Daily Wisdom 26

#QuoteoftheDay

THE DAILY STOIC

By Ryan Holiday

A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS

“Every great power is dangerous for the beginner. You must therefore wield them as you are able, but in harmony with nature.” —EPICTETUS

Great teachers are usually the hardest on their most promising students. When teachers see potential, they want it to be fully realized. But great teachers are also aware that natural ability and quick comprehension can be quite dangerous to the student if left alone. Early promise can lead to overconfidence and create bad habits. Those who pick things up quickly are notorious for skipping the basic lessons and ignoring the fundamentals. Don’t get carried away. Take it slow. Train with humility.

THE DAILY LAWS

By Robert Greene

Create Calculated Surprises

A child is usually a willful, stubborn creature who will deliberately do the opposite of what we ask. But there is one scenario in which children will happily give up their usual willfulness: when they are promised a surprise. Perhaps it is a present hidden in a box, a game with an unforeseeable ending, a journey with an unknown destination, a suspenseful story with a surprise finish. In those moments when children are waiting for a surprise, their willpower is suspended. They are in your thrall for as long as you dangle possibility before them. This childish habit is buried deep within us, and is the source of an elemental human pleasure: being led by a person who knows where they are going, and who takes us on a journey. In seduction, you need to create constant tension and suspense, a feeling that with you nothing is predictable. The moment people feel they know what to expect from you, your spell on them is broken. More: you have ceded them power. The only way to lead the seduced along and keep the upper hand is to create suspense, a calculated surprise. People love a mystery, and this is the key to luring them further into your web. Behave in a way that leaves them wondering, What are you up to? Doing something they do not expect from you will give them a delightful sense of spontaneity—they will not be able to foresee what comes next. You are always one step ahead and in control. Give them a thrill with a sudden change of direction.

Daily Law: There are all kinds of calculated surprises you can spring on your victims—sending a message out of the blue, showing up unexpectedly, taking them to a place they have never been.