Concept
The 48 Laws of Power is a 1998 book by Robert Greene. The book shares thematic elements with Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince[1] and has been compared to Sun-Tzu's classic treatise The Art of War.
The Laws
- Law 1 Never Outshine the Master
- Law 2 Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies
- Law 3 Conceal your Intentions
- Law 4 Always Say Less than Necessary
- Law 5 So Much Depends on Reputation. Guard it with your Life
- Law 6 Court Attention at all Cost
- Law 7 Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit
- Law 8 Make other People come to you, use Bait if Necessary
- Law 9 Win through your Actions, Never through Argument
- Law 10 Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky
- Law 11 Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
- Law 12 Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim
- Law 13 When Asking for Help, Appeal to People's Self-Interest, Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
- Law 14 Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
- Law 15 Crush your Enemy Totally
- Law 16 Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor
- Law 17 Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability
- Law 18 Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself. Isolation is Dangerous
- Law 19 Know Who You're Dealing with. Do Not Offend the Wrong Person
- Law 20 Do Not Commit to Anyone
- Law 21 Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker. Seem Dumber than your Mark
- Law 22 Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power
- Law 23 Concentrate Your Forces
- Law 24 Play the Perfect Courtier
- Law 25 Re-Create Yourself
- Law 26 Keep Your Hands Clean
- Law 27 Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following
- Law 28 Enter Action with Boldness
- Law 29 Plan All the Way to the End
- Law 30 Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless
- Law 31 Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal
- Law 32 Play to People's Fantasies
- Law 33 Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew
- Law 34 Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one
- Law 35 Master the Art of Timing
- Law 36 Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge
- Law 37 Create Compelling Spectacles
- Law 38 Think as you like but Behave like others
- Law 39 Stir up Waters to Catch Fish
- Law 40 Despise the Free Lunch
- Law 41 Avoid Stepping into a Great Man's Shoes
- Law 42 Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter
- Law 43 Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others
- Law 44 Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect
- Law 45 Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once
- Law 46 Never appear Perfect
- Law 47 Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop
- Law 48 Assume Formlessness