The 48 Laws of Power | Robert Greene | Survive and Thrive In a Competitve World

The 48 Laws of Power | Robert Greene | Should be required high school reading

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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 508 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Survive and Thrive In a Competitve World

I picked this book up for $1, proof that there is no correlation between cost and value.

This would be the book that Machievelli would have written, had he courted the Aristocracy of his times, rather than attempting to ingratiate the Prince.

The author gives a hint to his motivations for this composition when he states in his acknowledgments:

"Finally, to those people in my life who have so skillfully used the game of power to manipulate, torture and cause me pain over the years, I bear you no grudges and I thank you for supplying me with the inspiration for the 48 Laws of Power."

This book is cathartic. But before diving deeper, a reader should be prepared to entertain the following ideas:

1. A Human being is no more than a sophisticated animal with self-interest as the primary motivator
2. Everyone wants more power, not less
3. Be true to yourself first and foremost, don't be a sucker
4. Power is a game and the better you play, the better your life will be
5. Power is essentially amoral and one of the most important skills to acquire is the ability to see circumstances rather than good or evil
6. To triumph, it is necessary alternate between being both cunning and formless
7. Beyond linear dualities of good and evil, there is a third dimension, the strategists' mind
8. The indirect path, that of influence is more effective and the use of it is an art

If you can live with the above, the 48 laws of power serves as a handbook on the arts of indirection.

This book argues that by mastering ones emotions, understanding the people involved and the fundamental dynamics of interrelationships within society determine the extent of ones accomplishments. Power is ultimately an artificial construct, given legitimacy by the people who participate in the game.

We need power to survive in a competitive world that is constantly seeking to recruit us into the ambitions of others. We can drain our lives in the fulfillment of others, or best use our given life, energy and talents at our own discretion. Implicit to this design is the belief that society defaults a role to you, whether or not that role reflects your beliefs and understanding about yourself. A choice then has to be made on your part to accept such a role or to resist whether in an active or passive way. In the latter sense, one will turn upon themselves. It is better then to assert some degree of control by exercising influence and demonstrating an identity that is consistent with the person whom we feel ourselves to be, in other words, to actualize ones' self. Although this end state transcends any particular identification, characterization or ego, the path to it requires a struggle and this book is about the methods and devices used by successful participants. The good news is, the struggle can be worthwhile, rewarding and the unexpected consequences enlightening.

The perfect archetypical master of the laws of power is the Courtier, who possesses more than anything, a talent to influence. Cognizant of how he is perceived at all times in a socially competitive world, the Courtier is ever vigilant to monitor his own effect, ever mindful of the elusiveness of power. I believe that this is what the author means by the Courtiers mirror.

The core realization is that more than anything, human beings are the most social of animals, so it goes without saying that the most socially adapted animal attains the best that life has to offer. Human beings also possess Consciousness to such a heightened degree, that they can deliberately break and follow a path in defiance to their instincts and conditioned or learned behaviors, unlike animals.

In a paradoxical way, learning to play the game of power teaches virtues of mindfulness, patience and mastering ones ego. In this sense, the book permits another legitimate path to the completion of ones life without blindly accepting a given religion.

Well written, argued and referenced, it is abundantly clear how the author reaches his conclusions. It is highly accessible and well digested for the reader. There is a great deal of truth to the idea that a book serves as a mirror for the reader and I am hard pressed to argue against the wisdom contained in this manual. There is great peace of mind to be had from accepting fundamental truths.

Some would read this book and walk away with the impression that this is a "how to" on manipulation. Beware of such people, as their delusions make them a danger to themselves and anyone who places trust in them. You need not become a con artist to derive benefit from what is contained here. The laws of cause and effect and the aphorism of "Know thyself" are embedded as living proof, ignore them to your peril.

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Should be required high school reading

This book is a comprehensive guide to interpersonal relations. There isn't anything available that will more completely prepare young people for the adult world. it's a cold cruel world and forewarned is forearmed.

most parents want to shield their precious from the dark side. do your children a big favor and recommend this so they're prepared.

AMAZING!!!!!!

Very Powerful Book!!! if your not open-minded, part of a religious group that doesn't allow you to think INDEPENDETLY. DON'T TOUCH THIS BOOK! the content in it is Rated R, when put into practice. once you start reading it, the book becomes a dangerous family member!! beware!!

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Great

its a great read
sent in excellent condition
and arrived very quickly

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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