Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. Therefore, hire a former enemy This former enemy will be more loyal than a friend because he has more to prove. Friends can also become spoiled and tyrannical. Friends will often betray you more quickly, for they are more easily aroused by envy.
Law 2: Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends Learn How to Use Enemiesīe wary of your friends. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are, and you will attain the heights of power. If you do, you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents. Law 1: Never Outshine the MasterĪlways make those above you feel comfortably superior. Robert Greene is also the author of The Laws of Human Nature and The 33 Strategies of Law. Greene pitched a book about power to Elffers and wrote a treatment which eventually became The 48 Laws of Power. In 1995, Greene worked as a writer at Fabrica, an art and media school in Italy, and met a book packager named Joost Elffers.
Before becoming an author, Greene estimates he worked 80 jobs, including as a construction worker, translator, magazine editor, and Hollywood movie writer. Subsequently, he completed a degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. Greene grew up in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently the author of six international bestsellers. Many of his ideas are supported by Zen Buddhist principles, as he is a student of Zen Buddhism. His books primarily focus on strategy, power, and seduction. Robert Greene is a highly successful American author.
If you don’t already have the book, order the book or get the audiobook for free on Amazon to learn the juicy details. Has The 48 Laws of Power been gathering dust on your bookshelf? Instead, pick up some of the key ideas now.