Robert Greene is one of the most successful writers in non fiction out there today. The 48 Laws of Power is a classic book which explores power and influence and manipulation and explains how it has been used throughout history. In this episode, I explore this book and identify some of the useful ideas within it.
Robert Greene is a New York Times best-selling author of books on power and applied social psychology.
Law 1. Never outshine the master
Law 2. Don’t put too much trust in friends
Law 3. Conceal your intentions
Law 4. Say less than necessary
Law 5. Guard your reputation
Law 6. Court attention at all cost
Law 7. Let others do the work, but always take credit
Law 8. Make other people come to you – use bait if necessary
Law 9. Win through actions, never through argument
Law 10. Infection: avoid the unhappy and unlucky
Law 11. Learn to keep people dependent on you
Law 12. Use selective honesty and generosity
Law 13. Appeal to self-interest, never to mercy or gratitude
Law 14. Pose as a friend, work as a spy
Law 15. Crash your enemy totally
Law 16. Use absence to increase respect and honor
Law 17. Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability
Law 18. Do not build fortresses – isolation is dangerous
Law 19. Know who you’re dealing with – do not offend the wrong person.
Law 20. Do not commit to anyone
Law 21. Play a sucker to catch a sucker
Law 22. Surrender tactic: transform weakness into power
Law 23: Concentrate your forces
Law 24. Play the perfect courtier
Law 25. Re-create yourself
Law 26. Keep your hands clean
Law 27. Play on people’s need to create a cult-like following
Law 28. Enter action with boldness
Law 29. Plan all the way to the end
Law 30. Make your accomplishments seem effortless
Law 31. Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal
Law 32. Play to people’s fantasies
Law 33. Discover each man’s thumbscrew
Law 34. Be royal in your own fashion: act like a king to be treated like one
Law 35. Master the art of timing
Law 36. Disdain things you cannot have: Ignoring is the best revenge
Law 37. Create compelling spectacles
Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others
Law 39. Stir up waters to catch fish
Law 40. Despise the free lunch
Law 41. Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes
Law 42. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter
Law 43. Work on the hearts and minds of others
Law 44. Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
Law 45. Preach the need for change, but never reform at once
Law 46. Never appear too perfect
Law 47. Do not go past the mark you aimed for; learn when to stop
Law 48. Assume formlessness
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