I know, I’m sorry that this book looks like it has been through a lot; that’s because it has. Wherever I go, it goes. Ever since I can remember I’ve enjoyed reading (maybe not so much in high school) but books that interest me keep me entertained. During my college career I read a lot of books because of the classes I had taken but when I graduated, I realized why stop now? When I’m on the train in the morning sometimes I see kids playing on their parents iPhone’s or iPads. One day, a little boy (no older than 6 years old) sat down next to me, while his dad was in front of him, and he was reading a book. That made my heart smile. It’s important to keep children’s minds stimulated so they will continue reading throughout their lives.
If you haven’t read this book, please go to Amazon or your local bookstore to get it. Lately, I’ve been coming across some really great books and this definitely wasn’t a disappointment. “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene really takes into perspective a number of “laws” you should follow in order to be powerful. Before reading the entire book, I skimmed each law. A few, I didn’t agree with at all. Once I read the book, I was able to get a better understanding of what each law meant. Throughout the chapters, Robert Greene includes observations from different centuries, giving each reader a broader sense as to why eahc law is essential in order to be powerful. Before each chapter ends, a reverse observation is giving, explaining why in some cases it may be best to do the opposite of what the law is saying. I can see how the book helped me think about things differently and look at things from a greater perspective. Below, I will list every law but I still want you to actually go read the book!
- Never outshine the master
- Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies
- Conceal your intentions
- Always say less than necessary
- So much depends on reputation –guard it with your life
- Court attention at all cost
- Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit
- Make other people come to you –use bait if necessary
- Win through your actions, never through argument
- Infection –avoid the unhappy and unlucky
- Learn to keep people dependent on you
- Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim
- When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude
- Pose as a friend, work as a spy
- Crush your enemy totally
- Use absence to increase respect and honor
- Keep others in suspended terror: Cultivate an air of unpredictability
- Do not build fortresses to protect yourself –isolation is dangerous
- Know who you’re dealing with –do not offend the wrong person
- Do not commit to anyone
- Play a sucker to catch a sucker –seem dumber than your mark
- Use the surrender tactic: Transform weakness into power
- Concertante your forces
- Play the perfect courtier
- Re-create yourself
- Keep your hands clean
- Play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following
- Enter action with boldness
- Plan all the way to the end
- Make your accomplishments seem effortless
- Control the options: Get others to play with the cards you deal
- Play to people’s fantasies
- Discover each man’s thumbscrew
- Be royal in your own fashion: Act like a king to be treated like one
- Master the art of timing
- Disdain things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best revenge
- Create compelling spectacles
- Think as you like but behave like others
- Stir up waters to catch fish
- Despise the free lunch
- Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes
- Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter
- Work on the hearts and minds of others
- Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect
- Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once
- Never appear too perfect
- Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop
- Assume formlessness
