The 48 Laws Of Power Finally Unveiled

And even more important, explained…

Power is something mystical. Thus, men and women will tend to desire it but also to fear it or even to protect themselves in some cases. In fact, it is always difficult to take an in-depth look at a subject like power. Yet Robert Greene has been working on this throughout his brilliant career as a successful author. In his book “The 48 Laws of Power”, Robert Greene has condensed 3000 years of power history into 48 essential laws.

This gives a reference book in the field of manipulation through the lives of illustrious strategists such as Sun Tzu, great statesmen such as Julius Caesar or Louis XIV, seducers such as Giacomo Casanova or even great crooks. In this article, I propose you to revisit each of the 48 laws of power with some explanations.

Law #1: Never surpass the master

To surely reach the summit of power, you must never surpass the master. The absolute rule in this matter is to always make your masters look brighter than they are! The first of Robert Greene’s 48 laws of power teaches us that surpassing the master is perhaps the worst of all mistakes when it comes to reaching the summit.

In addition, you should never take your position for granted. As a corollary, you should never let any favors you receive go to your head. Keep a cool head and clear ideas are essential things!

Law #2: Never trust your friends too much and learn to use your enemies

Having enemies is never a good thing. Nevertheless, it will be a good thing to hire a former enemy to work alongside you. Indeed, it is likely that he will be much more loyal than one of your long-time friends. Why? Quite simply because he will have more to prove to make up for it in your eyes.

In fact, all this leads you to understand that you have much more to fear from your friends than from your enemies. Thus, Robert Greene even goes so far as to advise you to find a way to make enemies if you have none!

Honesty rarely reinforces friendship. This may mean that you never know how a real friend really feels. Your friends will say they love your poetry, love your music or envy your style of dress. However, you will never know whether they mean it honestly or not.

The key to power, summarized in this second of Robert Greene’s 48 laws, is therefore the ability to judge who is best able to serve your interests in all situations. You have every right to have friends, but keep them for friendship. For the business’ world, you need to focus on working with truly qualified and competent people.

Law #3: Hide your intentions

To reach the summit of power, you must absolutely hide your intentions. Be careful, this does not mean that you should pretend that you have no goals. On the contrary, you must talk about your intentions and goals to anyone who will listen. But you must never talk about your true intentions!

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By talking openly about your intentions (the false steps the real ones), you will kill three birds with one stone: you will look friendly, open and confident at the same time. This way, you will send your rivals for power on false tracks and you will be able to prepare your attention to the summit of power in a more secure way.

In order to succeed in this concealment enterprise, you must disguise your actions. It will work very well because as the writer Søren Kierkegaard wrote :

“The world wants to be deceived”

Most people can only focus on one thing at a time. This simple truth will work in your favor and most people around you will not be able to imagine that someone as harmless as you can look can be as ambitious in reality.

Law #4: Always say less than necessary

Have you ever heard of Henry Kissinger, the famous American political scientist and diplomat? If not, I will tell you a tale that is circulating about him. It involves a report that Winston Lord had been working on for days. After giving it to Henry Kissinger, he retrieved it with the following annotation:

“Is that the best you can do?”

— Henry Kissinger

Winston Lord then immediately rewrote and refined it. Then he resubmitted it to Henry Kissinger. The latter returned it with the same dry question. After reformulating it again several times and always receiving the same question in return from Henry Kissinger, Winston Lord answered him:

“Damn it, yes! That’s the best I can do”

— Winston Lord

To which Henry Kissinger replied soberly:

“All right, so I guess I’ll read it this time”

— Henry Kissinger

This tale shows us the importance of mastering your words. Each word you are about to say has a significant weight and importance. Thus, power cannot go to those who waste their words without realizing that they are real treasures!

Power is in many ways a game of appearances. One of the 48 laws of power is therefore to always say less than necessary. In fact, you will inevitably seem larger and more powerful than you really are. So keep your words under control and be particularly careful with sarcasm. Indeed, the momentary satisfaction you will get with your few biting words will not be worth the price you will pay afterwards.

Law #5: Take care of your reputation as you do with your life

Reputation is everything these days. This is a truth that you must integrate as soon as possible to reach power. In fact, you should always be on the lookout for potential attacks. In addition, you must thwart them before they damage your reputation. On the other hand, you must learn to destroy your enemies by attacking them through their reputation. Once the attacks are launched, all you have to do is stay away and let public opinion hang them.

Doubt is a powerful weapon. Once your opponents are caught up in insidious rumors, all you have to do is watch them struggle in an unfortunate position. Your opponent on the defensive, you will attract more opinion about you. This will be a bonus for you as your reputation will grow.

Law #6: Attracting attention at all costs

You must seek to draw attention to yourself at all costs. Thus, it very often appears that in good or bad, the important thing is that we talk about you! Of course, at the beginning of your career, you must pay even more attention to your reputation, as we have seen in law #5. However, once you have achieved this reputation for quality, you must always make sure that people talk about you.

In order to attract attention, you must stand out. Answer the questions in an enigmatic way. Don’t be predictable. Doing so will increase your aura and your image will only be strengthened. Indeed, you will give the image of someone who is mysterious and difficult to interpret.

Mystery arouses curiosity, so you will attract attention at each of your meetings.

Law #7: Ask others to do your job but always take care to get credit for it

The 7th of the 48 laws of power highlighted by Robert Greene in his book “The 48 Laws of Power” will make many jump. Indeed, it is a question here of making sure to ask others to do your work but above all to take care then to always obtain credit for it.

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

This may seem immoral, but to reach the summit of power in the most secure way possible, history clearly teaches us that we must know how to put aside morale. Indeed, we have nothing for nothing! In fact, you should never hesitate to get credit for things that others do for you.

Be careful, however, to do so by putting the forms in it in order to skillfully deceive the person who provides you with this service. Thus, the person will continue to work for you in the future.

Law #8: Bringing others into your camp, without hesitation to lure them if necessary

In life, you will have to conduct negotiations or meetings where participants will not always initially be on your side. Reaching power requires that you bring them to your camp. Indeed, it is essential that they come to your territory because that is where you are dominant. In addition, nothing should stop you and you should not hesitate to lure them if necessary to come to your camp.

Influencing others to attract them to your comfort zone is something you learn. To do this, you have to learn the art of persuasion to influence others to your advantage.

Very interesting and academically focused, the book “Influence: Science and Practice” by Robert Cialdini is an in-depth study of what motivates people to make decisions, whether rational or irrational. In order to best apply this law #8 of the power, you must absolutely read it.

Law #9: Win by your actions, never by your argumentation

Actions always carry more weight than rhetoric. That’s how life is made. You can never change these rules that have been through history. In order to reach the summit of power, you must take advantage of this essential fact. To make an impact, you must seek to win only through your actions and not through your arguments.

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By applying this 9th of the 48 laws of power to the letter, you will make a lasting impression. In this way, you will have the reputation of a man of action. This reputation will then allow you to climb the ladder to the top of power if you combine it intelligently with the 47 other laws of power.

Law #10: Running away from the unfortunate and unlucky to avoid any risk of contagion

I imagine you have already been in the presence of unfortunate or unlucky people. You know, these are the people who get the worst things in life. Depending on your character, it is even possible that you have become friends with them and tried to help them. This is a serious mistake!

Indeed, misfortune is almost contagious. If you want to succeed in obtaining supreme power, you must absolutely flee these people as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will be trapped and you may not move forward. If you do not apply this law #10, you will sooner or later have to suffer the consequences. It’s up to you!

Law #11: Learning to keep people dependent on you is a little-known law among the 48 laws of power

Reaching the top of power cannot be achieved without a court at your service. In order to have this yard of people at your disposal, you must learn to keep people dependent on you. Applying this law #11 in conjunction with law #7 is not always easy. Indeed, you will have to proceed skillfully to take credit for the work of others while keeping these people dependent on you.

Nevertheless, this is the price to pay to reach the summit of power.

Law #12: Be honest and generous to disarm your victim

When applying to letter law #7, it is possible that you may have difficulty getting away with it without any complaints. Sooner or later, someone may see clearly into your game and come and complain to you. So what should you do then? For Robert Greene, it is clear that the best option is to avoid the frontal confrontation your victim wants. Instead, you have to think about law #8.

Indeed, you must absolutely bring your opponent into your camp. To do this, there is nothing better than to disrupt him by being honest and generous. Admit your mistake half-wordedly. This unexpected reaction will plunge your victim into an unexpected situation where he or she will suddenly forget his or her resentment to forgive you. You will then have regained the upper hand.

In the future, however, be careful not to get caught with your hand in the bag by the same person.

Law #13: If you ask people for help, do it only in their personal interest

You are on your way to power. Nothing can resist you because you know how to handle your opponents intelligently. And then one day, you are in an inextricable situation and you realize that you will not be able to get out without help. In this particular case, you should not hesitate to ask for help. However, you must do it in an intelligent way.

When asking for help, you should only target those who will find a personal interest in helping you. Never appeal to the mercy or gratitude of people. Indeed, the effect would be disastrous and you would immediately descend from the pedestal on which you made these people put you.

In conclusion, you can ask for help, but only in an ingenious way!

Law #14: Settle down as a friend to behave better as a spy

We have seen with law #7 that the ascent to power requires a certain form of immorality. Now that you have been warned again, this law #14 will not shock you. For Robert Greene, you should never hesitate to ask yourself as a friend to potential competitors in order to behave better as a spy. Indeed, by becoming friends with a competitor and cultivating mystery, you will maximize your chances of discovering his plans.

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You will then have a head start and you will be able to adapt your strategy in your conquest of power in order to stay ahead of this competitor. It is immoral, but it is clearly one of the 48 essential laws to know in order to achieve power.

Law #15: Totally overwhelming your enemy

When you face enemies as you ascend to power, you will have to forget all forms of compassion. In concrete terms, you must totally crush your enemies. In addition, you should never be magnanimous. You never know what tomorrow will bring and a still standing enemy could be a potential danger to you in the future.

Totally crushing your enemy is therefore a necessity that you will have to apply consistently in your ascent. It’s not always pleasant, but that’s how you get to the summit, as Robert Greene reminds you in his book “The 48 Laws of Power”.

Law #16: Use absence to your advantage to increase your strength and honor

Being present in a group or community is never a good thing. This makes you common and ultimately too accessible for others. Once you are established in a group, you must therefore make yourself rare. Feel free to withdraw temporarily to show that your time is precious.

Your absence will work in your favor and make it clear. Be careful, you must learn to detect the best moments to make yourself rare and disappear. The goal is above all to create value through rarity.

To understand when you can become rare, Robert Greene makes an analogy with a love affair. At the beginning of an affair, it is impossible to make yourself rare because it is the moment when you must strengthen your presence in the eyes of the other. If you make the mistake of leaving too early, you may be forgotten.

On the other hand, once your partner’s emotions are engaged and the feeling of love is crystallized, absence will ignite desire and excite. Finally, not giving any reason for this absence will make it even more exciting.

This analogy clearly shows the attitude to adopt in a group or community and how to proceed step by step.

Law #17: Keeping others in doubt by cultivating a certain form of unpredictability

Nothing is more difficult to grasp than doubt and unpredictability. You have to play it to take advantage of it. However, be careful not to abuse unpredictability as this could turn against you and be totally counterproductive. A totally unpredictable person tends to be considered crazy. Use this weapon wisely.

Law #18: Do not build a fortress to protect yourself because isolation is dangerous

In your ascent to power, you may be tempted to build a fortress to protect yourself from others. This trend is human but it is dangerous. Indeed, isolation is a greater threat to you and your power. So don’t make the mistake of isolating yourself in an ivory tower. Stay accessible and play others by skillfully applying the previous laws.

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Remaining accessible and pretending to be friends to be spies will also keep you on your toes against possible putschs to overthrow you. This law #18 will therefore give you the opportunity to move forward and preserve your power in a sustainable way.

Law #19: Always know what you are dealing with so that you never offend the wrong person

An ascent to power cannot be made if you offend the wrong people. Wrong person refers to people above you who could compromise your ascension. You must therefore be more cautious. To do this, you must always know who you are dealing with. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your interlocutors is also essential. It is a difficult job but it will be profitable for you in the long term.

This 19th of the 48 laws of power requires that you have a very calm character in all circumstances as well. It’s up to you to take it upon yourself!

Law #20: Never commit to anyone

Never commit to anyone. Better yet, you must absolutely be courted by everyone. Refusing to respond to all these requests will make you even more desirable. You will gain a form of respect and your stature will be strengthened.

People who engage easily are often devalued. Indeed, their help seems easy to obtain and is therefore less valuable! It is paradoxical in a certain sense, but unfortunately that is what history has taught us for 3000 years. Do not fight history and apply this law #20.

Refusing solicitations and commitments will increase the number of your courtiers. You will remain above the fray and you will be unanimously respected. Your conquest of power goes through this!

Law #21: Always be in touch with your interlocutors

To succeed, you must develop the ability to always reach the level of your interlocutors. This ability will allow you to never insult the intelligence of the people around you and to gain support. Remember this law #21 because insulting or attacking, even inadvertently, a person’s brain is a dramatic mistake. This mistake could destroy all your efforts to date to achieve power.

Law #22: Using the tactic of capitulation is one of the 48 laws of power to transform weakness into power

People who seek to show their authority in all circumstances are easily deceived by the tactic of capitulation. Indeed, people who seek to impose their authority aggressively expect an aggressive reaction in return. The next time you face one of these situations, you will take power by applying the 22nd of the 48 laws of power. Indeed, you will not resist. Besides, you’re not even going to fight back. The goal will be to give up quickly by turning the other cheek.

This way, this authoritarian person will believe he has established his power and will no longer distrust you. That’s when you’re going to turn this supposed weakness into power. You will have the power and you will be able to easily manoeuvre this authoritarian person whose character plays tricks on him.

Law #23: Concentrate your forces

Some people believe that to reach the summit of power, you have to be intense at all times. It’s a mistake that will keep you from reaching the top! Indeed, it is better to keep your strength and concentrate it at the precise moments when it matters most.

Choose your moments to put all your energy into your success.

Some already apply this principle in companies because they have understood that it is better to be good when it counts and is visible than to do a constant job all year round. In addition, it allows you to inflate yourself to the max during low moments to have even more strength at the most important moments.

Law #24: Playing the perfect courtier

The perfect courtier will prosper in a world where everything revolves around power and political dexterity. He masters the art of indirection. Of course, he flatters and gives in to superiors. In addition, he asserts his power over others in the most oblique and graceful way possible. For an infinite ascent to power, you must apply the laws of the perfect courtier to the letter.

The laws of the perfect courtier, according to Robert Greene, are as follows:

Avoid ostentation

Practice nonchalance

Be frugal about flattery

Take all necessary measures to be noticed

Change your style and language to suit the person you are dealing with.

Never bring bad news

You should never affect the friendliness and intimacy with your master

Never directly criticize those above you

Be frugal in asking favors from those above you

Never joke about the appearance of taste

Never be cynical in court

Be attentive to yourself

Control your emotions

Adapt your mind to the times

Always be a source of pleasure for others

Law #25: Recreating yourself

You must absolutely be the master of your own image. Indeed, you should never let others define it for you. Quite often, the world wants to assign you a role in life. Once you accept this role, you will be condemned!

So never let the world decide who you are. Thus, you will be able to choose to transform yourself into a character of power. To do this, you have to work on yourself by gradually shaping your image. This is one of your priority tasks in life. In addition, it quickly becomes pleasant.

The first step in the process of self-creation is self-awareness. You must be aware of yourself as an actor in life and take control of your appearance and emotions. Then, the second step in the self-creation process is a variation of George Sand’s strategy: the creation of a memorable character that attracts attention and stands out from other players on the stage.

Law #26: Keep hands clean

The rise to power requires a certain amount of immorality. We have seen this in previous laws. When you want to reach the top of power, you have to be ready for anything. In your quest, you will therefore have to do some things that are not always very pretty.

However, you will always need to keep your hands clean in the eyes of others. So you must always hide your mistakes. For that, nothing beats finding a scapegoat to blame. Finally, it is absolutely necessary to vary the scapegoats in order to cover the tracks even more.

Law #27: Playing on the need to believe people in order to create a cult

Among the 48 laws of power, law #27 arises. This law highlights the importance of playing on the need to believe people in order to create a true cult around you.

To do this, Robert Greene defines the 5 rules of worship:

Keep it vague and simple Emphasize the visual and sensational rather than the intellectual Use the springs of religion to structure your group or community Disguise your source of income Create a dynamic like “We against the rest of the world” to further strengthen the bonds within your group

Law #28: Entering into action with boldness

Be bold. Whatever the context, you must be bold. Never forget that the more daring the lie, the better! Boldness is frightening and fear creates authority. Moreover, if hesitation creates gaps, boldness erases them. Boldness is therefore a trait to be developed in order to conquer power. It is what separates you from the rest of the herd and places you above the melee.

Don’t forget also the story of David and Goliath. If you are small and obscure, you must attack a large target. Indeed, the larger your target audience, the more attention you will gain.

Law #29: Plan everything to the end is a primordial law

Success requires perfect planning. Nothing happens by chance in life. You must therefore plan your actions and your ascent to power. Define a clear plan of your actions and how you will be able to apply the 48 laws of power detailed in this article. Then you will have to follow this plan to the letter. Remain attentive to its smooth running and be ready to adapt at any time if necessary. The key is to always be one step ahead of the competition.

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Law #30: Give the impression that your accomplishments are obtained without effort

Through hard work and effort, your quest for power will lead you to achieve great things. At this very moment, we must not make the mistake that many people make. What is this error? This error consists in explaining that your results are the result of an enormous effort. Admitting this truth will make you much less attractive and will immediately make you step off your pedestal in the eyes of others.

Good practice is therefore to give the impression that your achievements are achieved without any effort. In this way, you will strengthen your image as a master and your power will be strengthened in the eyes of others.

This law #30 is not always easy to apply. Nevertheless, it is one of the 48 laws of power highlighted by Robert Greene. It is therefore necessary to comply with it!

Law #31: Check the options and play the others with the cards you deal

You must bring others to play on your territory as law #8 explains it very well. To carry out this approach successfully, you will be able to combine it with law #31. Indeed, you must control the options available to others. So, you will make them play with the cards you deal. This way, you will have an advantage and get what you want. You will then have the power. This strategy is even more relevant if you can make others believe that the choice they make comes from them when in reality it was you who pushed them in this direction.

To put into practice this 31st of the 48 laws of power, Robert Greene gives you several strategies to modify the playing field to your advantage:

The shrinkage option : When negotiating with a person, a good strategy is to narrow the options every day to create a sense of urgency and give the feeling that you have to act today to get a better deal. If the person waits until the next day, the deal will already be worse.

: When negotiating with a person, a good strategy is to narrow the options every day to create a sense of urgency and give the feeling that you have to act today to get a better deal. If the person waits until the next day, the deal will already be worse. The weak man on the edge of the precipice : Act on the emotions of the weakest. Use their fear and terror to push them into action. This is the best approach to take because if you try reason, they will always find a way to procrastinate.

: Act on the emotions of the weakest. Use their fear and terror to push them into action. This is the best approach to take because if you try reason, they will always find a way to procrastinate. Brothers in crime : Attract your victim to a well-thought-out scheme that makes them believe you are brothers in crime. It will create a bond of blood and guilt between you. You will then have all the time you need to take power over this victim.

: Attract your victim to a well-thought-out scheme that makes them believe you are brothers in crime. It will create a bond of blood and guilt between you. You will then have all the time you need to take power over this victim. The horns of the dilemma: Lead a person to choose between two possible explanations. Force her to respond quickly, which will make her more troubled. You must deny the victim time to think. It will then be caught in the horns of the dilemma and you will be able to control it easily.

Law #32: Play with people’s fantasies

People rarely believe that their problems are the result of their own misdeeds or stupidity. For them, there is always someone or something to blame outside. It can be a particular person or the world in general. You can use this feeling to your advantage to lock them in this paranoia of the outside world. The goal for you will then be to introduce yourself as a savior. Playing with people’s fantasies is therefore very useful in taking power over them.

Law #33: Find the Achilles’ heel of each person

Everyone has a weakness. This flaw in each person’s armor is known as the Achilles’ heel. It is usually linked to insecurity resulting from uncontrollable emotion or need. It can also be a little secret pleasure. Anyway, once you have found this Achilles’ heel, it is a point on which you can play at your leisure to take advantage of it.

The hardest thing for you to do is to find the Achilles’ heel of each person. To facilitate the discovery of this weakness, pay attention to unconscious gestures and signals. Look for and find the helpless child inside each person. In addition, keep in mind that an obvious feature often reveals its opposite.

Thus, an authoritarian and aggressive person will often have a problem of self-confidence buried since childhood. Once you have found the weak link, exploit it. Make sure you fill this emotional void to take power over the person in question.

The great lesson of this 33rd of the 48 laws of power is that your job is to seek out the passions and obsessions of others that cannot be controlled. Then, understand that what people cannot control is you who can control it for them. Then, you will take power.

Law #34: Act as a king to be treated as a king

Robert Greene’s book “The 48 Laws of Power” teaches us that appearances are essential to achieving power. Appearances will benefit your reputation and this will clearly make a difference. You want to reach the top of power. So, if you want to be taken seriously, you must act like a king now. It may sound pretentious, but it’s the rule. To be treated like a king today and to help you rise to the top of power, you must act like a king. This is a habit that you will easily get into.

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Law #35: Become a master in the art of timing

This law #35 is perfectly illustrated by the following quotation:

“It is said that in life the train only passes once, but be careful it does not always go in the right direction”

— Jose Miguel Rodriguez Calvo

Thus, the train of success only passes once. A golden opportunity will not happen again. In addition, the train is not always oriented in the right direction for you. In order to reach the heights of power, you will have to become a master in the art of timing. Indeed, you will have to make the right choices at the right time and act with the train of life at the right times.

It is not easy, but it is the only way to achieve power by directing the train of life in the right direction: yours!

Law #36: Disregard the things you cannot have in life

Never forget that it is you, and only you, who choose to let things get to you and disturb you. So you may as well choose not to notice the irritating cases and consider them insignificant. Indeed, they are unworthy of your interest. This is a powerful gesture you can make.

Desire will create effects that could be described as paradoxical. So, the more you want something, the more you will pursue it, and the more it will escape you. The more interest you show, the more you will push back the object of your desire.

This is the consequence of too much interest on your part. This interest makes people clumsy and fearful. You must therefore understand that uncontrollable desire is your enemy because it makes you weak, unworthy and pathetic.

So you have to despise the things you can’t have in life. It is a choice you must make today.

Law #37: Creating fascinating shows is one of the 48 laws of power

Your reputation is essential. You must develop it by cultivating the image that others have of you. To do this, nothing beats creating fascinating shows that showcase your extraordinary success. In order to make this staging as effective as possible, combine it with law #30 by showing that your greatest successes have been achieved without particularly heavy and painful effort.

All this will grow in the eyes of others and bring you closer to power.

Law #38: Think as you please, but behave as others do

Niccolò Machiavelli is an Italian humanist thinker well known for his theories on the mechanics of power and the play of competing ambitions. He is responsible for the famous book “The Prince”.

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

Law #38 is inspired by Machiavelli. Indeed, if Machiavelli had had a prince as his disciple, the first thing he would have recommended would have been to write a book against Machiavellianism. Thus, it is essential in your quest for the power to think as you see fit, but to behave like others in order to remain discreet and not let your real intentions shine through.

Law #39: Remain calm and objective in all circumstances

Anger and the unrestrained expression of your emotions are strategically counterproductive. Thus, it is often said that anger is a mortal sin. This is no coincidence. In any case, it is a vice that will prevent you from growing and succeeding brilliantly. You must therefore always remain calm and objective in all circumstances.

Better yet, stay calm and objective while trying to make your enemies angry. This is how you will gain a decisive advantage over them. You can then calmly enjoy your victory by watching your enemies struggle in anger.

Law #40: Disregarding free lunch

Don’t look for free. The value of money is not in its possession but in its use! The great masters of power have applied it for centuries. You won’t change that. Robert Greene therefore highlights this fact by specifying that we must seek to earn money but not skimp on spending. Real power is about having money and being able to spend it wisely. People who store to never use their money finally have no power!

Law #41: Avoid putting yourself in the shoes of a great man

Don’t try to dream by putting yourself in the shoes of a great man. Dig your way and progress to the top of power. Putting yourself in the shoes of a great man will not bring you anything good and may even prevent you from reaching power.

Be bold and ambitious to chart your own course to the summit.

Law #42: Hit the shepherd and the sheep will disperse

Within a group or community, problems can most often be attributed to a single source. Very often, this source will be the one that is unhappy, chronically dissatisfied and always causes dissension by infecting the group with its unease. Thus, even before understanding what is happening, dissatisfaction is spreading. It is therefore essential to act before it is too late and it becomes impossible to fix the situation.

Photo by joseph d'mello on Unsplash

To maintain your power within a group, you must first identify who the agitator is. He acts like a shepherd with a flock of sheep. So you will have to hit this agitator so that calm returns to the group and your power is preserved.

Law #43: Working on the hearts and minds of others is an unexpected law among the 48 laws of power

The key to persuasion is to soften people and then break them down patiently and gently. Never be aggressive. This is a mistake that always comes at a high price. This 43rd of the 48 laws of power is there to remind us that we must adopt a two-step approach. First of all, you need to work on your emotions. Control them as best you can. Don’t let anything show through. Then you will have to work on the hearts and minds of others.

To do this, you must discover their intellectual weaknesses to take advantage of them. That is the price you will have to pay to reach power.

Law #44: Disarm and exasperate with the mirror effect

The mirror effect is something powerful that children know very well. However, when you are in front of an adult, you tend to forget it. Thus, by adopting the mirror effect with your enemies, they will be lost and will not be able to understand your strategy. Indeed, the mirror effect will make fun of them by highlighting their defects. They are likely to overreact to this behavior.

In other cases, seeing a person act like them can reassure and seduce them. The illusion that you share their values will make them adhere behind you. It is therefore an essential weapon to master and will make you a double winner.

Law #45: Preaching the need for change, but never over-reform at the same time

Among the 48 laws of power, law #45 is perfectly mastered by successful politicians. Thus, you have surely already noticed that they do not stop preaching the need for change but that they are satisfied at the same time with very little reform. The aim for them is above all to give the impression of a slight improvement compared to the past. Nothing more and nothing less!

This law is essential. Indeed, people understand the need for change but are not ready to accept all its consequences in a brutal way. This could irritate and upset them. So, you have to act little by little with small improvements that you will take care to magnify to strengthen your reputation.

If you want more examples to learn how to apply this law, you only have to look at the behavior of our politicians. You will learn a lot.

Law #46: Never appear too perfect

It is well known that envy creates silent enemies. Having such enemies is never good. So you should never look too perfect even if you have an exceptional success. Instead, it is smart to display defects from time to time and admit that you have some defects, preferably harmless. This way, you will deflect the envy of your person. You will appear more humane and accessible to others.

Finally, never forget that you should not try to help or do favors to those who envy you. Indeed, they would come to think that you are condescending to them. The effect would be even more devastating. So do nothing and ignore them!

Law #47: Never exceed your goals and learn to stop when victory arrives

Ambitious people who are eager to succeed tend to never know when they reach their goals. This seems legitimate. Indeed, when you are motivated, you always want more. Nevertheless, this attitude can harm you by making you less appreciable to those around you. Your goal is to achieve power while giving the impression that it comes naturally and that there is no manipulation behind it. As such, we must not overdo it!

In fact, when you reach a goal, learn to stop rather than absolutely want to add more to the same goal. Enjoy your victory quickly and move on to your other goals that are just waiting to be achieved.

Law #48: Assume non-compliance

Compliance locks you into specific plans and exposes you to external attacks. Instead of taking a form that your enemies can easily grasp and anticipate, you must remain flexible to adapt and be able to change your plans at any time. To do this, you must become a master of non-compliance.

Let others think that you will be in one place and be in another. This will make you more enigmatic and unpredictable. This way, you will always be one step ahead and your conquest of power will be easier.

Conclusion

Robert Greene has devoted his entire life to studying success and how to achieve it. In his reference book “The 48 Laws of Power”, Robert Greene gives us the 48 laws of power. These 48 laws are far from being perfectly moral, but they are the result of the study of more than 3000 years of success in the quest for power through great names in history.

Mastery by Robert Greene

By applying these laws to the letter, it is likely that you will achieve your goals by reaching the summit of power. The only question you need to ask yourself is whether this is really what you want, because the path to power requires a total commitment.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Robert Greene wrote a follow-up to this book with “Mastery” which describes the ways to achieve excellence in any field by drawing inspiration from the great geniuses of history.