The 48 laws of power
LAW : 1
NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER
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| NEVER OUTSHINE THE MASTER |
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite-inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power .
LAW : 2
NEVER PUT TOO MUCH TRUST IN FRIENDS
LEARN HOW TO USE Enemies
Be wary of friends they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.
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. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.
LAW 4
ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended,
and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
LAW 10
AVOID THE UNHAPPY AND UNLUCKY
You can die from someone else's misery-emotional states are as infectious as diseases. You may feel you are
helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster. The unfortunate sometimes draw
misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you. Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.
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| The 48 laws of power |
Law 11
LEARN TO KEEP PEOPLE DEPENDENT ON YOU
To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you.
LAW 17
USE ABSENCE TO INCREASE RESPECT AND HONOR
Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity.
LAW 18
DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES TO PROTECT YOURSELF ISOLATION IS DANGEROUS
The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from-it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people, find allies, mingle.You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.
LAW 21
PLAY A SUCKER TO CATCH A SUCKER-SEEM DUMBER THAN YOUR MARK
No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to make your victims feel smart and not
just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.
LAW 25
RECREATE YOURSELF
Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define it for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions-your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.
LAW 28
ENTER ACTION WITH BOLDNESS
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execu- tion. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are eas- ily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
