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! 

1. Never outshine the master 
2. Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies 
3. Conceal your intentions 
4. Always say less than necessary 
5. So much depends on reputation –guard it with your life 
6. Court attention at all cost 
7. Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit
8. Make other people come to you –use bait if necessary 
9. Win through your actions, never through argument
10. Infection –avoid the unhappy and unlucky 
11. Learn to keep people dependent on you 
12. Use selective honesty and generosity  to disarm your victim 
13. When asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude 
14. Pose as a friend, work as a spy 
15. Crush your enemy totally 
16. Use absence to increase respect and honor 
17. Keep others in suspended terror: Cultivate an air of unpredictability 
18. Do not build fortresses to protect yourself –isolation is dangerous 
19. Know who you’re dealing with –do not offend the wrong person 
20. Do not commit to anyone 
21. Play a sucker to catch a sucker –seem dumber than your mark 
22. Use the surrender tactic: Transform weakness into power 
23. Concertante your forces 
24. Play the perfect courtier 
25. Re-create yourself 
26. Keep your hands clean 
27. Play on people’s need to believe to create a cultlike following 
28. Enter action with boldness
29. Plan all the way to the end 
30. Make your accomplishments seem effortless 
31. Control the options: Get others to play with the cards you deal 
32. Play to people’s fantasies 
33. Discover each man’s thumbscrew 
34. Be royal in your own fashion: Act like a king to be treated like one 
35. Master the art of timing
36. Disdain things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best revenge 
37. Create compelling spectacles 
38. Think as you like but behave like others 
39. Stir up waters to catch fish
40. Despise the free lunch
41. Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes
42. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter 
43. Work on the hearts and minds of others
44. Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect
45. Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once 
46. Never appear too perfect
47. Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop 
48. Assume formlessness