The 48 Laws of Power -- Robert Greene - ****

The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene

-- though repulsive, manipulation exists as a discipline because of its effectiveness. I agree to read this believing I can control the level of sleaze I bring to the table.

Never outshine the master:
- "Masters" care about their name and their glory, little else
- if you can help him in the eyes of others, he will want to help you
- there is nothing to fear from outshining a falling star
-- remember the reincarnation model of business: if you don't like one "master", you can pursue other opportunities

Never put too much trust in friends, learn to how to use enemies:
- keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent
- conflict and competition keep people sharp -- rivalries?
- note that friends, not enemies, are willing to take chances on you
- never be upset by an enemy's presence - be ready to battle

Conceal your intentions:
- honesty is likely to offend people: it's much more prudent to tailor your words
- by being open you allow familiarity, which can lead to contempt
- the best deceivers cultivate an air of honesty in one area to disguise their dishonesty in others: the #2 in Winning Through Intimidation, who I despise
- create patterns of actions on which people can attempt to predict your behavior: use them until you see fit to break them
- if you get caught deceiving people, admit that's something you do, and don't try to be "honest" about it


In 1711, the Duke of Marlborough, head of the English army, wanted to destroy a key French fort protecting a vital thoroughfare into France. He knew that if he destroyed it, the French would realize what he wanted -- to advance down that road. So, he captured the fort, and garrisoned it with some of his troops, making it appear as if he wanted it for some purpose of his own. When the French attacked the fort, the Duke let them recapture it. Once they had it back, THEY destroyed it, figuring the duke had wanted it for some important reason -- now, with the fort gone and the road unprotected, Marlborough could easily march into France.


Always say less than necessary:
-- this is very, very good advice: people like to "fill in the gaps", and if you don't leave any, that rarely matters
-- "It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt." -- the default thought is that one's NOT a fool, which makes choosing your words wisely even more appealing
-- when you have to speak up, make your point quickly - or "yammer"


So much depends on reputation -- guard it with your life:
- do not get angry or defensive at slander: that reveals insecurity, not confidence
- if your reputation is stained, associate yourself with an honorable person

Win through your actions, never through argument:
-- people's egos have a vested interest in their not being "wrong"
-- starting an argument is a good way to yammer your way out of trouble

Infection: Avoid the unhappy and unlucky:
-- if power is your goal, don't personally identify with unfortunate people's problems or agendas
- the people you associate with are key: look for ones with good cheer, intelligence, and successes
- never associate with people who share your defects - they will reinforce everything that holds you back.

Learn to keep people dependent on you:
-- if you want the power they can bring you, sure
- to do this, you need a skill that sets you apart from the crowd

Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim:
- One sincere and honest move will cover dozens of dishonest ones.
- If you're known to be dishonest, don't paint people an honest picture - leave a gap for them to fill in

When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude:
-- this is excellent advice, people hate feeling beholden to a past that serves them no present utility
- some people see appeals to self-interest as ignoble, ugly: these people will take any opportunity to feel superior through charity

Crush your enemy totally:
-- dominance can only be established if the fight is one-sided: even if you don't hold all the cards, pretend to
-- this advice was more applicable to people who lived in days where people actually had enemies - you can deal with troublesome people these days by ruining their reputations and yammering

Use absence to increase respect and honor:
- people want what's scarce and what's desired
- this technique only works once a certain level of power has been attained - use it too early and be forgotten

Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability
-- not letting other people know what you're going to do is an excellent barrier to familiarity and its impositions
-- established patterns should be reserved for friends - positive patterns of support - or for people who have clear need of boundaries

Do not build fortresses to protect yourself -- isolation is dangerous:
- Isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from. It cuts you off from valuable information. It makes you conspicuous and an easy target.
- To make yourself powerful you must place yourself at the center of things.
- When you feel the need for isolation, only take small breaks.

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

5 types of people not to offend:

Arrogant and proud man: Don't bother trying to extract anything from him; whatever you're hoping for isn't worth it.
Hopelessly insecure man: This man will bite you, nibble by passive-aggressive nibble.
Mr. Suspicion: The least dangerous, he sees the worst in other people - you can turn him against others to your benefit if need be.
The serpent with a long memory: If hurt or deceived, this man will calculate and wait, then turn the tables with cold-blooded shrewdness. Recognize this man by his cunning and coldness, and if you have somehow injured him, either crush him completely or get him out of your sight. -- as one of these serpents, I'd amend that to read "get yourself out of his sight".
The plain, unassuming, often unintelligent man: This man lacks a sense of possible reward and wants no part of risk - he won't hurt you, but you'll get nothing out of him. Utterly literal reactions to jokes and stories are indicators of this type.

- there is nothing to be gained by insulting a person unnecessarily
- before you make a move, test the waters, and never rely on your instincts
- never trust appearances, and never trust the version people give of themselves
-- tell people your deeds, never your personality

Do not commit to anyone:
-- what this is really saying is "Don't take sides", which is good advice assuming you retain enough mastery of the situation to avoid being caught in the crossfire
- the powerful will take you over, the weak will wear you down
- holding back from the fray allows you time to position yourself to take advantage of the situation once one side starts to lose.
- if you play too many parties against each other, they'll see through your maneuvers and gang up on you.
- you may find it worthwhile to commit to one side, if only for appearances' sake - to prove you are capable of attachment

Castruccio Castracani, ruler of the Italian town of Lucca, had designs on the town of Pistoia. A siege would have been expensive, but Castruccio knew Pistoia contained two rival factions, the Blacks and the Whites, which hated one another. He negotiated with the Blacks, promising to help them against the Whites; then, without their knowledge, he promised the Whites he would help them against the Blacks. He sent armies to both Black and White-controlled gates - once the armies were allowed entry, he united them in the city, occupied the town, killed the leaders of both factions, ended the war, and took the city as his own.

Use the surrender tactic: Transform weakness into power:
- Never fight a battle you can't win. Never be a martyr.
- Never genuinely surrender. -- I, the serpent-with-a-long-memory type, would need to be crushed as was advised. Events may shake me, but as soon as that stops, I start scheming.

Concentrate your forces:
- find a cash cow
- Sun Tzu: If you are not in danger, do not fight.
- be prepared for the day your cash cow fails

Play the perfect courtier:
- arrange to be noticed
- rarely ask those above you for favors
- be a source of pleasure

Re-create yourself:
- do not accept the roles that society foists upon you

Keep your hands clean:
- use scapegoats
- use associates or a subordinate to hook yourself up with your primary targets
-- matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match

Play on people's need to believe to create a cultlike following:
- keep things vague and simple
- emphasize the visual and sensual over the intellectual

Enter action with boldness:
- if you're small, attack large targets - you have little to lose and lots to gain
- boldness is not a strategy: it is a tactic
- "I tell you on behalf of women: there is not one of us who does not prefer a little rough handling to too much consideration." -- Ninon de Lenclos
- "We would willingly say to you men, 'Ah, in pity's name do not suppose us to be so very virtuous: you are forcing us to have too much of it. . ." -- Ninon de Lenclos

Plan all the way to the end:
- those without a concrete idea of their goal always hunger for more
- plan in detail before you act

Make your accomplishments seem effortless:
- avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work
- teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you
- what is understandable is not awe-inspiring

Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal
- use biased multiple choice
- use reverse psychology
- people take ego-ownership of their choices, so you're less likely to suffer normal repercussions
- sometimes offering people choices can backfire: left to their own devices, they'll think of things you never could have
-- don't let yourself get caught between two undesirable choices, evade by recognizing them and pursuing your own options

Play to people's fantasies:
-- take no action without considering the logistics of the fantasies others lay out for you
- never be direct in describing a fantasy: keep it vague
- don't get close to the place where you're expected to produce results until you're prepared to produce them - even then, they may be displeasing

Discover each man's thumbscrew:
- everyone has a weakness
- overt traits often conceal their opposites
- the inner child, the void, the weak link, the prominent emotion
- when searching for suckers, always look for the dissatisfied, the unhappy, the insecure
-- translation: get yourself out of the sucker pool by being satisfied, happy, and secure
-- be the quality others want to embody

Be royal in your own fashion: Act like a king to be treated like one:
-- act like a warrior to be treated like one
-- act like a king and you'd better own a castle
- if you deserve more than you think you'll receive, ask for it -- preemptively
- if you believe you're destined for great things, your belief will radiate outward
- arrogance betrays insecurity
- the farther above the crowd you seem, the easier a target you are

Master the art of timing:
- hurrying betrays a lack of control over oneself, and over time
- look ahead and strike when the time is right
- time depends on perception
- success that is built up slowly and surely is the only kind that lasts

Disdain things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best revenge
- an ignorant abstainer is no ascetic
- by acknowledging petty things you give them existence and credibility
- half of what people do is to get your attention: deprived of this, they flounder
- learn to distinguish between the potentially disastrous and the mildly irritating

Create compelling spectacles:
- use symbols and imagery to your advantage
-- in presentations, exceed expectations

Think as you like but behave like others:
- share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness
-- it is enough to know that someone's special: the exact "why" doesn't need to be revealed

Despise the free lunch:
- by paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit

Avoid stepping into a great man's shoes:
- necessity is what impels men to take action
- forge your own legacy to differentiate yourself from your predecessor
-- your standing on the shoulders of giants allows others to expect highly of you - you, however, must fulfil those expectations

Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter:
- within groups, trouble can usually be traced to a single source person

Work on the hearts and minds of others:
- coercion is not a long-term solution
- listen to people, and deal with them individually

Preach the need for change, but never reform too much:
- on the day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt.
-- sad, but I am not above this
- the man who initiates strong reforms often becomes the scapegoat for any kind of dissatisfaction
-- duality: a much nicer word for those inate hypocrisies we recognize in ourselves

Never appear too perfect:
-- I meant to comment on this earlier, but taking advice with the word TOO in it is likely to result in a "no true scotsman" fallacy from its proprietor if it fails.
- don't consciously inspire others to envy
- there will be people who will surpass you in some way; you may envy them. Make that feeling a way of pushing yourself to equal or surpass them someday.
- excessive praise is an almost sure sign that the person praising you is either setting you up for a fall or they're sharpening their blades behind your back.

Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop:
- when cross-examining someone, if they slip up, stop there.
- make your victories complete

Assume formlessness:
- evolve to meet demands and challenges

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