How To Become A Hacker by Eric Steven Raymond

What Is a Hacker?
    The basic difference is this: hackers build things, crackers break them.


The Hacker Attitude
 
    To follow the path:
    look to the master,
    follow the master,
    walk with the master,
    see through the master,
    become the master.

  So, if you want to be a hacker, repeat the following things until you believe them:

    1. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.

    2. No problem should ever have to be solved twice.

    3. Boredom and drudgery are evil.

    4. Freedom is good.

    5. Attitude is no substitute for competence.

Basic Hacking Skills

    1. Learn how to program.

    2. Get one of the open-source Unixes and learn to use and run it.

    3. Learn how to use the World Wide Web and write HTML.

    4. If you don't have functional English, learn it.


Status in the Hacker Culture

    1. Write open-source software.
    2. Help test and debug open-source software.
    3. Publish useful information.
    4. Help keep the infrastructure working.
    5. Serve the hacker culture itself.



Reference:
How To Become A Hacker, Eric Steven Raymond,  http://www.catb.org/esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html#why_this