The 48 Laws of Power | Robert Greene | Attorney in a large law firm

The 48 Laws of Power | Robert Greene | Closer to The Form of Power

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The 48 Laws of Power

	The 48 Laws of Power Robert Greene Penguin (Non-Classics), 2000 - 452 pages average customer review:based on 509 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Attorney in a large law firm

I am an attorney in a large law firm in a large metropolitan area. I bought the book in 1999 and have returned to it often. I was very skeptical of its ideas at first. However, as my career has progressed, I have witnessed that ALL of the 'laws' contained in the book are practiced regularly by my superiors and peers. Does that mean that they are all reading and using the book? No. It just means that Greene has keenly distilled human nature as it relates to the practice of 'power.' I can't say that I've used the book in a proactive way. But I have used the book with great effect in a DEFENSIVE way. Familiarity with the laws have given me a 'third eye' with which to blunt and repel ill-actions in the workplace. That in itself is a GREAT reason to own and read and consult this book. And it is also a moral reason to do so. Power is power. It is practiced at all levels of society. It is human nature. Decry the methods, if you will--but ignore the reality of their existence at your peril. Get the book. Read it. Then use it as a shield in your climb up the ladder.

Also recommended: Thick Face, Black Heart, by Chin Ning Chu

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Closer to The Form of Power

Just what is power? I believe that through the amoral approach demonstrated in the 48 Laws of Power, Greene has gotten much closer to this answer and at the same time, gotten around many of the issues that plague discussions of power. This does not mean that ethics is not important when handling power, but rather, that power is morally neutral and is a tool that one can utilize within their own ethical systems. Everybody from the subjectivist to the altruistic individual can make use of power as it is defined in this text.

While some may become disgusted at the ammorality and the examples that often show a "low brow" use of power, this does not take away from the value of this book, and in fact probably adds to it by showing how power can be used to harm others; someone could probably even apply Law 7 (which in part refers to using the wisdom of others) in order to create examples that show positive uses of power.

Overall, I would recommend this book for anybody, but especially those studying Leadership and/or Politics.

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An Absolute Masterpiece!! the"worldly"persons' Bible!!

This everyday guide to survival instantly became my hands-down favorite book of all time!! Pushing"The Unseen Hand"out of the top spot(that it held for over five years)as my prime reading delicacy!!I've personally used(to great effect)a few of these laws,on my former job(which greatly resembled the courtier conditions oft-discussed in this book!! "Never Outshine the Master"was THE most important Law to implement in the Fire Station!!Law 2(Never put too much trust in Friends,Learn how to use Enemies)is one of my favorite Laws as well as one of the truest.The little passages written in red on the fringes of the pages are great!!The passage about about picking up a bee out of kindness,and the LIMITATIONS of kindness,presents a priceless lesson,to those with a decent amount of understanding,and the African folktale of"The Snake The Farmer and The Heron"rings so very true to me when I consider the MULTITUDE of favors,I did(when I was able)for the very same leeching"friends"who wont lift a finger,to assist me in MY need!!The utter TRUTH of this following passage was permanently"burned"into my memory from the second that I read it:"When you see water flowing UPHILL,someone is repaying a kindness!!"My absolute favorite quote of this(fantastic)book is contained in Law 14"Pose as a friend Work as a spy"this quote involves the famous French politician Talleyrand and his ingenious tactics of duping a person into saying/revealing things about themselves that they would've preferred to remain hidden..Talleyrand had a stupendous method that he employed at political gatherings of"blurting out"FABRICATED"secret"information so he could discern just who may've been planning to do what,by scrutinizing the reaction/facial expression of each individual in attendance,thus identifying who seemed to have a vested interest in whatever contrived"secret"that he let"slip out"..To which Baron von Stetten cleverly stated:"Monsieur Talleyrand fires a pistol into the air to see who will jump out the window!!" Starting today,I am going to begin employing Talleyrands stupendous method on my(dim-witted/treacherous) acquaintances to uncover which particular"snake"is scheming what,as far as MY livelyhood is concerned!! As a frequent target of envy and jealousy,Law 46:("Never Appear Too Perfect")is the most interesting chapter,as far as my life experiences go...This chapter contains a lot of PROFOUND snippets concerning the bane of my very existence:ENVY envy is(profoundly)defined by one philosopher as:"unhappy ADMIRATION" and this great quote:"Envy is the"tax"which all(people of)distinction must pay" "Envy creates"SILENT"enemies" "Of all the disorders of the soul,envy is the ONLY one no one CONFESSES to" "Lord protect me from my(envious)friends,I can handle my enemies"and this accurate and revealing view on envy:"The envious man dies not only once,but as many times as the person he envies lives to hear the voice of praise..The eternity of the envied mans fame is the measure of the envious mans punishment!" "Thus,the jealous man is sentenced to be choked to death,on his own envy!!" I can now clearly see,where I transgressed Law 46 resulting in rancorous feelings towards me,from friends,older brothers etc..Had this book been written a couple of decades earlier,I might've been spared a lot of ill-will from those who I(foolishly)believed had my best interest in mind!! (The Bible even recognizes the power and wickedness of envy!! Proverbs chapter 27 verse 4 reads:"Wrath is cruel,anger is outrageous,but WHO is able to stand before envy?!?"and Proverbs chapter 14 verse 30 further elaborates on the seriousness of this mental"cancer"that is eating away the peace of far too many people:"A sound heart is the life of the flesh,but envy,the rottenness of the bones...Song Of Solomon chapter 8 verse 6 declares:"jealousy is cruel as the GRAVE" Acts chapter 7 verse 9 gives a chilling example of how INSIDIOUS jealousy will cause you to become:"And the patriarchs,moved with envy,SOLD Joseph into Egypt ) This book even goes as far as to give advice on how to deal with envy:"Once envy reveals itself for what it is,the ONLY solution is often to flee the presence of the(hopelessly incurable)enviers,leaving them to stew in a hell of their own creation!!Also outlined are:indicators/disguises of envy which include:those who laud you with excessive praise{CHECK}hypercritical people{CHECK}and those who SLANDER you publically.{DOUBLE CHECK}Now all my enviers are laid bare and exposed before me!!(Whereas before I studied Law 46,one(self-righteous)envier had me thinking that I was to blame for the animosity that HE held for me ever since I was in the 3rd grade(or probably much sooner!!) This book also advises to avoid dropping to the jealous mans'level by getting involved in mutual"mudslinging"or of taking their"character assasination" attempts to heart,noting that the BEST revenge is by simply IGNORING their measly/petty presence!!This is a WONDERFUL book,that can help(intelligent)individuals through this("cut-throat")world we currently live in!!EVERYBODY,should own a copy of this book..Even if a(corpulent)jealous-hearted sibling steals it from you,do like I did,and purchase another one!!

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A must read !

One of those those "Infamous" books.Robert Greene has challenged the world
with this.The so called good people may pretend they dont like it.

But this is a must read for everyone in these modern days to get things done and to protect themselves from getting cheated.

The timespan this book scans and the works the author has gone through are unbelievable.From Arthashatra to bible , from B.C to A.C ......

If you dont have time to read this big volume ,at least DO read the concise edition of the same .

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, page 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

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