HELLO, IN THIS BLOG I HAVE
BROUGHT TO YOU A BOOK SUMMURY OF
48 LAWS OF POWER
1 TO 48
1. Never outshine the master.
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire
to please and 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.
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.
- Friends
often conceal things in order to avoid conflict; this can be dangerous.
- Keep
friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent.
- Whenever
you can, bury the hatchet with an enemy, and make a point of putting him
in your service.
- Use
enemies to define your cause more clearly to the public, even framing it
as a struggle of good against evil.
- It
is better off to know who and where your opponents are than to not know
where your real enemies lie.
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.
I: Use
decoyed objects of desire and red herrings to throw people off the scent:
- If at any point in the deception you practice
people have the slightest suspicions to your intentions, all is lost. Do
not give them the chance to sense what you are up to: Throw them off the
scent by dragging red herrings across the path. Use false sincerity, send
ambiguous signals, set up misleading objects of desire. Unable to
distinguish the genuine from the false, they cannot pick out your real
goal.
- Hide
your intentions not by closing up, but by talking endlessly about your
desires and goals - just false ones.
II: Use
smoke screens to disguise your actions:
- Deception is always the best strategy, but the
best deceptions require a screen of smoke to distract people attention
from your real purpose. The bland exterior—like the unreadable poker
face—is often the perfect smoke screen, hiding your intentions behind the
comfortable and familiar. If you lead the sucker down a familiar path, he
won’t catch on when you lead him into a trap.
- A
helpful or honest gesture can divert from a deception.
- Patterns
will also help mask a deception.
- Often
the key to deception is being bland and acting with humility.
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.
- Silence
generally makes people uncomfortable - they will jump in and nervously
fill the silence.
- Generally
saying less makes you appear more profound and mysterious.
- Be
particularly careful with sarcasm - rarely is it valuable.
- Be
careful with arousing suspicion or insecurity by being silent. At
times it is easier to blend by playing the jester.
5. So much depends on reputation - guard it with your life.
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you
can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be
attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to
potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to
destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand
aside and let public opinion hang them.
- Work
to establish a reputation of outstanding quality, whether generosity or
honesty or cunning.
- A
good reputation can save you much - a lot of work is done in advance by
your reputation.
- Once
established, always take the high road when attacked.
6. Court attention at all cost.
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for
nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion.
Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by
appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious than the bland and timid
masses.
I: Surround
your name with the sensational and scandalous
- Draw attention to yourself by creating an
unforgettable, even controversial image. Court scandal. Do anything to
make yourself seem larger than life and shine more brightly than those
around you. Make no distinction between kinds of attention—notoriety of
any sort will bring you power. Better to be slandered and attacked than
ignored.
- At
the beginning of your rise, spend all your energy on attracting attention.
The quality of attention is irrelevant.
II: Create
an air of mystery
- In a world growing increasingly banal and
familiar, what seems enigmatic instantly draws attention. Never make it
too clear what you are doing or about to do. Do not show all your cards.
An air of mystery heightens your presence; it also creates anticipation—everyone
will be watching you to see what happens next. Use mystery to beguile,
seduce, even frighten.
- Remember:
Most people are upfront, can be read like an open book, take little care
to control their words or image, and are hopelessly predictable. By simply
holding back, keeping silent, occasionally uttering ambiguous phrases,
deliberately appearing inconsistent, and acting odd in the subtlest of
ways, you will emanate an aura of mystery.
- Do
not let mystery turn to an air of deceit; it must always seem a game,
playful, unthreatening.
7. Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit.
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your
own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it
will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers
will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can
do for you.
- You
must secure the credit for yourself.
- Learn
to take advantage of others work to further your own cause.
- Use
the past, a vast storehouse of knowledge and wisdom. Learn this and
you will look like a genius.
- Note:
be sure to know when letting other people share the credit furthers your
cause.
8. Make other people come to you - use bait if necessary.
When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It
is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in
the process. Lure him with fabulous gains—then attack. You hold the cards.
- The
essence of power is keeping the initiative and forcing others to react,
keeping them on the defensive.
- Master
your anger yet play on people’s natural tendency to react angrily when
pushed and baited.
9. Win through your actions, never through argument.
Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is
really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger
and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful
to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word.
Demonstrate, do not explicate.
- When
aiming for power, always look for the indirect route.
- Verbal
argument has one use: deception when covering tracks or caught in a lie.
10. Infection: 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.
- The
most important person to avoid: the sufferer of chronic dissatisfaction.
- Examine
someone’s history to recognize these people: turbulence, a long line of
broken relationships, etc.
- The
other side of infection is equally valid: there are those who attract
happiness by their good cheer, natural buoyancy, and intelligence.
- Use
this rule to counteract your own undesirable or weak qualities.
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.
- Do
not mistake independence for power; power requires a relationship.
- To
cultivate this: possess a talent and creative skill that simply cannot be
replaced.
12. Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim.
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones.
Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even
the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their
armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift—a Trojan
horse—will serve the same purpose.
- Learn
to give before you take - an actual gift, a generous act, a kind favour,
an “honest” admission - whatever it takes.
- Selective
honesty is best employed on your first encounter with someone.
- A
history of deceit will cause any act of generosity to be viewed with
suspicion. Counter by embracing your reputation for dishonesty
openly.
13. When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to
their mercy or gratitude.
If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of
your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead,
uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will
benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He will respond
enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.
- Do
not be subtle: you have valuable knowledge to share, you can make him
rich, you can make him live longer and happier.
- Train
yourself to see inside other’s needs and interests and desires.
- Distinguish
differences among powerful people and figure out what makes them tick.
When they ooze greed, do not appeal to charity; when they want to
look charitable and noble, do not appeal to their greed.
14. Pose as a friend, work as a spy.
Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable
information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy
yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions
to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion
that is not an opportunity for artful spying.
- During
social gatherings and innocuous encounters, pay attention. This is
when people’s guards are down, and they will reveal things.
- Give
a false confession, and someone else will give you a real one.
- Contradict
others to stir them to emotion and lose control of their words.
15. Crush your enemy totally.
All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be
crushed completely. (Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one
ember is left alight, no matter how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually
break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total
annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not
only in body but in spirit.
- Recognize
that you will accumulate enemies who you cannot bring over to your side,
and that to leave them any escape will mean you are never secure.
Crush them completely.
16. Use absence to increase respect and honour.
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.
- The
truth of this law can most easily be appreciated in matters of love and
seduction.
- Another
example of this law exists in economics - scarcity increases value.
- Note:
this law only applies once a certain level of power has been attained.
Leave too early and you do not increase respect, you are simply
forgotten. Similarly, absence is only effective in love and seduction once
you have surrounded the other with your image.
- In
the beginning, make yourself not scarce but omnipresent.
17. Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of
unpredictability.
Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see
familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense
of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems
to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will
wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this
strategy can intimidate and terrorize.
- Unsettle
those around you and keep the initiative by being unpredictable.
- Predictability
and patterns can be used as a tool when deceiving.
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, and mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by
the crowd.
- Retreat
to a fortress and you lose contact with your sources of power, and your
knowledge of what is going on.
- If
you need time to think, then choose isolation as a last resort, and only
in small doses.
19. Know who you’re dealing with - do not offend the wrong person.
There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can
never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way.
Deceive or outmanoeuvre some people and they will spend the rest of their lives
seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose your victims and
opponents carefully, then—never of fend or deceive the wrong person.
Being able
to recognize the type of person you’re dealing with is critical. Here are
the five most dangerous:
- The
Arrogant and Proud Man: any
perceived slight will invite vengeance. Flee these people.
- The
Hopelessly Insecure Man: similar
to the proud man, but will take revenge in smaller bites over time.
Do not stay around him if you have harmed or deceived him.
- Mr.
Suspicion: sees the worst in
others and imagines that everyone is after him. Easy to deceive -
get him to turn on others.
- The
Serpent with a Long Memory: if
hurt, he will show no anger, but will calculate and wait. Recognize by his
calculation and cunning in other areas of life - he is usually cold and
unaffectionate. Crush him completely or flee.
- The
Plain, Unassuming, and Often Unintelligent Man: this man will not take the bait because he
does not recognize it. Do not waste your resources trying to deceive him.
Have a test ready for a mark - a joke, a story. If reaction is
literal, this is the type you are dealing with.
Never rely
on instincts when judging someone; instead gather concrete knowledge.
Also never trust appearances.
20. Do not commit to anyone.
It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any
side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the
master of others—playing people against one another, making them pursue you.
Part 1: Do
not commit to anyone, but be courted by all.
- Stay
aloof and gain the power that comes from attention and frustrated desire.
Part 2: Do
not commit to anyone - stay above the fray.
- Do
not let others drag you into their fights. Seem interested and
supportive, but neutral.
- Staying
neutral allows you to keep initiative, and take advantage of the situation
when one side starts to lose.
- You
only have so much time and energy - every moment wasted on affairs of
others subtracts from your strength.
- Make
sure to maintain emotional objectivity in the affairs of others.
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.
- Intelligence,
taste and sophistication are all things you should downplay, or reassure
others that they are more advanced than you.
22. Use the surrender tactic: transform weakness into power.
When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose surrender
instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your
conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction
of fighting and defeating you—surrender first. By turning the other cheek you
infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.
- The
essence of the surrender tactic: inwardly you stay firm, but outwardly you
bend. Your enemy will be bewildered when properly executed, as they
will be expecting retaliation.
23. Concentrate your forces.
Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their
strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper,
than by flitting from one shallow mine to another—intensity defeats extensity
every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key
patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.
- Concentrate
on a single goal, a single task, and beat it into submission.
- Note:
when fighting a stronger enemy, you must be prepared to dissolve your
forces and be elusive.
24. Play the perfect courtier.
The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves
around power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection;
he flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the most
oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtier-ship and
there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.
The Laws of
Court Politics
- Avoid
Ostentation: modesty is always
preferable.
- Practice
Nonchalance: never appear to be
working too hard; your talent must appear to flow naturally, with ease.
Showing your blood and toil is a form of ostentation.
- Be
Frugal with Flattery: flatter
indirectly by being modest.
- Arrange
to be Noticed: pay attention to
your appearance, and find a way to create a subtly distinctive style and
image.
- Alter
Your Style and Language According to the Person You’re Dealing With: acting the same with all will be seen as
condescension by those below you, and offend those above you.
- Never
Be the Bearer of Bad News: the
messenger is always killed. Bring only glad news.
- Never
Affect Friendliness and Intimacy with Your Master: he does not want a friend for a subordinate.
- Never
Criticize Those Above You Directly: err on the side of subtlety and gentleness.
- Be
Frugal in Asking Those Above You for Favours: it is always better to earn your favours.
Do not ask for favours on another person’s behalf.
- Never
Joke About Appearances or Taste
- Do
Not Be the Court Cynic: express
admiration for the good work of others.
- Be
Self-Observant: you must train
yourself to evaluate your own actions.
- Master
Your Emotions
- Fit
the Spirit of the Times: your
spirit and way of thinking must keep up with the times, even if the times
offend your sensibilities.
- Be
a Source of Pleasure: if
you cannot be the life of the party, at least obscure you’re less
desirable qualities.
25. Re-create 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.
- The
first step in the process of self-creation is being aware of yourself and
taking control of your appearances and emotions.
- The
second step is the creation of a memorable character that compels
attention and stands above the others on the stage.
- Rhythm,
timing and tempo over time also contribute greatly to the creation of a
character.
- Appreciate
the importance of stage entrances and exits.
26. Keep your hands clean.
You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are
never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance
by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-paws to disguise your involvement.
Part 1:
Conceal your mistakes - have a scapegoat to take the blame.
- It
is often wise to choose the most innocent victim possible as a sacrificial
goat. Be careful, however, not to create a martyr.
- A
close associate is often the best choice - the “fall of the favourite”.
Part 2: Make
use of the cat’s-paw.
- Use
those around you to complete dirty tasks to hide your intentions and
accomplish your goals while keeping your hands clean.
- An
essential element in this strategy is concealing your goal.
- Devices
like this are best for approaching those in power, or planting
information.
- You
may also offer yourself as the cat’s-paw to gain power.
- Note:
you must be very careful in using this tactic, as being revealed would be
disastrous.
27. Play on people’s need to believe to create a cult like following.
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the
focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow.
Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over
rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask
them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion
and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.
How to
create a cult in 5 easy steps:
- Keep
It Vague, Keep it Simple: use
words to attract attention, with great enthusiasm. Fancy titles for
simple things are helpful, as are the use of numbers and the creation of
new words for vague concepts. All of these create the impression of
specialized knowledge. People want to hear there is a simple solution to
their problems.
- Emphasize
the Visual and the Sensual over the Intellectual: Boredom and skepticism are two dangers you
must counter. The best way to do this is through theatre, creating a
spectacle. Appeal to all the senses, and use the exotic.
- Borrow
the Forms of Organized Religion to Structure the Group: create rituals, organize followers into
hierarchy, rank them in grades of sanctity, give them names and titles,
ask them for sacrifices that fill your coffers and increase your power.
Talk and act like a prophet.
- Disguise
Your Source of Income: make
your wealth seem to come from the truth of your methods.
- Set
Up an Us-Versus-Them Dynamic: first
make sure your followers believe they are part of an exclusive club,
unified by common goals. Then, manufacture the notion of a devious
enemy out to ruin you.
- People
are not interested in the truth about change - that it requires hard work
- but rather they are dying to believe something romantic, otherworldly.
- The
most effective cults mix religion with science.
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 execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to
enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily
corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
Some of the
most pronounced psychological effects of boldness and timidity:
- The
Bolder the Lie the Better: the
sheer audacity of a bold lie makes the story more credible, distracting
from its inconsistencies. When entering a negotiation, ask for the
moon and you’ll be surprised how often you get it.
- Lions
Circle the Hesitant Prey: everything
depends on perception, and if on a first encounter you demonstrate a
willingness to compromise, back down, and retreat, you will be pushed
around without mercy.
- Boldness
Strikes Fear; Fear Creates Authority: the bold move makes you seem larger and more
powerful than you are. If it comes suddenly, with stealth and
swiftness, it inspires much more than fear - you will be intimidating, and
people will be on the defensive in future.
- Going
Halfway with Half a Heart Digs the Deeper Grave: if you enter action with less than total confidence,
problems will cause you to grow confused rather than pushing through.
- Hesitation
Creates Gaps, Boldness Obliterates Them: when you take time to think, you create a gap
that allows others time to think as well. Boldness leaves others no
space to doubt and worry.
- Audacity
Separates You from the Herd: the
bold draw attention, and seem larger than life. We cannot keep our
eyes off the audacious.
- Most
of us are timid. We want to avoid tension and conflict and be liked
by all. We are terrified of consequences, what others might think of
us, and the hostility we will stir up if we dare go beyond our usual
place.
- You
must practice and develop your boldness. The place to begin is in
negotiations. How often we ask too little.
- Remember:
the problems created by an audacious move can be disguised, even remedied,
by more and greater audacity.
29. Plan all the way to the end.
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account
all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might
reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you
will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently
guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.
- The
ending is everything - it is the end of action that determines who gets
the glory, the money, the prize. Your conclusion must be crystal
clear, and you must keep it constantly in mind.
30. Make your accomplishments seem effortless.
- Your actions must seem natural and executed
with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the
clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if
you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you
work—it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be
used against you.
- Some
think exposure to how hard they work and practice demonstrates diligence
and honesty, but really it just shows weakness.
- Sprezzatura: the
capacity to make the difficult seem easy.
- What
is understandable is not awe-inspiring. The more mystery surrounds
your actions, the more awesome your power seems.
- You
appear to be the only one who can do what you do, and because you achieve
accomplishments with grace and ease, people believe that you can always do
more.
31. Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal.
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a
choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets.
Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose.
Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve
your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they
turn.
- Withdrawal
and disappearance are classic ways of controlling the options. You
give people a sense of how things will fall apart without you, and you
offer them the choice: I stay away and you suffer, or I return under my
conditions.
- We
actually find choices between a small number of alternatives more
desirable than complete freedom of options.
The
following are among the most common forms of controlling the options:
- Color
the Choices: Propose multiple
solutions, but present the preferred one in the best light compared to the
others. Excellent device for the insecure master.
- Force
the Resister: This is a good
technique to use on children and other willful people who enjoy doing the
opposite of what you ask them to: Push them to choose what you want them
to do by appearing to advocate the opposite.
- Alter
the Playing Field: In
this tactic your opponents know their hand is being forced, but it doesn’t
matter. The technique is effective against those who resist at all costs.
- The
Shrinking Options: A
variation on this technique is to raise the price every time the buyer
hesitates and another day goes by. This is an excellent negotiating ploy
to use on the chronically indecisive, who will fall for the idea that they
are getting a better deal today than if they wait till tomorrow.
- The
Weak Man on the Precipice: He
would describe all sorts of dangers, exaggerating them as much as
possible, until the duke saw a yawning abyss in every direction except
one: the one Retz was pushing him to take. This tactic is similar to
"Color the Choices," but with the weak you have to be more
aggressive. Work on their emotions—use fear and terror to propel them into
action. Try reason and they will always find a way to procrastinate.
- Brothers
in Crime: This is a classic
con-artist technique: You attract your victims to some criminal scheme,
creating a bond of blood and guilt between you. They participate in your
deception, commit a crime (or think they do), and are easily manipulated.
It is often wise to implicate in your deceptions the very person who can
do you the most harm if you fail. Their involvement can be subtle—even a
hint of their involvement will narrow their options and buy their silence.
- The
Horns of a Dilemma: This
is a classic trial lawyer’s technique: The lawyer leads the witnesses to
decide between two possible explanations of an event, both of which poke a
hole in their story. They have to answer the lawyer’s questions, but
whatever they say they hurt themselves. The key to this move is to strike
quickly: Deny the victim the time to think of an escape. As they wriggle
between the horns of the dilemma, they dig their own grave.
- Controlling
the options has one main purpose: to disguise yourself as the agent of
power and punishment.
32. Play to people’s fantasies.
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never
appeal to truth and reality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes
from disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can
manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert:
Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of
the masses.
- Never
promise a gradual improvement through hard work; rather, promise the moon,
the great and sudden transformation, the pot of gold.
- The
key to fantasy is distance - the distance has allure and promise, seems
simple and problem free. What you are offering, then, should be
ungraspable. Never let it become oppressively familiar.
33. Discover each man’s thumbscrew.
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is
usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a
small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn
to your advantage.
How to find
weaknesses:
- Pay
Attention to Gestures and Unconscious Signals: everyday conversation is a great place
to look. Start by always seeming interested. Offer a revelation of
your own if needed. Probe for suspected weaknesses indirectly. Train
your eyes for details.
- Find
the Helpless Child: knowing
about a childhood can often reveal weaknesses, or when they revert to
acting like a child.
- Look
for Contrasts: an overt trait
often conceals its opposite. The shy crave attention, the uptight want
adventure, etc.
- Find
the Weak Link: find the person who
will bend under pressure, or the one who pulls strings behind the scenes.
- Fill
the Void: the two main
emotional voids are insecurity and unhappiness.
- Feed
on Uncontrollable Emotions: the
uncontrollable emotion can be a paranoid fear or any base motive such as
lust, greed, vanity or hatred.
- Always
look for passions and obsessions that cannot be controlled. The
stronger the passion, the more vulnerable the person.
- People’s
need for validation and recognition, their need to feel important, is the
best kind of weakness to exploit. To do so, all you need to do is
find ways to make people feel better about their taste, their social
standing, their intelligence.
- Timidity
can be exploited by pushing them into bold actions that serve your needs
while also making them dependent on you.
34. Be royal in your own fashion: act like a king to be treated like
one.
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In
the long run, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a
king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By acting
regally and confident of your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a
crown.
- How
you carry yourself reflects what you think of yourself.
- Use
The Strategy of the Crown -
if we believe we are destined for great things, our belief will radiate
outward, just as a crown creates an aura around a king.
- The
trick is simple: be overcome by your self-belief.
- This
may separate you from people, but that’s the point. You must always
act with dignity, though this should not be confused with arrogance.
- Dignity
is the mask you assume that makes it as if nothing can affect you, and you
have all the time in the world to respond.
There are
other strategies to help:
- The
Columbus Strategy: always make a
bold demand. Set your price high and do not waver.
- The
David and Goliath Strategy: go
after the highest person in the building. This immediately puts you
on the same plane as the chief executive you are attacking.
- The
Patron Strategy: give a gift
of some sort to those above you.
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. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out
the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Learn to
stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has
reached fruition.
Three types
of time and how to deal with them:
- Long
Time: be patient, control
your emotions, and take advantage of opportunities when they arise. You
will gain long-term perspective and see further in the future.
- Forced
Time: the trick in
forcing time is to upset the timing of others - to make them hurry, make
them wait, make them abandon their own pace. Use the deadline, apply
sudden pressure, change pace to use this.
- End
Time: patience is useless
unless combined with a willingness to act decisively at the right moment.
Use speed to paralyze your opponents, cover any mistakes, and impress
people with your aura of authority and finality.
36. Disdain things you cannot have: ignoring them is the best revenge.
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility.
The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small
mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is
sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot
have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superior you
seem.
- Desire
creates paradoxical effects: the more you want something, the more you
chase after it, the more it eludes you. You need to do the reverse:
turn your back on what you want, show your contempt and disdain to create
desire.
- Instead
of focusing attention on a problem, it is often better not to acknowledge
it’s existence:
- Sour-grapes
approach: act as if something never really interested you in the first
place.
- When
attacked, look away, answer sweetly, and show how little the attack
concerns you.
- Treat
it lightly if you have committed a blunder.
- Note:
make sure to show the above publicly, but to monitor the problem
privately, making sure it is remedied.
37. Create compelling spectacles.
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of
power—everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles for those around you, then,
full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence.
Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.
- Words
often go astray, but symbols and the visual strike with emotional power
and immediacy.
- Find
an associate yourself with powerful images and symbols to gain power.
- Most
effective of all is a new combination - a fusion of images and symbols
that have not been seen together before, but that clearly demonstrate your
new idea, message, religion.
38. Think as you like but behave like others.
- If you make a show of going against the times,
flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think
that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. 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.
- Flaunting
your pleasure in alien ways of thinking and acting will reveal a different
motive - to demonstrate your superiority over your fellows.
- Wise
and clever people learn early on that they can display conventional
behavior and mouth conventional ideas without having to believe in them.
The power these people gain from blending in is that of being left alone
to have the thoughts they want to have, and to express them to the people
they want to express them to, without suffering isolation or ostracism.
- The
only time it is worth standing out is when you already stand out—when you
have achieved an unshakable position of power, and can display your
difference from others as a sign of the distance between you.
39. Stir up waters to catch fish.
Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always
stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying
calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find
the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the
strings.
- This
is the essence of the Law: When the waters are still, your opponents have
the time and space to plot actions that they will initiate and control. So
stir the waters, force the fish to the surface, get them to act before
they are ready, steal the initiative. The best way to do this is to play
on uncontrollable emotions—pride, vanity, love, hate.
- Angry
people end up looking ridiculous. It is comical how much they take
personally, and more comical how they belief that outbursts signify power.
- We
should not repress our angry or emotional responses, but rather that
realize in the social realm, and the game of power, nothing is personal.
- Reveal
an apparent weakness to lure your opponent into action.
- In
the face of someone angry, nothing is more infuriating than someone who
keeps his cool while others are losing theirs.
- Note:
do not provoke those who are too powerful.
- There
are times when a burst of anger can do good, but it must be manufactured
and under your control.
40. Despise the free lunch.
What is offered for free is dangerous-it usually involves either a
trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying
your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often
wise to pay the full price—there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be
lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and a
magnet for power.
- What
is offered for free often has a psychological price tag - complicated
feelings of obligation, compromises with quality, the insecurity those
compromises bring, on and on. By paying the full price, you keep
your independence and room to maneuver.
- Being
open and flexible with money also teaches the value of strategic
generosity.
Avoid these
people who fail to use money creatively and strategically, or turn their
inflexibility to your advantage:
- The
Greedy Fish. The greedy fish
take the human side out of money. Cold and ruthless, they see only the
lifeless balance sheet; viewing others solely as either pawns or
obstructions in their pursuit of wealth, they trample on people’s
sentiments and alienate valuable allies. No one wants to work with the
greedy fish, and over the years they end up isolated, which often proves
their undoing. Easy to deceive with promise of money.
- The
Bargain Demon. Powerful people
judge everything by what it costs, not just in money but in time, dignity,
and peace of mind. And this is exactly what Bargain Demons cannot do.
Wasting valuable time digging for bargains, they worry endlessly about
what they could have gotten elsewhere for a little less. Just avoid these
types.
- The
Sadist. Financial sadists
play vicious power games with money as a way of asserting their power.
They believe the money they give you allows them to abuse your time.
Accept a financial loss instead of getting entangled.
- The
Indiscriminate Giver. These people
give to everyone, and as a result no one feels special. Appealing as
a mark, but you will often feel burdened by their emotional need.
- Never
let lust for money lure you from true power. Make power your goal
and money will find it’s way to you.
- Note:
bait your deceptions with the possibility of easy money, and many will
fall for it.
41. Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes.
What happens first always appears better and more original than what
comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have
to accomplish double their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in
their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your own making: Establish your own
name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage
his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.
- If
you cannot start materially from ground zero - it would be foolish to
renounce an inheritance- you can at least begin from ground zero
psychologically.
- Never
let yourself be seen as following your predecessor’s path. You must
physically demonstrate your difference, by establishing a style and
symbolism that set you apart.
- Repeating
actions will not re-create success, because circumstances never repeat
themselves exactly.
- Success
and power make us lazy - you must reset psychologically to counter this
laziness.
42. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.
Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual —the stirrer,
the arrogant underling, the poisoner of goodwill. If you allow such people room
to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the
troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them—they are
irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike
at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.
- In
every group, power is concentrated in the hands of one or two people.
- When
troubles arise, find the source, and isolate them - physically,
politically or psychologically. Separate them from their power base.
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.
- Remember:
The key to persuasion is softening people up and breaking them down,
gently. Seduce them with a two-pronged approach: Work on their emotions
and play on their intellectual weaknesses. Be alert to both what separates
them from everyone else (their individual psychology) and what they share
with everyone else (their basic emotional responses). Aim at the primary
emotions—love, hate, jealousy. Once you move their emotions you have
reduced their control, making them more vulnerable to persuasion.
- Play
on contrasts: push people to despair, then give them relief. If they
expect pain and you give them pleasure, you win their hearts.
- Symbolic
gestures of self-sacrifice can win sympathy and goodwill.
- The
quickest way to secure people’s minds is by demonstrating, as simply as
possible, how an action will benefit them.
44. Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect.
The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for
deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot
figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates them, making
them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with
the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to their
actions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of the Mirror
Effect.
- Mirror
Effects can disturb or entrance others, giving you power to manipulate or
seduce them.
There are
four main Mirror effects:
- The
Neutralizing Effect: do
what your enemies do, following their actions as best you can, and they
are blinded. A reverse version is the Shadow - shadow your opponents
every move without them seeing you.
- The
Narcissus Effect: look
into the desires, values, tastes, spirit of others, and reflect it back to
them.
- The
Moral Effect: teach others by
giving them a taste of their own medicine. They must realize you are doing
to them the same thing they did to you.
- The
Hallucinatory Effect: create
a perfect copy of an object, a place, a person, that people take for the
real thing, because it has the physical appearance of the real thing.
- Understand:
Everyone is wrapped up in their own narcissistic shell. When you try to
impose your own ego on them, a wall goes up, resistance is increased. By
mirroring them, however, you seduce them into a kind of narcissistic
rapture: They are gazing at a double of their own soul. This double is
actually manufactured in its entirety by you. Once you have used the
mirror to seduce them, you have great power over them.
- One
way to create a mirror for someone is to teach them a lesson through an
analogy, avoiding the reactionary increase in resistance you’d encounter
if brought up directly.
- Note:
avoid mirrored situations you don’t understand, as those involved will
quickly see through it, and the mirrored situation will not live up to the
original.
45. Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once.
Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the
day-to-day level people are creatures of habit. Too much innovation is
traumatic, and will lead to revolt. 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.
- Borrow
the weight and legitimacy from the past, however remote, to create a
comforting and familiar presence.
- Humans
desire change in the abstract, or superficial change, but a change that
upsets core habits and routines is deeply disturbing to them.
- Understand:
The fact that the past is dead and buried gives you the freedom to
reinterpret it. To support your cause, tinker with the facts. The past is
a text in which you can safely insert your own lines.
- A
simple gesture like using an old title, or keeping the same number for a
group, will tie you to the past and support you with the authority of
history.
46. Never appear too perfect.
Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of
all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. 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.
- Either
dampen your brilliance occasionally, purposefully revealing a defect,
weakness, or anxiety, or attributing your success to luck; or simply find
yourself new friends. Never underestimate the power of envy.
- The
envy of the masses can be deflected quite easily - appear as one of them
in style and values. Never flaunt your wealth, and carefully conceal
the degree to which it has bought influence. Make a display of deferring
to others, as if they were more powerful than you.
- Use
envy to motivate you to greater heights.
- Keep
a wary eye for envy in those below you as you grow more successful.
- Expect
that those envious of you will work against you.
- Emphasize
luck, and do not adopt a false modesty that will be seen through.
- Deflect
envy of political power by not seeming ambitious.
- Disguise
your power as a kind of self-sacrifice rather than a source of happiness
for you. Emphasize your troubles and you turn potential envy into a
source of moral support (pity).
- Beware
signs of envy: excessive praise, hypercritical people, public slandering.
- Note:
once envy is present, it is sometimes best to display the utmost disdain
for those who envy you.
47. Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to
stop.
The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the
heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you
had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. 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.
- Understand:
In the realm of power, you must be guided by reason. To let a momentary
thrill or an emotional victory influence or guide your moves will prove
fatal. When you attain success, step back. Be cautious. When you gain
victory, understand the part played by the particular circumstances of a
situation, and never simply repeat the same actions again and again.
History is littered with the ruins of victorious empires and the corpses
of leaders who could not learn to stop and consolidate their gains.
- The
powerful vary their rhythms and patterns, change course, adapt to
circumstance, and learn to improvise. They control their emotions,
and step back and come to a mental halt when they have attained success.
- Good
luck is more dangerous than bad luck, because it deludes you into thinking
your own brilliance is the reason for your success.
- Note:
There are some who become more cautious than ever after a victory, which
they see as just giving them more possessions to worry about and protect.
Your caution after victory should never make you hesitate, or lose
momentum, but rather act as a safeguard against rash action. On the other
hand, momentum as a phenomenon is greatly overrated. You create your own
successes, and if they follow one upon the other, it is your own doing.
Belief in momentum will only make you emotional, less prone to act
strategically, and more apt to repeat the same methods. Leave momentum for
those who have nothing better to rely upon.
48. Assume formlessness.
By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to
attack. 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.
- The
powerful are constantly creating form, and their power comes from the
rapidity with which they can change.
- The
first psychological requirement of formlessness is to train yourself to
take nothing personally. Never show any defensiveness.
- When
you find yourself in conflict with someone stronger and more rigid, allow
them a momentary victory. Seem to bow to their superiority. Then, by
being formless, slowly insinuate yourself.
- The
need for formlessness becomes greater as we age, as we become more likely
to become set in our ways and assume too rigid a form. As you get
older, you must rely even less on the past.
- Remember:
Formlessness is a tool. Never confuse it with a go-with-the-flow style, or
with a religious resignation to the twists of fortune. You use
formlessness, not because it creates inner harmony and peace, but because
it will increase your power.
- Finally,
learning to adapt to each new circumstance means seeing events through
your own eyes, and often ignoring the advice that people constantly peddle
your way. It means that ultimately you must throw out the laws that others
preach, and the books they write to tell you what to do, and the sage
advice of the elder.
- Note:
when you do finally engage an enemy, hit them with a powerful,
concentrated blow.