The 1% rule separates traders who quit after a month from those who survive years in the market. Here's the brutal truth: risking more than 1% per trade is a fast track to blowing up your account. When you stick to this discipline, you turn small wins into compound gains. When you don't, one bad move wipes you out. Your first goal isn't to get rich—it's to stay alive. Survival is everything. Master position sizing, respect your stop-loss, and let time do the heavy lifting. The difference between amateur traders and pros often comes down to this single habit: ruthless risk management.