Robert Greene: The 48 Laws of Power

Law 1- Never Outshine the Master

Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please and impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite-inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power

Law 2:

Never put too much trust in friends. Friends will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. Hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, he has more to prove. Friends often agree to things so as to avoid argument. 

Law 3: 

Conceal your intentions. Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late. 

Law 4: Always say less than necessary 

When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the les in control. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

Reversal: Silence can arouse suspicion and insecurity, especially in your superiors; a vague or ambiguous comment can open you up to interpretations you had not bargained for. 

Law 5: So much depends on your reputation-guard it with your life. 

Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation impenetrable. Learn to destroy your enemies by poking holes in their reputations. Doubt is a powerful weapon. Once you let it out of the bag with insidious rumors, your opponents are in a horrible dilemma. On one hand they can deny the rumors, or even prove you have slandered them. But a layer of suspicion will remain: why are they defending themselves so desperately? Maybe the rumor has some truth to it? And if, on the other hand, they take the high road and ignore you, the doubts will be even stronger. If done correctly the sowing of rumors can so infuriate your rivals that in defending themselves they will make numerous mistakes. 

Law 6: Court attention at all cost. 

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, than the masses. 

Law 7: Get others to do work for you, but always take the credit. Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. It will save you time and energy, and will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. Never do yourself what others can do for you. 

Law 8: Make other people come to you-use bait if necessary. 

When you force another person to act, you are the one in control. You hold the cards on your own field. 

Law 9: Win through your actions, never through argument. 

Any momentary triumph you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill you will stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change in opinion. Demonstrate, do not explicate. 

Law 10: Infection! Avoid the unhappy and the unlucky 

You can die from someone else's misery. Emotional states are as infectious as diseases. You may feel you are helping the drowning man but he is only dragging you under. The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune in themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead. 

Law 11: Learn to keep people dependent on you

To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so they can do without you. 

Necessity rules the world. People rarely act unless compelled to. 

Law 12: Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim. 

One sincere and honest move will cover dozens of dishonest ones. 

Law 13: When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude. 

If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance or good deeds. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him and emphasize that out of all proportion. He will respond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself. 

 Reversal: not everyone can be approached through cynical self interest (only most). Some people in power need opportunities to display their good heart. You must distinguish what makes them tick, is it their need to look charitable and noble?

Law 14: Pose as a friend, work as a spy 

Knowing about your rival is critical. 

Law 15: Crush your enemy totally

If one ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. 

Law 16: Use absence to increase respect and honor. 

Too much circulation makes the price go down. The more common you appear, the less your worth. Once established, temporary withdrawal will make you more talked about. Create value through scarcity. (This law only applies once a certain level of power has been attained, otherwise you are simply forgotten). 

Law 17: Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate and air of unpredictability 

Law 18: Do not build fortresses to protect yourself. Isolation is dangerous. 

A fortress seems the safest, but isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from. Better to circulate among people, find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd. 

Law 19: Know who you're dealing with, do not offend the wrong person

There are wolves in the lambs clothing. Choose victims and opponents carefully. 

Law 20: Do not commit to anyone.

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others-playing people against one another. 

By not committing your affections, people will only try harder to win you over. Stay aloof and gain the power that comes from their attention and desire. Give them hope but never satisfaction. 

Do not let people drag you into their petty fights and squabbles. Seem interested and  supportive, but find a way to remain neutral. When the fighting parties are tired they will be ripe for the picking. You can make it a practice to stir up quarrels between people, then offer to mediate, gaining power as the go-between. 

Reversal: Both parts of this law will turn against you if you go too far. 

Law 21: Play a sucker to catch a sucker-seem dumber than your mark

No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. Make your victims feel smart. Once convinced, they will never suspect you of any ulterior motives. 

Law 22: Use the surrender tactic: transform weakness into power

Never fight for honor's sake when you are weaker. Surender gives you time to recover, to torment and irritate your conqueror. 

Law 23: Concentrate your forces

Conserve your forces by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another. 

Law 24: Play the perfect courtier

Avoid ostentation. 

Never call too much attention to your actions. The more you talk about your deed the more envy you stir up. 

Practice nonchalance. 

Never seem to be working too hard. Your talent must appear to flow naturally, with an ease that makes people take you for a genius rather than a workaholic. Be graceful. 

Be frugal with flattery. 

Arrange to be noticed. 

Alter your style and language according to the person you are dealing with. 

Never be the bearer of bad news

Do not be the court cynic. Express admiration at the good work of others. 

Law 25: Re-Create yourself

Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define it for you. 

Law 26: Keep your hands clean

You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency. Your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat's paws to disguise your involvement. 

Law 27: Play on peoples need to believe to create a cult like following. 

People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by giving them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your nee disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on tour behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power. Followers will defend you from your enemies and voluntarily bring others into your tribe. Dangle in front of a us some new cause, elixir, get-rich-quick scheme, or the latest technological trend or art movement and we leap from the water as one to take the bait. 

In a group setting, people are less likely to reason, and more easily swayed by emotion. 

Step 1: Vague and Simple words

Use fancy titles for simple things, and the creation of new words and vague concepts alongside numbers are especially helpful. Create the impression of specialized knowledge to give yourself a veneer of profundity. 

Step 2: Emphasize the visual and the sensual over the intellectual.

Once people begin to form around you, two things threaten growth: boredom and skepticism. Boredom will urge then to move elsewhere, and skepticism will allow them the distance to think rationally about your offer. Amuse the bored and then ward off the cynics. 

Step 3: Disguise your source of income. 

Your group has grown and your coffers are beginning to fill with your followers' money, yet you must never seem hungry for money and the power it brings. 

Step 4: Set up an Us-VS-them dynamic

Make sure your followers are part of an exclusive club, unified by a bond of common goals. To strengthen this bond, manufacture the notion of a devious enemy out to ruin you. Any outsider who tries to reveal the charlatan nature of your belief system can now be named a member of this devious force. 

Reversal: In playing with the crowd you are playing with fire. If at any moment the group sees through you, you will find yourself at the hands of an angry mob willing to tear you apart as avidly as they once followed you. 

Law 28: Enter action with boldness

Doubts and hesitations infect execution. Timidity is dangerous, choose boldness. Mistakes made with audacity are easily corrected with audacity. The bolder the lie, the more convincing it becomes. Boldness strikes fear; fear creates authority. 

Law 29: Plan all the way to the end

Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead. 

Law 30: Male your accomplishments seem effortless

All the toil and practice that go into them, must be concealed. 

Law 31: Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal

Give your opponents options that come out in your favor no matter what they choose. 

Color the choices-present one option (the one you lean toward) in a favorable light compared to the other solutions you propose. This is an excellent device to use on an insecure master. 

Force the Resister-push them to choose what you want them to do by appearing to advocate the opposite. 

Alter the playing field-In this tactic the opponent knows their hand is being forced, but it doesn't matter. This technique is effective against those who resist at all costs. 

The Shrinking Options-An example would be to raise the price every time the buyer hesitates and another day goes by. This is an excellent negotiation ploy to use on the chronically indecisive, who will fall for the idea that they are getting a better deal today than if they wait till tomorrow. 

The Weak Man on the Precipice-Used on the weak and frightened, this one is similar to the "Color the Choices" but more forceful. Make then see a yawning abyss forged by exaggerated dangers in every direction but one-the one you want them to take. Use emotions to propel them to action. Try reason and they will deliberate and procrastinate. 

Brothers in Crime-Attract your victims to some criminal scheme, creating a bond of blood and guilt between you. When they participate in your deception, they are easily manipulated. It is wise to implicate in your deceptions the very person who can do you most harm is you fail. 

The Horns of a Dilemma-As they wiggle between the two options, the horns of the dilemma, they dig their own grave. 

Law 32: Play to people's fantasies

Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in a desert: Everyone flocks to them

An example fantasy: a sudden transformation that will bring a total change in one's fortunes, bypassing work, luck, self-sacrifice, and time in one fantastic stroke. 

Law 33: Discover each man's thumbscrew

Everyone has a weakness. An insecurity, an uncomfortable emotion or need, or even a secret pleasure. Find it, and turn it to your advantage. 

Finding the thumbscrew-

Pay attention to gestures and unconscious signals. In conversation, reveal a (real or fake) secret and share it with the person. This will usually elicit a response that is not inly as frank as yours but more genuine-a response that reveals a weakness.  

Find the helpless child-Most weaknesses begin in childhood, before the self builds up its defenses. One sign of this weakness is that when you touch on it they will act like a child. 

Look for Contrasts-An overt trait often is meant to conceal its opposite. 

Fill the Void-the two main emotional voids are insecurity and unhappiness. The insecure are suckers for any sort of social validation; as for the chronically unhappy, look for the roots of their unhappiness. 

Feed on Uncontrollable Emotions-The uncontrollable emotion can be a paranoid fear, or any base motive such as lust, greed, vanity, or hatred. People in the grip of these emotions often cannot control themselves, and you can do the controlling for them. 

Law 34: Be royal in your own fashion: act like a king to be treated like one. 

The way you carry yourself will often determine how you will be treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown. 

Law 35: Master the Art of Timing

Never seem to be in a hurry. Hurrying projects a lack of control over yourself, and a lack of control over time. Be patient. 

Law 36: Disdain things you cannot have: ignoring them is the best revenge

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. By trying to fix a small problem, it is made worse and more visible. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem. 

Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles 

Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power. Heighten your presence by staging spectacles. 

Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others

If you make a show against the times, people will punish your peculiarity. 

Law 39: Stir up waters to catch fish

Anger and emotion are counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put enemies off-balance: find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle then and you hold the strings. 

Law 40: Despise the free lunch 

What is offered free is dangerous, it usually involves a trick or obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. 

Law 41: Avoid stepping into a great man's shoes. 

Law 42: Strike the Shepherd and the sheep will scatter

Trouble can be traced to a single strong individual. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply. 

Law 43: Work on the hearts and minds of others

You must seduce others into wanting to move in tour direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. The way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. 

Law 44: Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect

The mirror effect mocks and humiliates them, making them over react. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a lesson. 

The neutralizing effect

The Narcissus effect-The ability to mimic someone psychologically, it plays on the unsatisfied self-love of a child. 

The Moral effect-Demonstrate that you are right in an argument by showing them the truth, not hearing it. Make then feel that their behavior is unpleasant by doing it to them. 

Law 45: Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once 

Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will leas to revolt. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past. 

Law 46: never appear too perfect 

Envy creates silent enemies. Admit to harmless vices and casual defects to appear more human. 

Law 47: Do not go past the mark you aimed for: in victory, learn when to stop

Law 48: Assume formlessness

Keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Be as fluid and formless as water, never bet on stability or order. Everything changes.