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Tell the truth 99% of the time. Then when you have that credibility, you can lie and people will believe you.

AngelicXAdmirationn_ , Ketut Subiyanto / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#4

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know The cops in our town like to hide at the back end of the neighborhood park to catch people who let their dogs run off leash. They could park in the front lot and let people know they’re there to deter off-leashers, but they prefer to sit where they can catch you in the act. To me this says they care more about writing tickets than they care about actually enforcing the leash law.

In order to get to the far end of the park the cops have to drive through a gate that is always left open, with the padlock just hanging there, unlocked.

When I know the cops are hiding at the far end of the park I close and lock the gate on them.

shavemejesus , Kindel Media/Pexels Report

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Mad Dragon
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The most effective deterrent is the thought that cops MIGHT be there, so then people stop letting their dogs run off lead all the time instead of just when they see a police presence. My dog was viciously attacked by an off lead dog while we were walking and it was months and thousands of dollars in vet bills before she could run normally again.

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#5

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Learn to embrace the silence. It's such a powerful tool in professional conversations. Most ppl need to fill the silence and most likely say something they shouldn't.

JSmellerM , Christina Morillo/Pexels Report

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AtMostAFabulist
Community Member
Premium
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After telling so.eone something they don't want to hear, do not be the next person to speak.

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#6

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know My wife used to be quite indecisive so I played rock paper scissors with her and I always chose rock. After she clocked on she would choose paper or scissors depending on what she actually wanted. Helping her feel more comfortable recognising and voicing what she wants was a genuine pleasure as she struggled with this due to her parents. However this lead to her suggesting to play when she could avoid things knowing i was only going rock. Stuff like cleaning the car, going to the shop, making dinner, little things we share responsibilities for but in that moment she wanted to chill.



Well this went on for about 2 years while living with her mum, who had suddenly booked an impromptu late night flight from an airport 3 hours away she asked if we could give her a lift. My wife turned to me and said lets play for it. In a moment without thinking I went scissors, i shocked myself, her jaw dropped, her mum rushed her out the door while i ordered a pizza and played xbox for 4 hours before going to bed.


I had unintentionally created a get out of anything free card.

Superdash1 , cottonbro studio/Pexels Report

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#7

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Never give away your full hand when you start a new job. Hide some of your skills and talents until you need them to get ahead. It's always easier to "improve" when you're starting at 50% capacity.

PenislavVaginavich , Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Schmebulock
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How would this even be possible? Unless it's something not worth mentioning on your resume, and then it's probably not that helpful anyway.

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#8

Limit peoples expectations of you. Occasionally make minor mistakes, and never work your hardest. assuming you otherwise do a good job, people will have a healthy expectation of your abilities, saving your mental health and slowing down burnout.

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#9

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Sprinkle instant mashed potatoes on someone’s grass before it rains and it’ll make a huge mess i certainly call that evil.

Lilnuggie17 , Andrew Filer / flickr (not the actual photo) Report

#10

Go to Walgreens or somewhere that sells Costco or Sam’s gift cards. Buy one for any amount and then go shop without being a member. Because you have the gift card they can’t make you buy a membership and will let you use it. .

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Traveling Lady Railfan
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Does this really work? That's a clever get-around if it does. They don't even let you in the door at Costco without a paid membership...

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#11

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Let your a**hat coworkers underestimate your skills when starting a new job. You'll be able to learn a lot more about the politics.

PuzzleheadedBobcat90 , Fox / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Ivy
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As a woman in tech, this happens without me trying to “let” it happen :). And yes, it has helped me learn a lot about the people and politics of a place.

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#12

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Nothing opens a person up wider than giving them a thoughtful compliment and a relatable story.

seraphiinna , iPrice Group / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#13

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know I was in a three-person team in Home Ec in high school. I always volunteered to do the dishes. Then when it was something gross like a really greasy pot or pan, I said to the other two that I do the dishes all the time and that they could do it for once.

MangoPeyote , MART PRODUCTION/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Not-a-Clue (she/her)
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did something similar in a previous job. Our manager was always sending round a list of jobs for us to do, or timeouts we had to volunteer to cover the front desk etc. I'd always get in quick, and pick the thing or time that was most convenient for me. Colleagues ignored it until they got nagged and then had to mop up the less preferred jobs. I also got a reputation with my manager for being helpful and always volunteering, but we were all going to get landed with one of the tasks in the end, so why not pick the least annoying?

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#14

Create multiple email addresses to continuously take advantage of free trial periods for subscription services, effectively getting them for free indefinitely.

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Chicken Nugget
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

this is the only thing in this thread that I think is sufficiently moral for me to do lmao

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#15

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know There was a guy who was a wood worker my dad knew. Horrible accident at work, lost a bunch of fingers. Big settlement and too disabled to work...

One day he's at our house, and he's drunk. And he f*****g tells us all he did it on purpose.

My dad just told him to leave.

Billbapaparazzi , Ono Kosuki / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Zena
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can't even imagine willingly giving up "a bunch of fingers." My uncle was a steelworker and lost a few over the years, and it was rough.

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#16

Tried that one that says "putting tea bags on your eyes depuffs them!" when I was about 13. However they did not specify black tea, so my dumba*s uses an apple cinnamon tea. Cinnamon is a minor irritant so I had red tea-bag shaped rectangles around my eyes for a few hours.

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#17

Obtain a burner phone and list yourself as a reference on job applications. Have gaps in your work history? Cover them up with fabricated freelance computer work or home renovations.

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leendadll
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I simply wrote "medical issue - resolved". In the US, interviewers can't ask about medical history.

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#18

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know You can purchase most items using nothing more than a simple handgun.

Cheekyy-Charmm , Jack Sparrow / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#19

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know If you don't wanna do something, don't do it.

oussbai , Polina Zimmerman/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Chicken Nugget
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ok, not going to work anymore and i'll survive the rest of my life on my 3 dollars in my wallet, thanks for the advice

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#20

Microsoft Paint can be used to delete and replace text on any scanned document, the eyedropper tool can match the font color and even the paper background color to make the change look seamless.

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#21

On weekends, especially in the summer, go to your larger parks in your area and scope out the company picnics. Make yourself at home, grab a plate or two. Nobody will challenge you, they think you are probably family. When I was a starving college student living in San Diego, did this almost every weekend. Will do it occasionally when I come across the opportunity.

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Tucker Cahooter
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Reminds me of one of Billy Connolly's stories, when he and a buddy used to gatecrash Saturday night parties by fronting up and saying "We're friends of Jimmy", since there was always someone called Jimmy at a party

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#22

Be as selfish and exploitative as possible and you will go far. I wish I wasn't so empathetic so I could try it.

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Beak Hookage
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It helps if you also don't give a rat's nuts about who you hurt and are utterly shameless about using people, who you discard once you've taken them for everything you can get and they're of no further use to you. Why yes, I have had this happen to me.

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#23

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Ducks are free. You can go to a park and just take them. No one will stop you. I have 5 ducks now.

iLikeFreedomandTatto , Vlad Chețan / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#24

When you enter a raffle drawing, fold or crinkle your ticket/slip of paper a little bit. It makes it slightly more likely to be drawn. It's worked for me a few times and I feel a little guilty every time.

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gijeff58
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

99.9% of the time there is no drawing for anything, they just want your phone number.

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#25

Mix cockroach bait into some mashed potatoes and leave it in the corner. The roaches will come running for the smell. Here’s the kicker: they don’t die right away. Instead, they take the potato mix back to their nest, which means you’re secretly wiping out a whole roach family while you just chill. It's like a roach trap with a side of mashed potatoes...

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#26

“You know, that might be the answer – to act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of. That’s a trick that never seems to fail.”
― Joseph Heller, Catch-22.

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#28

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know I use my ex's and bosses phone numbers at Kroger's fuel pumps to steal their discounts.

thinkdeep , Jeremy Blanton / flickr (not the actual photo) Report

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Damned_Cat
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My ex used to do the majority of shopping at certain stores with loyalty club discounts and cash-back rewards. After we split up, I continued to enter his phone number for the discounts, but also take the cash back when available.

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#29

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know In many elevators you can hold down the „close door“ button while choosing floor to get a non-stop ride. Meant to be used by rescue service/firemen.

2eanimation , Aan Amrin / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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AtMostAFabulist
Community Member
Premium
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will have to try this at work. Tired of getting stuck with people who stop at every floor before mine.

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#30

Mention "credit card chargeback" to get a refund when a company won't budge; they'll usually cave to avoid the hassle.

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Kris
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is also a form of fraud and some companies will go after you for this. I worked for one that did.

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#31

Not only can people be manipulated into anything, once you figure out how to tie their pride into it, they become righteous about your manipulation. This is how you get loyalist.

Let's say that there was a perverted guy manipulating a girl. He knows psychology and he's older so he can manipulate her. But he will never call her a "girl" he would call her a "woman." This ties the girl into pride and now her being off with an older man makes her feel independant and in control of her life. This seals the manipulation and she she falls to Stockholm Syndrome.

This is not exclusive to relationships. This is how loyalists are born in politics. People who never admit that their party is ever wrong. These politicans manipulate people then use ehnicity or subcultures to tie peple's pride to their cause, sealing them in an illusion.

I understand how this works. Not only did I study some psychology but as an artist, I can create works that effect people in a certain way. It works, but it's immoral so i use my knowledge of this to inform people of others using methods to control people. If anyone is tickling your ego, be alert.

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Jesha
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Man I just like being nice to people. Why the hell would I complicate that with trying to get something out of someone when I could have a perfectly good friend for free. It's fun to make people sincerely happy just for the sake of it

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#32

If you use google chrome, it saves your browsing history, even if you’re on another device. This is how I found out my ex was dating a new girl before he officially broke up with me. He googled “questions to ask in a new relationship” and also kept searching her name to creep on her 😂.

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Ace
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You don't have to allow Chrome (or other browsers) to synchronise your settings, and even if you do, you can choose which aspects to sync and to disable history.

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#33

Confidently stating "And you know I'm right" after presenting your argument can be surprisingly effective. People are often swayed by conviction, even if the logic isn't entirely sound.

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#34

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Behave like an idiot. People will trust you more and let their guards down. It makes it much easier to f**k them over as they will never think that it was you. Also no one will expect anything from you so you will get cut a lot of slack.

somerandomassdude404 , Elina Fairytale/ pexels (not the actual photo) Report

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Rusty
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don’t want to live in a world with people who think “f*****g someone over” is a normal thing to do. (Please leave)

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#35

“Steal One Of The Steak Knives”: 40 People Share The Most “Evil” Life Hack They Know Changing someone’s alarm clock settings to wake them up early.

alana_lovesyou , Miriam Alonso / pexels (not the actual photo) Report

#36

Slightly alter your name on resumes to identify companies with biases based on which names get more callbacks.

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Chris Keller
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a black guy suing a company because he didn't get a callback, his name was something like Donelle Washington, he changed it to Stanley Kopinski or something like that, and immediately got a callback, same resume.

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#37

I have 5 different 1 L water bottles, one for each day of the week. I fill them up before I leave work from the filtered water coolers and then put them in the fridge when I get home. Living alone, I haven't had to buy bottled water or a water filter in 11 years.

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Silly-Rabbit
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unable to drink tap water? Genuine question. I have never had to purchase filtered water or pay for bottled water :/

Ace
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In some parts of the US the tap water is chlorinated, tastes disgusting.

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Janice
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Freeze 1/2 bottle of water, add cold water before leaving and have cold water all day. I don't like ice in drinks because it dilutes it, but I want cold drinks. I drink iced tea, so I fill water bottles 1/2 way and then add iced tea. Wrap a towel around it to keep it cold longer.

J. Allan
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Recommended water intake is 3-4 litres daily. Just saying.

Otto Katz
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tap water where I live is delicious, I'm so lucky. And yet I know people in my town who still buy bottled water I don't understand it. What a waste of money.

ArcanaPanda
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That reminds me! Every time I've visited NYC I've always stayed in a Manhattan hotel and purchased ONE big bottle of Smartwater from the nearest Duane Reade. Then when it's empty I always use that same bottle to fill up with tap water and it comes out tasting exactly the same as the bottled water I bought at the beginning of my trip. If I lived in NYC, especially the island of Manhattan, I'd only want to drink tap water because that stuff is so delicious.

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Philly Bob Squires
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm fortunate, I have an artesian well (I live on a mountain) with a whole house filter system. I bought like 8 bottles and fill them from my tap and put them in the fridge. Perfect water and no need to spend 10 bucks a case for bottled. I do have to keep up on the mineral rocks in the system though. Without them it's a real pain to get the soap off of you in the shower as the water is too soft.

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#39

I come from a large and extended family. Knew some that circled like vultures when someone was about to die. Trying to sneak into to anything from the inheritance. Someone is dying AND it’s family, and you’re angling toward money???

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#40

If you're moving out of an apartment and want to ensure you get your full security deposit back, but you know there's some damage you can't fix, take pictures of all existing damages right before you move in. Then, when you move out, if the landlord tries to charge you for anything, you can show them the "before" pictures and claim it was already there.

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Silly-Rabbit
Community Member
3 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And if they ask to look at the time stamp on the photos? Then it makes it looks like you are a liar and they will not put in a good reference for when you try to rent from someone else.

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Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.