Robert Greene Vol One The 48 Laws of Power CM 20

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

 

GET THE BOOK HERE:

THE 48 LAWS OF POWER