15 Pieces Of Wisdom From Frank Underwood

Unless you've been living under a rock with no Wi-Fi signal, there's no excuse not to be raving about House Of Cards right now, easily one of the most gripping TV series shows for some time.

For the best example of what makes the show (starring Kevin Spacey as caustically ruthless congressman Frank Underwood who treats Washington as his playground as he bounds for ultimate power) so watchable, look no further than the man himself.

The script sings, and it's Underwood who's often the conductor, delivering venomous zingers with ease at all who get in his way. Look past his barbed comments, however, and you'll find some fairly staunch and pragmatical advice - as old Frank, normally when breaking the third wall to talk to the audience, isn't averse to offering the odd nugget of life advice either.

We've picked the best of this gold - and let's just say there's plenty of food for thought...

The entire House Of Cards - Season 2 is available for stream on Netflix now

1.

"Shake with your right hand but hold a rock in your left."

2.

"Even Achilles was only as strong as his heel."

3.

"For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: hunt or be hunted."

4.

"A great man once said, everything is about sex. Except sex. Sex is about power."

5.

"Any pugilist worth his salt knows that when someone’s on the ropes that’s when you throw a combination to the gut and a left-hook to the jaw."

6.

"Generosity is its own form of power."

7.

"The nature of promises is that they remain immune to changing circumstances."

8.

"Never make such big decisions so long after sunset and so far from dawn."

9.

"Friends make the worst enemies."

10.

"What a martyr craves more than anything is a sword to fall on. So, you sharpen the blade, hold it at just the right angle, and then... 3,2,1…"

11.

"The road to power is paved with hypocrisy, and casualties - never regret."

12.

"When the tit’s that big, everybody gets in line."

13.

"Success is a mixture of preparation and luck."

14.

"The heart can choke the mind when all the blood flows back onto itself."

15.

"There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong, or useless pain. The sort of pain that's only suffering. I have no patience for useless things."