The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

you show yourself to the world and display your talents, you naturally stir all kinds of
resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity... you cannot spend your life worrying
about the petty feelings of others”

“LAW 4
Always Say Less Than Necessary

When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you
appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if
you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinx like. Powerful people impress and intimidate by
saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect
your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit
through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one
honors the timid.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent”
― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it,
hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“LAW 46
Never Appear Too Perfect

Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have
no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects,
and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable.
Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“LAW 25
Re-Create Yourself

Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity,
one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image
rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures
and actions – your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Never assume that the person you are dealing with is weaker or less important than you are.
Some people are slow to take offense, which may make you misjudge the thickness of their skin,
and fail to worry about insulting them. But should you offend their honor and their pride, they
will overwhelm you with a violence that seems sudden and extreme given their slowness to
anger. If you want to turn people down, it is best to do so politely and respectfully, even if you
feel their request is impudent or their offer ridiculous.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Many a serious thinker has been produced in prisons, where we have nothing to do but think.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“LAW 38
Think As You Like But Behave Like Others

If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and
unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon
them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in
and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those who
are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“...But the human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its
cage, and if it is not tamed, it will tun wild and cause you grief.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“There is nothing more intoxicating than victory, and nothing more dangerous.
”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a
price to pay.”
― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Be wary of friends—they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy.
They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal
than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than
from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Few are born bold. Even Napoleon had to cultivate the habit on the battlefield, where he knew it
was a matter of life and death. In social settings he was awkward and timid, but he overcame this
and practice boldness in every part of his life because he saw its tremendous power, how it could
literally enlarge a man(even one who, like Napoleon, was in fact conspicuously small).

”
― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“For the future, the motto is, "No days unalert.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Despise The Free Lunch”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“A Prince asked the dying Spanish statesman, "Does your Excellency forgive all your enemies?"
"I do not have to forgive all my enemies," answered the statesman, "I have had them all shot.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

Like
“To succeed in the game of power, you have to master your emotions. But even if you succeed in
gaining such self-control, you can never control the temperamental dispositions of those around
you. And this presents a great danger.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of
respect.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“Remember: The best deceivers do everything they can to cloak their roguish qualities. They
cultivate an air of honesty in one area to disguise their dishonesty in others. Honesty is merely
another decoy in their arsenal of weapons.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“You choose to let things bother you. You can just as easily choose not to notice the irritating
offender, to consider the matter trivial and unworthy of your interest. That is the powerful move.
What you do not react to cannot drag you down in a futile engagement. Your pride is not
involved. The best lesson you can teach an irritating gnat is to consign it to oblivion by ignoring
it.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“A heckler once interrupted Nikita Khrushchev in the middle of a speech in which he was
denouncing the crimes of Stalin. “You were a colleague of Stalin’s,” the heckler yelled, “why
didn’t you stop him then?” Khrushchev apparently could not see the heckler and barked out,
“Who said that?” No hand went up. No one moved a muscle. After a few seconds of tense
silence, Khrushchev finally said in a quiet voice, “Now you know why I didn’t stop him.”
Instead of just arguing that anyone facing Stalin was afraid, knowing that the slightest sign of
rebellion would mean certain death, he had made them feel what it was like to face Stalin—had
made them feel the paranoia, the fear of speaking up, the terror of confronting the leader, in this
case Khrushchev. The demonstration was visceral and no more argument was necessary.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“friendship and love blind every man to their interests.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“The human tongue is a beast that few can master.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power

“The key to power, then, is the ability to judge who is best able to further your interests in all
situations. Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent.”

― Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power