Everything I Underlined in "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene

The 48 Laws of Power (1998) takes an irreverent look at the fundamental characteristics of power, and how to understand it, defend against it and use it to your advantage. Essentially, it’s a self-help book offering advice on how to gain and maintain power, using lessons drawn from parables and the experiences of historical figures. At times it can be heavy, drawn out and a little hard to work through (I’ve found this to be true of other works from Greene also). However, chip away at this collection of historical allegories about competency, and you will uncover some very powerful information. 

The 48 Laws of Power is banned in some US prisons, why? Well, because it openly deals with the topic of manipulation. Side note; The Art of Seduction, also written by Greene is banned in the same prisons. Make of that, what you will.

I thought I would make a document containing the majority of the pieces I underlined in this book, mostly for myself to look back on, but, I also thought it would make an interesting blog for anyone considering giving the book a go. I will put the laws from which I took the excerpt in bold.

Law 1: Never outshine the master

“When you show yourself in the world and display your talents, you naturally stir up all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity. This is to be expected. You cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others. With those above you however you must take a different approach. When it comes to power, outshining the master is perhaps the worst mistake of all”

Law 2: Never put too much trust in friends

“Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends” Abraham Lincon

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”

Law 4: Always say less than necessary

“powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less”

“When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control”

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

“The mighty lion toys with the mouse the crosses his path, any other reaction would mar his fearsome reputation”

Law 6: Court attention at all cost

"Pablo Picasso never allowed himself to fade into the background; if his name became too attached to a particular style, he would deliberately upset the public with a new series of paintings that went against all expectations”

“People feel superior to the people whose actions they can predict. If you show them who is in control by playing against their actions, you both gain their respect and tighten your hold on their fleeting attention."

Law 7: Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit.

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

“When I have laid bait for deer, I don’t shoot at the first doe that comes to sniff, but wait until the whole heard has gathered around” Otto von Bismark

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

“Michelangelo started to tap lightly with the chisel, letting the bits of dust he had gathered in his hand to fall little by little. He actually did nothing to change the nose, but gave every appearance of working on it. After a few minutes of this charade he stood aside: “Look at it now.” “I like it better” replied Soderini, “you’ve made it come alive”

“When aiming for power, or trying to to conserve it, always look for the indirect route. And also choose your battles carefully. If it does not matter in the long run if the person agrees with you – or if time and their own experience will make them understand what you mean – then it is best to not even bother with a demonstration. Save your energy and walk away”

Law 10: Infection: avoid the unhappy and unlucky.

“Do you not observe how sesame-oil is mingled with roses or violets and how, when it has been for some time in association with roses or violets, it ceases to be sesame-oil and is called oil of roses or oil of violets”

Law 11: Learn to keep people dependent on you.

“Do not be one of the many who mistakenly believe that the ultimate form of power is independence”

“Their need for you, frees you”

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

“When you are about to take, you should give”

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

“When they ooze greed, do not appeal to charity; when they want to look charitable and noble, do not appeal to their greed.”

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

Law 15: Crush your enemy totally.

Law 16: Use absence to increase respect and honor.

““Love never dies of starvation” she wrote, “but often of indigestion””

“The Sun. It can only be appreciated by its absence. The longer the days of rain the more the sun is craved. But too many hot days and the sun overwhelms. Learn to keep yourself obscure and make people demand your return”

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

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

Law 19: Know who you’re dealing with - do not offend the wrong person.

“If you want to turn people down, it is best to do so politely and respectfully, even if you feel their request is impudent or their offer ridiculous”

“There is nothing to be gained by insulting a person”

“In judging and measuring your opponent, never rely on your instincts”

Law 20: Do not commit to anyone.

“people who rush to the support of others tend to gain little respect in the process, for their help is so easily obtained, while those who stand back find themselves besieged with supplicants”

“Do not let people drag you into their petty fights and squabbles. Seem interested and supportive but find a way to remain neutral; let others do the fighting”

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

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

“What gets us into trouble in the realm of power is often our own overreaction to the moves of our enemies and rivals”

Law 23: Concentrate your forces.

Law 24: Play the perfect courtier.

“Taste is one of ego’s prickliest parts; never impugn or question the masters taste”

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.

“By apologizing you open up all sorts of doubts about your competence, your intentions, any other mistakes you may not have confessed”

Law 27: Play on people’s need to believe to create a cult like following.

“Your initial speeches, conversations and interviews must include two elements: on the one hand the promise of something great and transformative, and on the other a total vagueness”

Law 28: Enter action with boldness.

“If you are unsure of a course of action, don’t attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution”

“Everyone admires the bold, no one honors the timid”

“Going halfway with half a heart digs the deeper grave”

“Timidity had no place in the realm of power; you will often benefit however, by being able to feign it. At that pint of course, it is no longer timidity but an offensive weapon: You are luring people in with your show of shyness, all the better to pounce on them boldly later”

Law 29: Plan all the way to the end.

Law 30: Make your accomplishments seem effortless.

“Some think exposure to how hard they work and practice demonstrates diligence and honesty, but really it just shows weakness.”

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

“Give people options that come out in your favor whichever they choose”

“There is a saying: If you can get a bird to walk into the cage on its own, it will sing that much more prettily”

Law 32: Play to people’s fantasies.

“The reality - “Change is slow and gradual. It requires hard work, a bit of luck, a fair amount of self-sacrifice, and a lot of patience. The Fantasy – A sudden transformation will bring a total change in ones fortunes, bypassing work, luck, self-sacrifice and time in one fantastic stroke”

Law 33: Discover each man’s thumbscrew.

"Since we all try to hide our weaknesses, there is little to be learned from our conscious behavior”

“One sign of this weakness is that when you touch on it the person will often act like a child.”

“Finally when dealing with helpless children who cannot make decisions, play on their weakness and push them into bold ventures. They will have to depend on you even more, for you will become the adult figure whom they rely on to get them out of scrapes and to safety”

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

“The Italians in the audience heckled him with vulgar abuse, but he maintained his dignified pose, as if completely unaffected. This elevated him while making his opponents look even uglier. Dignity, in fact, is invariable the mask to assume under difficult circumstances.”

Law 35: Master the art of timing.

“Never seem to be in a hurry-hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually”

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

“By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility”

Law 37: Create compelling spectacles.

“Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power—everyone responds to them.”

Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others.

“They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.”

Law 39: Stir up waters to catch fish.

“This is the problem with the angry response. At first it may strike fear and terror, but only in some, and as the days pass and the storm clears, other responses emerge – embarrassment and uneasiness about the shouter’s capacity for going out of control, and resentment of what has been said. Losing your temper, you always make unfair and exaggerated accusations. A few such tirades and people are counting the days until you are gone.”

“To show your frustration is to show that you have lost your power to shape events”

“Remember, tantrums neither intimidate or inspire loyalty”

“Angry people usually end up looking ridiculous, for their response seems out of proportions to what occasioned it”

Law 40: Despise the free lunch.

“Money is never spent to so much advantage as when you have been cheated out of it; for at one stroke you have purchased prudence” Arthur Schopenhayer

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

“What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after.”

Law 42: Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.

Law 43: Work on the hearts and minds of others.

“Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Soften up the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.”

Law 44: Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect.

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

“If you are new to a position of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.”

Law 46: Never appear too perfect

“Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.”

“But envy brings us neither comfort or any closer to equality”

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

“Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.”

Law 48: Assume formlessness.

“Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.”

Overall I found it to be a really insightful read. If you would like to expand on any of the laws above, I've dropped a link to the book below.

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