Favourite Quotes

“Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.” - p. xvii, Niccolo Machiavelli

“Pick up a bee from kindness and learn the limitations of kindness” - p. 12, Sufi Proverb¹

“Learn to use the knowledge of the past and you will look like a genius, even when you are really just a clever borrower” - p. 60

“Never associate with those who share your defects - they will reinforce everything that holds you back.” - p. 81

“Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax” - p. 180, Arthur Schopenhauer²

“Folly consists not in committing folly, but in being incapable of concealing it. All men make mistakes, but the wise conceal the blunders they have made, while fools make them public” - p. 205, Baltasar Gracian³

“Actions are dangerous when there is doubt as to their wisdom; it would be safer to do nothing.” -p. 230, Baltasar Gracian⁴

“A reasonable man in love may act like a madman, but he should not and cannot act like an idiot.” p. 234, Ninon De Lenclos⁵

“Never begin anything until you have reflected what will be the end of it.” - p. 238, advice from a Sufi to a King⁶

“All men are idolaters, some of fame, others of self-interest, most of pleasure… Knowing any man’s mainspring of motive you have as it were the key to his will” p. 281⁷

“How you carry yourself reflects what you think of yourself.” p. 286

“To build your power’s foundation can take years; make sure that foundation is secure… success that is built up slowly and surely is the only kind that lasts.” p. 297

“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. This is the powerful move.” p. 302

“Thought is free; it cannot and should not be coerced; retire into the sanctuary of your silence and if you sometimes allow yourself to break it, do so under the aegis of a discreet few.” p. 318, Baltasar Gracian⁸

“We all tell lies and hide our true feelings, for complete free expression is a social impossibility.” p. 321

Summary

Preface

“Instead of struggling against the inevitable, instead of arguing and whining and feeling guilty, it is far better to excel at power. In fact, the better you are at dealing with power, the better friend, lover, husband, wife, and person you become.” p. xix
“If the game of power is inescapable, better to be an artist than a denier or a bungler” - p. xix

Law 1: Never Outshine the Master

do what you can to make your superiors feel superior
you should never worry about the petty feelings of others, EXCEPT when they are your superior
it is not a weakness to disguise your strength, as long as it benefits you eventually
by outshining those above you, you become a victim of their insecurity. They may turn against you. In today’s context, that could mean your boss firing you for example.

Law 2: Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How To Use Enemies

Friends are often more likely to betray you
Voltaire said “Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies”
Sometimes, acts of kindness or magnanimity can turn your enemy into your closest friend and confidante
Why is this the case? Because friends want more and more favors from you and are filled with jealousy. While enemies expect nothing but got everything (your act of kindness or generosity).
- an enemy who was expecting execution but is spared will dedicate his life to his savior
you can destroy your enemies by making them into friends as Lincoln said
You should always have some enemies, they keep you sharp and ready. It’s better to have known enemies than your enemies hiding in the shadows.
you must be careful you give your kindness to. Not everyone will repay it back or appreciate it. It might even backfire!

“Pick up a bee from kindness and learn the limitations of kindness” - p. 12, Sufi Proverb

Often times enemies can teach you more about yourself than friends, because friends are already too familiar with you.

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions

express your intentions loudly, just not your true intentions. This will allow you to progress with your true intentions
you want to remain as unreadable as possible.

Law 4: Always Say Less Than Necessary

this is part of [[Effective Communication#communication-as-a-tool-for-power-3|Communication as a Tool for Power $3$ ]]

Law 5: So Much Depends On Reputation - Guard It With Your Life

to gain power you must defend your own reputation and destroy the reputation of others
if you have no reputation, the best way to defeat your enemy is to sow doubt in their reputation, but if you already have an established reputation, like jabs and mockery of your enemy can be enough to destroy their reputation
your reputation often times stands on its own. If strong enough, your reputation can ‘win battles’ on your behalf
don’t attack other people’s reputation too harshly. This will reflect badly on you

Law 6: Court Attention At All Costs

2 methods:
- garner as much attention as you can by being sensational or controversial
- create an air of mystery around you
don’t blend in with the masses. Make yourself stand out. Make yourself a magnet of attention

“what is not seen is as though it did not exist” - p. 49, Baltasar Gracian

it’s better to be slandered and attacked than ignored
people feel superior to the person whose action they can predict. I.e. remain unpredictable. This will garner you attention.
why is mystery so intriguing to people? Read more Becoming Mysterious
never appear overly eager for attention, this makes you seem needy and insecure. Insecurity drives power away
There are times when being the center of attention is NOT smart, such as in the presence of a King or Queen

Law 7: Get Others To Do The Work For You, But Always Take The Credit

your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered
never do yourself what others can do for you
if you want to do it all yourself, you will never get far
Nikola Tesla is little known in history because of this, he wanted to do everything himself
another technique is to borrow from the past. Take inspiration from the works of the giants who came before us

Law 8: Make Other People Come To You - Use Bait If Necessary

In a battle between 2 armies, often times the army that goes to their opponent is in the disadvantageous position. Not only is he now in unknown territory, he has also wasted the energy of his army. The other army has the upper hand because now they control the sequence of events.
the more powerful you grow, the more enemies you gain. The can mean the more directions you might be pulled to. This can be detrimental to your power because you are no longer in control. You are simply reacting to your enemies’ moves
aggressive action does NOT equal effective action. Effective action = directing the events that impact you, not simply reacting to them
Central theme is Control and Power
in order to effectively direct the events, you must learn to control your emotions. Only those with emotional impulse will react to events.
directing the events and NOT reacting to them can also conserve your energy. Laying bait for your enemy will drain their energy.
On other hand, it’s possible to apply this law on the offensive. You can make a quick attack that forces your opponent to react quickly and poorly
- this works if your opponent is weaker and you are short on time. Otherwise, let them come to you if they are strong and you have time to kill

Law 9: Win Through Your Action, Never Through Argument

demonstrate (through your actions) rather than explicate (through your words)
in a situation where both parties think they’re right, your arguments will not help you at all. This is especially the case if you’re dealing with a superior, never argue with them
the power of winning through actions is that no one is offended and your point is proven
- arguing with a superior may offend them, and they can take their anger out on you. But if you prove it to them via action, they generally will not be offended cause they don’t sense hostility from you
as they say, “action speak louder than words”
the problem with words is they are open to misinterpretation and subjectivity. Actions do not have these constraints

“The truth is generally seen, rarely heard” - Baltasar, Gracian, p. 72

Via words, you can easily insult someone when arguing, the same is not true for action.

Law 10: Infection: Avoid The Unhappy And Unlucky

Central theme is Helping Others

Law 11: learn To Keep People Dependent On You

being replaceable is dangerous. You can be disposed of. No one needs you.
In order to be powerful, you make others dependent on you. You must make yourself irreplaceable. Make people need you.

“Necessity rules the world” - p. 85

This law is widely prevalent in the empires of the past
- just think about all the Sultans, Kings, Emperors, Princes, etc, who were simply puppets being pulled by their right-hand man, who held the true power
- the reason for this is because these right-hand men became necessary for their kings. Their kings relied on them heavily.

Law 12: Use Selective Honesty And Generosity To Disarm Your Victim

one obvious honest move can reverse a dozen dishonest ones.
One obvious honest move can disarm even the most suspicious of enemies.
this law is most effective against the “Capones” of the world, i.e. those surrounded by dishonesty due to the nature of their work or other reasons
- the last thing they would expect is someone to be honest to them, so it goes a long way
it’s wise to implement this law when you first meet someone - first impressions mean everything
the best thing you can do is create a reputation for honesty, then your targeted deceptions would be a lot more effective
besides using honesty to disarm your victim, you can use generosity such as gift gifting
even the biggest enemy will accept gifts from you
this is what the ancient Greek implemented: the Trojan Horse was a gift to the city of Troy. Little did they know, it was a deception with soldiers hiding inside. Troy fell rapidly.

Law 13: When Asking For Help, Appeal To People’s Self-Interest, Never To Their Mercy Or Gratitude

this even applies to your applies that you’ve helped in the past: don’t rely on that past help you’ve given to get what you want, rather appeal to something mutually beneficial
don’t appeal to the past, think about the future.
when appealing to people more powerful than you, ALWAYS appeal to their self-interest. Don’t expect them to help you just because they are kind people.
people naturally have many differences amongst each other, which means you must find common ground: a shared interest

Law 14: Pose As A Friend, Work As A Spy

knowledge is power. And one way to gain knowledge no one else has is via spying.
when interacting with people that you need an edge over, try to probe them. Ask them questions. Act as a ‘spy’. Gain information about them
- this is how you can find out their intentions, motives, goals, etc
spying can also come in the form of tempting or testing
- you can test people’s loyalty, they honesty, etc
since information is power, false information is also power, but only when you control it. Giving people false information may lead to you gaining an advantage.

“While spying gives you a third eye, disinformation puts out one of your enemy’s eyes. A cyclops, he always misses his target.” -p. 106

Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally

only half-defeating your enemy will cause him wanting revenge in the future
your enemies want nothing good for you. They want to defeat you. So if you show mercy or weakness, they will use that as an opportunity to utterly destroy you. You must defeat them first
a defeated enemy who has been shown mercy will obviously appear grateful and subservient to you, but don’t get it twisted, they are plotting their revenge
this law comes in handy for negotiations: if you defeat your enemy, you have all the bargaining chips on your side. They have no leverage over you.
when should you avoid this law? If your enemy is already on the path of destroying themselves

Law 16: Use Absence To Increase Respect And Honor

create value through scarcity; the more you are seen and heard, the more common you appear. The less you appear, the more respect and honor you will garner
a strong presence will draw power and attention to you, which is a good thing of course. But eventually a point will be hit where the opposite effect starts happening: because you’re so present all the time, you become a ‘habit’ and your value degrades. People respect you less and less.

“If I am often seen at the theater, people will cease to notice me.” - p. 120, Napoleon

this law can be applied in the realm of economics: make a product scarce and people will want it more. Or make your own skills rare and hard to find so the value increases
the sun is a good analogy: the longer is rains the more we want the sun. But if the sun is just too overwhelming, we want it gone
this law reminds me of Khabib: he left at the height of his career. His honor and respect skyrocketed AFTER retirement. He now has a ‘legendary’ aura and legacy.
this law only applies if you already have a certain level of power.
- example: Khabib was already known to be a GOAT while he was fighting

Law 17: Keep Others In Suspended Terror: Cultivate An Air Of Unpredictability

humans can control the predictable. They like people who are predictable because they can control them. So if you’re unpredictable, you will keep people off-balance.
when facing a familiar enemy, you must know that they will try to defeat you based on what they know about you already, i.e. they’ll plan for your predictable moves and actions. Therefore being unpredictable gives you a large advantage.
to be unpredictable, sometimes this means you’ll purposefully have to make the ‘bad’ or ‘weak’ moves, but this is acceptable in this circumstance.
this law can be effectively performed by both the ‘master’ and the ‘slave’ i.e. whether you have the power/upper-hand or not, you can use this tactic
people are always trying to assess your motives. By being unpredictable, they cannot assess you properly

Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses To Protect Yourself - Isolation Is Dangerous

you may garner more attention than you want if you hide in a fortress
making allies and friends is a much better tactic
creating a network will grow your power. The more friends you have, the more allies you have against the enemies
the very essence of power is a relationship between people, therefore if you’re isolating yourself it only makes sense that your power will decrease

Law 19: Know Who You’re Dealing With - Do Not Offend The Wrong Person

choose your victims and opponents carefully
the types of people you may deal with:
- the arrogant and proud man: any perceived slight will cause him to exact intense revenge
- the insecure man: similar to the above, but his revenge is less intense. He will ‘nibble’ you to death
- Mr. Suspicion: he sees what he wants. Thinks everyone is after him. You can play on his suspicion to make him turn against others, but be careful not to make him turn on you
- Serpent with long memory: this man will not show anger when slighted, but rather carefully plan out a revenge plan.
- Plain, unassuming, unintelligent man: this man is a nuisance more than a threat. He may waste your time.
even if you want to turn down someone’s offer, do it politely. You do not know who you’re dealing with
you never know who will be in a position of power in the future. Therefore don’t cross anyone.

‘The ability to measure people and to know who you’re dealing with is the most important skill of all in gathering and conserving power.’ p. 143

Law 20: Do Not Commit To Anyone

don’t commit to any side or cause, except your own. Remain independent.
if you pick a side, you allow people to feel like they control you, therefore you’ll lose power
make them chase you, they want you on their side. This will bring more power to you.
The Virgin Queen: give them hope, but never satisfaction
power depends greatly on your appearance. Refusing to commit to a particular side/person will enhance your image because you make yourself ungraspable
people value independence. So if you’re an independent person, you will naturally garner respect from others therefore increasing your power
- also the more independent you are, the more people will desire you. As they say: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder”
- the more people desire you, the more other people will also start desiring you
you do NOT want to turn people off though, keep them on the hook, keep them entertained. You want them to think that they can eventually win you over. This is the persona of The Virgin Queen
when both sides want you, you have the image of a person with great influence and power
by remaining in the middle, you can play the role of the mediator, a role greatly respected

‘The weak benefit by the quarrels of the mighty’ - p. 151 This is a perfect time to play the middle ground. Two really strong sides can go after each other. You have no idea who’ll win. So don’t take either and instead make your move after they both tear each other apart

another benefit to remaining independent is you can manipulate both sides to do your bidding.
you must be careful with this law: you cannot remain TOO independent for people will start to distrust you. Remember, you want to play the Virgin Queen.

Law 21: Play A Sucker To Catch A Sucker - Seem Dumber Than Your Mark

by making your enemy/victim feel smarter than you, they would never suspect your ulterior motives
this tactic works especially good when you are in the inferior position

Law 22: Use The Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness Into Power

fighting for the sake of your honor is never a good idea. If you’re about to lose, just surrender
this is the principle of ‘turn the other cheek’
if someone is aggressive towards you, don’t react with aggression, rather turn the other cheek and surrender. This will catch them off guard. They would think they’ve defeated you but in reality you control the situation.
the essence of the surrender tactic is that inwardly you stay firm, but outwardly you bend

Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces

don’t spread yourself too thin; entire empires have fallen due to overextending
if you find a mine, dig it until it’s dry, don’t just go after mine after mine
choose one super fat cow over many smaller cows
this applies to allies too; it’s better to have a few strong allies than a bunch of allies who you aren’t close with
at the same time, don’t take this law to the extreme. If you have all your eggs in one basket, and that basket falls, you’re basically screwed

Law 24: Play The Perfect Courtier

this law goes over some of the ‘best practices’ of being a courtier
modesty: don’t talk about your achievements too much. People can backstab you
be nonchalant: make your tasks seem easy. Make people marvel at how easy it was for you, even if it was actually difficult
don’t over-flatter your superiors: it loses its value over time
be noticed: as said above, be modest, but don’t be too modest where you become invisible
know your audience: you cannot speak the same way to everyone.
Never bear bad news: try to make someone else bring the bad news to your boss. You don’t want to become known as the ‘bad news guy’
don’t be friends with your master: never become too friendly with your boss. If he wants to become friends, let him start it
never criticize your master: if you must advise your boss on something, do it as politely as possible. Don’t make it seem like criticism. This requires Effective Communication
don’t ask your master for favors: try to earn your favors instead. Let your boss bestow them upon you.
never joke about appearance or taste: these two things are very sensitive and people take them seriously. Don’t joke about them, especially with your boss
express admiration: don’t put others down, rather give people props when its deserved.
be self-observant: relying on others to correct you is not reliable. Be your own mentor and teacher.
master your emotions: you must be able to fake your emotions when needed. It may be lying, but in some instances it’s absolutely critical
try to fit in with the times: don’t live in the past, people will think you’re a joke. Don’t be too forward thinking, people won’t understand you
be a source of pleasure: people are naturally attracted to pleasure, so if you can provide that pleasure for others, people will flock to you in droves.

Law 25: Re-Create Yourself

don’t let others decide your image and identity. Make your own.
Julius Caesar was a master at this; his image was everything, and he created it all on his own. His people and soldiers loved and admired him. His enemies feared him.
the world wants to assign you a role in life, and the minute you accept it you are doomed. You must create your own role.

Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean

two parts to this law:
- when you make mistakes, conceal them. Use a scapegoat.
- make someone else do your dirty work
the best example of letting someone do your dirty work is Cleopatra
- she gained total control over Egypt by out-maneuvering all her siblings. By allying with Julius Caesar, she strategically had them all killed all while keeping her name clean
- several years before she saw her older sister take power violently by publicly killing some of the other siblings. This caused many to turn against her. So Cleopatra knew not to make the same mistake
most items, in the second part (letting others do your dirty works) they come out unscathed. But when using them as a scapegoat, it can lead to bad consequences for them
you cannot take this to the extreme; eventually you’ll get caught

law 27: Play On People’s Need To Believe To Create A Cultlike Following

this law teaches you how to create your own cult
people are easily deceived, largely because humans naturally need to believe in something. Which is why cults are so successful.

Law 28: Enter Action With Boldness

never proceed with an action/decision when you’re uncertain because timidity is dangerous
even when you make a mistake, as long as you’re bold, increasing your audacity will mask the mistake
once people can sense the timidity or hesitation within you, they’ll pounce on you like a lion to its prey. People will take advantage of you
you are not born with boldness. You must develop the ability to be bold.
just remember, the consequences of an action driven by timidity will ALWAYS be WORSE than an action fueled by boldness
this law cannot be implemented in all circumstances nor should you over-use it. To perform actions only fueled by audacity and boldness will inevitably lead to some nasty outcomes. You may gain enemies, etc

Law 29: Plan All The Way To The End

make sure your plan includes every step and all possible obstacles, all the way through to the end
it’s never smart to improvise - ensure you have planned to the end
when you don’t have your end goal identified, you often will go too far to the point of collapse. It’s better to identify your end goal, reach that goal, then focus on strengthening your power. At that point you can create a new plan and end goal.
- This is what Prussian Premier Bismarck did. He created a plan to strengthen Prussia’s power over the German lands, but he set a limit for himself. When he reached that limit, the conquests and wars stopped and he shifted his focus to securing what he’s gained. Page 239 - 241 for full story
There’s a reason why seeing the future was a power often given to the gods. Because this ability was very useful. We should all strive to see as much as the future as we possibly can.
plan out all the possible outcomes of your plan and your end goal. It may be that you think there’s a happy ending, but think about all the possible negatives that can be produced from your plan
when you don’t have a plan, you tend to be controlled by your emotions (you’re reacting to what happens). So by having a concrete plan, you can force yourself to use less emotional thinking
keep in mind you must be able to adapt: since you are looking so far in the future in your plan, you must be able to change it based on the circumstance.

Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

avoid revealing how hard you work because it will only raise questions. Then people can learn your tricks and use them against you
the height of beauty is the sudden appearance of something naturally, almost accidentally graceful
this is why nature is so beautiful, because it creates beauty so effortlessly
you don’t want to expose your entire knowledge and skills, keep some of it secret.
this law is deeply ingrained in humans; since day 1 we would awe at the power of mother nature - the wind, stars, lightening, thunder, storms, etc. And to us it seemed so effortless
there are times when you may want to reveal some of your tricks, but don’t reveal it all. By revealing it all you’ll lose your power.

Law 31: Control the Options: Get Others To Play With The Cards You Deal

the best deception is where you give people a choice, but little do they know all the choices work out in your favor
the effectiveness of this law lies in the fact that humans desire freedom. Giving choices gives that feeling of freedom, even if it is swayed in your favor
by giving choices, the victim will take responsibility for whatever the outcome is of their choice. Because they feel that they made the choice out of their own free-will and you, the one who gave them the choices, didn’t force their hand
- this is very powerful because the last thing you want is to create more enemies
this law works best when you don’t have absolute power, or in an weaker position. For example, you can present some choices to your boss.

Law 32: Play To People’s Fantasies

life is harsh and depressing. So if you can tap into the fantasies of the masses, you’ll be able to wield great power
Reminds me of Alamut and Ibn Sabbah’s technique to convince the boys to do his bidding by playing to their fantasies. Obviously he used drugs too but he created a ‘heaven’ for them and used that to play to their fantasies
power can be gained by being a source of pleasure for those around you. Playing to people’s fantasies is how you can become that pleasurable person
fantasy cannot be implemented in a vacuum, you must have the backdrop of something depressing or oppressive
- the story given in the book is that of an Italian scam artist who could turn metals into gold. He only could trick the city of Venice because Venice was once the richest city in the world that lost most of its wealth and power at one point. So all the people naturally wanted to go back to the Venetian glory days. These are the types of people who are the best victims of this law
be careful when using this law. Going too far in your fantasy can lead people to find your lies and turn against you

Law 33: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew

a thumbscrew is a weakness. If you have an opponent, discover his thumbscrew
most people hide their weaknesses, so how do you figure it out?
- don’t just listen to their words, look at their actions, behaviors, habits, etc
- pretend to open up to them in conversation, often they will spill their own beans
- if you have a suspicion of what may rub a person the right way, play into that and see how they react
  - ex: if you know a man has a desire to be loved, give him some compliments and see how he reacts
- most people’s weaknesses stem from childhood. So the more you learn about their early years, the more you’ll figure out their weaknesses
- overt traits often mask the opposite. A shy person is dying for attention. A confident person is often a coward. An uptight person desires an adventure. Etc
- unhappy and insecure people are the easiest to figure out: they present their weaknesses openly. Try to fill the void in their life that is causing the unhappiness or insecurity

“Look to the opposites and never take appearances at face value.” p. 280

Law 34: Be Royal In Your Own Fashion: Act Like A King To Be Treated Like One

you must carry yourself appropriately if you want to command respect and power
specifically, you want to carry yourself like a king
- the idea behind this is to set yourself apart from other people
a king who doesn’t act like one will not be treated like one
- this is proven in the story of Louis-Philippe, a man chosen to be king of France in 1830 - p. 283
- he hated royal symbols and acted like a common person. Eventually he was ousted.
on the other hand, the story of Christopher Columbus expertly displays this law in action- p. 286
- he was a low-born man who knew nothing about sailing, nothing about the ocean, and nothing about leading a crew. Yet he did sailed to North American and made great discoveries.
- the only thing he had was the ability to charm the nobility, and it all came from the way he carried himself
reminds me of 1 Stand Up Straight with your Shoulders Back
the way you present yourself, i.e. your outward energy/radiance, will create an aura around you that others can see. This will infect the people around you who’ll think you must have a reason to be so confident.
this lies in the principle of self-belief. You believe in yourself so greatly that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
this is almost like an act of self-deception. But it works
the trick to ‘wearing the crown’ is to act differently. Louis-Philippe didn’t act different, he acted like a normal person, which led to his downfall. So the key here is to act differently.
- Best way to do this is to always act with dignity and firmness of purpose
dignity is so powerful because it shows the world NOTHING can effect you
strategies:
- make a bold demand and do not waver: the bolder the better. It shows your confidence and status. Even if you are rejected, the person rejecting you will still have respect for your confidence that will pay off later.
- go after the highest person in the room: by choosing a great opponent, it automatically gives you an aura of greatness
- give gifts to those above you: it makes it seem like you both are on equal footing
be careful not to let your confidence turn into arrogance or disdain

Law 35: Master The Art Of Timing

multiple principles or sub-laws here:
- never seem to be in a hurry: this exposes the lack of control over yourself and time
- always seem patient
- always analyze the times and trends that will bring you closer to power
- learn to yield when time is not yet ripe
- learn to strike swiftly when time has reached fruition
by patiently waiting for the right time, you are keeping your options open
you must always look at trends. Look at what is rising in popularity because that will be the mainstream in a few years. By hopping on the winning side a few years before it becomes ‘cool’, you will always be a winner
Plutarch gives a story on page 292 that show cases the advantage of patience over brute strength
- two men are tasked with pulling the hairs off a horse’s tail
- one man pulls on the tail as hard as he can with all his strength. He eventually gives up
- the other man pulls each strand of hair one by one until the tail is hair-less
another story from Lieh Tzu on page 294 show cases the advantage of timing
- one family sends their two sons to the court. One was a scholar the other a military strategist. The state made one a tutor and the other a general.
- Another family saw that and thought they should do the same with their two sons. Except this time the timing was wrong… the first scholarly son went to one kingdom but they rejected him because they were in a state of war and had no use for a scholar. They castrated him. The other brother went to another kingdom and showed off his military skills but they also rejected him because they were a weak kingdom and had no use for war, but rather for diplomacy. They also killed him cause they feared he would go to their enemy to provide his military services.
- this shows us that timing is a significant factor of power and success
time can be manipulated. When you’re reacting to an emotional event, time tends to move quicker. Therefore by controlling your emotions you can make time move slower. This also allows us to be more patient.
what happens when you rush yourself? You often make mistakes that may lead to delays in your end goal. So what benefit did that rushing bring you? None at all.
- Occasionally you may actually reach your destination faster by rushing, but you don’t want to risk making a mistake or running into a problem that will delay you
make people play on your terms and timing: give THEM a deadline.
- people don’t like deadlines, but it does make them rush. Rushing produces mistakes. Which is exactly why you want to given your opponents a deadline
you should have patience, but equally as important is to strike swiftly when time has reached fruition
there is never any advantage to letting go of control over time. You must always be in control.

Law 36: Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them Is The Best Revenge

the more attention you give an enemy, the stronger you make him
by acknowledging a small problem, you give it credibility
by trying to fix a small mistake, you may make it worse, so best to leave it alone
if you cannot have something, show disdain for it. It makes you seem more superior
the violation of this law is clearly shown in the US governments reaction to Pancho Villa, and Mexican raider who attacked New Mexico
- it was a small scale attack, simple an ‘annoyance’ for the US government
- US sent a 10k army to capture him in Mexico. After several weeks and a total of 100k soldiers, they couldn’t find him and retreated
- this was humiliating for the US government and people don’t even remember the reason why it started in the first place (Villa attacking US soil) but they do remember America’s humiliating defeat.
think about the long term impact of something that is bothering you. Will it ultimately hurt you in any way? If not, maybe the better option is to ignore it.
if someone insults, in some cases the best response is to ignore, not to fight back. You don’t want to give attention to those below you.
King Henry of England showed how well ignoring someone can be as a tactic for power
- he wanted a divorce from his wife. Pope didn’t allow it. He simply ignored that, divorced anyway, and ended up making his own church (Anglican).
- the pope tried everything including excommunication, but Henry simply ignored all the threats. The pope and his side were fuming.

“Kick him, he’ll forgive you. Flatter him, he may or may not see through you. But ignore him and he’ll hate you” - p. 305 Idries Shah

uncontrollable desire makes you seem weak, so you should have disdain for what you want. This will make your enemies go crazy because they are trying to find something to use as bait, or to lure you in, etc. If you don’t seem to desire anything strongly, they have nothing that they can use against you.

“Never show that something has affected you, or that you are offended - that only shows you have acknowledged a problem.” p. 307

story from Tolstoy (summarized) page 304: ^2694ec
- a man was carrying peas. One fell out of his hands. As he tried to pick it up 20 more fell. As he tried to pick those up all of them fell. He then got angry and ran away
- this story show cases that when you try to fix a very small problem, you end up creating a bigger one that is harder to deal with
learn the skill of differentiating between your problems, especially the small ones
- some small problems will wither away on their own
- others will grow into something large
- you only want to dedicate your time and effort to small problems that have the potential of growing

Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles

striking imagery and symbols can create an aura of power because everyone can recognize them and respond to them
many examples of this in our history
- Roman emperor Antony was completely shook at the preparation and setup of Cleopatra’s dinner party for him. There were so many lights with so many patterns. This only increased the aura of power around Cleopatra
- Diane, the first and only mistress of King Henri II of France, was simply an aging courtesan. She was in her late 30s when she first became Henri’s mistress while he was only 17. And yet, through her aura that she carefully crafted over the years, she was his ONLY mistress until his death many decades later. At this time she was already in her 60s
  - she identified with the Roman goddess Diana, her namesake, and created a persona around that. Even the people came to associate her with the powerful goddess Diana.
images always beat words
- words can be misinterpreted; images tell a clear story
- words lead to questions; images are self-telling
- words stir up division; images bring us together

“The truth is generally seen, rarely heard.” p. 314, Gracian

Law 38: Think As You Like But Behave Like Others

flaunting your new and unorthodox ideas can be dangerous. People may think you’re simply showing off and you’ll be alienated.
- rather, blend in with the common people, and share your originality with tolerant friends
the story of Spartan nobleman Pausanias clearly shows the transgression of this law - p. 319
- he was sent to re-conquer the lands taken by the Persians. But slowly he became Persianized himself and started to show disdain for the Greek lifestyle. He would wear Persian clothing, sit the Persian way, etc. Eventually, the authorities back in Sparta went after him for treason
- So basically Pausanias was influenced by the Persians and had new and unorthodox ideas. But he made the mistake of showing it off to the entire world rather than blending in with his own people, the Greeks
even if you aren’t punished for your new/unorthodox ideas, at the very least you’ll be alienated, i.e. punished with isolation. And with isolation you can NEVER have power.
so why exactly do people take offence to your flaunting of new ideas?
- it comes across as arrogant and it seems like you’re simply trying to demonstrate your superiority over others
- that’s exactly the way Pausanias came across. He looked down upon his birth culture (Greek) and flaunted the Persian way. People thought he was trying to be superior over them.

“He lives well who conceals himself well” - p. 319, Ovid (43BC)

“Wise men should be like coffers with double bottoms: Which when others look into, being opened, they see not all that they hold.” p. 319, Sir Walter Raleigh (1554)

there is value is not exposing yourself fully. Keep some parts of you hidden. There’s no need to flaunt ALL your ideas to the world.
sometimes it’s better to keep your ‘crazy’ ideas to yourself, for others will think you’ve gone insane. Outwardly, be like them, act like them. Inwardly, you know the truth
- the story from Idries Shah is really nice. Summary:
  - A town was warned that one day their water will change and will turn men mad. One man took this warning seriously and stocked up water. Once the day came and the water changed, the entire town went mad and behaved differently, while the one man stayed sane due to his water stock. But everyone else thought he was mad and treated him with hostility. Eventually he decided to drink the new water and became mad with the rest, he simply couldn’t bear the isolation any longer.
  - full story p. 319-320
the law can be used to gain respect and power among different people
- you’re in a circle of x people, adopt their customs and values. Display them outwardly and proudly. They won’t think twice about it.

Law 39: Stir Up Waters To Catch Fish

anger and emotion are counter-productive, which means if you can rile up emotions in your opponent while staying calm yourself, you’ll have an advantage over them
this works well when you are in the lower position. If you can make your superior angry or emotional, ideally in a more subtle way, that exposes him as a weak person. Which potentially gives you the opportunity to take his place
by invoking emotion in your enemy, you force him to take action. This means he’s now playing on YOUR terms and YOUR timing, which is exactly what you want.

“A sovereign should never launch an army out of anger, a leader should never start a war out of wrath” p. 329, Sun Tzu

letting yourself get too emotional and acting based on that can result in a far worse pain than before. Usually it’s better to let your emotions run its course while staying calm.
having emotional outbursts just shows you have little self-control. A sign of weakness
don’t anything personally. Detach yourself. Even if you want to react angrily to something, remember often times it’s not just about you, there’s a lot of other factors at play.
nothing irritates the angry man more as a man who keeps his cool. Because you would’ve kept your dignity while the angry man would’ve lost his
WARNING when using this law: be careful who you rile up. You don’t want to trigger the emotions of a man who is truly powerful and can easily destroy you.
- the best strategy is to test out the waters first. Find the gap in your enemy’s strength. Then you can use that to your advantage when you decide to trigger their anger.

Law 40: Despise The Free Lunch

anything ‘free’ has a high chance of having strings attached. You must tread carefully

“What has worth is worth paying for” - p. 333

by using your own money you steer clear of obligations to others
be generous with your money and keep it circulating as that is a sign of power
money is power
why is ‘free’ so bad?
- in the realm of power, EVERYTHING has a cost and price tag, therefore something is free is suspect
- the price tag of ‘free’ things is often psychological; complicated feelings of obligation, compromises with quality, etc
“Nothing is more costly than something given free of charge” - p. 336, Michihiro Matsumoto
by gifting to others, you are putting them under obligation. Generosity softens people up which makes them open to be deceived
spend your money freely in order to gain power. If you examine all the powerful people of the past, there’s one thing in common: they have money
stay away from those bad with money, like the greedy people, the ones who obsess over bargains, etc
the greedy neglect the things that power depends on: self-control, goodwill of others, etc
don’t chase after El Dorado. This is the classic trick of “make easy money here!“. Only fools go after such tricks
- just focus on gaining power and money will come to you

“The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use” - p. 335, Aesop (6th century BC)

as a powerful man you do not want to have the aura of pettiness, rather you want the aura of grandeur. Being stingy is the easiest way to gain a reputation for pettiness. Rather be generous and spend freely
spend freely, but not on useless stuff. Spend in the cause of increasing your power. Your money should pay for itself later on. ROI.

Law 41: Avoid Stepping Into A Great Man’s Shoes

always create your own name and identity. Even if you’re the son if a famous man, or you are succeeding a great man in something, ensure you don’t stay under their shadow.

“Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way” p. 347

many examples of transgression of this law lay in our history. Great kings often produced weak sons, sons who couldn’t surpass their fathers legacies and became something of their own. Eventually much power was lost during the sons reign and in the most extreme cases, kingdoms fell.
the best example of the observance of this law is Alexander the Great, son of King Philip of Macedonia.
- King Philip was a great king and conquered all of Greece. Alexander, his entire life, wanted to be better than his father. He almost hated his father. And so once he became king he did exactly that, he completely surpassed the legacy set by his father
people like Alexander are very uncommon in history. Why?
- desperation or necessity is what often drives people. His father Philip came from nothing, so he had every motivation in the world to become great. Alexander was born into comfort and royalty so he already had everything, his motivation should’ve been less. If this was anyone else, he surely would’ve not surpassed the father, but Alexander was simply built different.
in ancient kingdoms of Bengal and Sumatra the people would execute their king to prevent him from becoming too powerful. This was part of a ‘ritual of renewal’ and afterwards the king would be worshipped as a god.
it is common to think that if someone succeeds before you doing A B and C, then if you do the same thing you’ll also succeed.
- This may be partially true, but you’ll never be able to surpass the person who did it first.
- it’s always the first to do something that holds all the power and fame
prosperity makes us lazy and inactive
- Dostoevsky, whenever he would make a lot of money after a successful book, would go straight to the casino and gamble it all away. Only then did he have the motivation to write a new novel
do remember that the past is still useful, the previous methods, including your ‘fathers path’ might have some useful insight and techniques that you can use. By purposefully disregarding EVERYTHING, it makes you look immature and childish

Law 42: Strike The Shepherd And The Sheep Will Scatter

you can often trace trouble to a single person, the shepherd. This person typically has a lot of influence and power. By letting this person do as they please, you are only giving them more power. Take them out and you’ll cut their influence and sheep will scatter
the ancient Athenians had a great method of dealing with these toxic ‘shepherds’
- every year all the citizens of the city would write down the name of the person they want to banish from the city. Whoever got the most votes would be banished
- this worked great for Athens. They got rid of all their bad rulers, or people that had bad intentions. Democracy actually worked well for them. The citizens had a great sense for who might be a bad apple or not.
this is how the elite can change public opinion: go after the shepherds
- the current attack against Andrew Tate just proves this

“In every group, power is concentrated in the hands of one or two people, for this is one area in which human nature will never change: people will congregate around a single string personality like planets orbiting a sun.” p. 363

in the world of power, isolation leads to ‘death’. So the best way to take care of your opponents and the ‘shepherds’ is to isolate them from their power base.
- you can do this following Mao Tse-tung’s technique. If he wanted to eliminate an enemy, he didn’t confront them directly. He isolated him by dividing his allies and making them turn against him, i.e. shrink his support
a window to gain power is to look for the powerful people who are isolated for whatever reason. These people are easy targets. You can use them to gain power.
this law works best when you have the superior position. If you try to isolate a powerful person, they can exact revenge on you in many ways

Law 43: Work On The Hearts And Minds Of Others

you can either coerce people or ‘seduce’ them
by coercion, they will eventually hate and resent you
by seducement, they will be loyal to you
The story of Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, adequately presents the transgression of this law
- Marie cared not for the French people. She spent money on lavish things while France was suffering
- She did not at all care to win the hearts of the people or to at least interact with them. She stayed away from them and focused on her luxuries.
- Eventually the French Revolution happened and she was executed. No one came to her rescue because she had no friends and the people did not care for her at all
- Had she tried to be more friendly and win the hearts of her own subjects, there would’ve been push back to her execution
Marie was this way because she grew up a princess, the whole world catered to her. She never needed to learn the skill of seducing people and winning hearts & minds.
The Marie archetype is the one who lives in their own bubble, they feel attention is owed to them, they have a self-righteous arrogance
- often these types of people were the ones who were pampered excessively as children
to remain in a high powerful position, you NEED the support of those below you. You can only do this if you understand their psychology so that you can win their hearts and minds.
Alexander the Great is a good example of observing this law
- he won over his army not by force, but by working on their hearts. His soldiers WANTED to fight and die for him.
- he was very charismatic and gave emotional speeches
- he once refused water in a time when they couldn’t find much and his whole army was thirsty. He refused because he felt bad for his army. Witnessing this, his army loved him even more.
everyone is looking out for their own self-interest. Which is why it’s best to convince and persuade people, never force them.
key to persuasion: softening people up and gently breaking them down.
- work on their emotions and play on their intellectual weaknesses
- pay attention to their individual psychology and their emotional responses
- aim at the primary emotions of love, hate, and jealousy
- you MUST have a solid understanding of the person before you try to persuade them. What their needs and wants are, what their fears are, etc.
the quickest way to secure someone’s mind is to demonstrate to them how an action will benefit them

Law 44: Disarm And Infuriate With The Mirror Effect

when you mirror your enemy, you confuse them as they cannot figure out your strategy
the Mirror Effect mocks and humiliates your enemy
Fouche, Napoleon’s Minister of Police, used the law effectively
- Napoleon was known to have a network of spies that he used to keep tabs on all his ministers and advisors. The one minister he could never figure out anything on was Fouche
- the reason was because Fouche also had a counter network of spies that would spy on Napoleon’s spies. Due to this Fouche always had the upper hand on everything and would always play the right moves.
be like a chameleon, adopting the ‘colors’, virtues, lifestyle, etc, of those around you in order to gain their trust and loyalty, and ultimately gain more power
- The Athenian Alcibiades (5th century BC) did this well. He even managed to ‘seduce’ Socrates by adopting his lifestyle and virtues whenever he was with him
- Alcibiades eventually moved to Sparta and quickly adopted their culture and custom, in a way displaying that Spartan culture is greater than Athenian culture. The Spartans loved him for that and showered him with luxuries.
- Again, he did the same thing in Persia and again was treated like a king
Marie Mancini, the niece of the French Prime Minister, used this law effectively
- she wanted to seduce and win the love of King Louis XIV in 1657
- Marie had 4 sisters, all of whom were considered very beautiful while Marie was not so fortunate in that realm. So much so that her mother even tried to convince her to join a convent because she wasn’t as pretty as her sisters
- Marie focused on ‘studying’ the king, what he liked, what his interests were, etc, so that she can create a ‘mirror’ of him in herself
- Eventually he fell in love with her because he could connect and relate to her and their shared the same ideals and interests
the mirrored situation is also deadly to you
- if someone tries to associate you with some past event or person, even if it’s positive, do everything you can to separate yourself from that memory
- if it’s positive, then Law 41 applies, which is still a bad thing

Law 45: Preach The Need For Change, But Never Reform Too Much At Once

people are creatures of habit, they do not like change
when you need to implement change, make it seem like a gentle improvement on the past
always show respect to the old way of doing things
the best example of someone violating this law is Thomas Cromwell
- during the reign of King Henry VIII of England, Henry needed to divorce and wife and the pope was not allowing it. Cromwell gave him the idea of splitting off from the Catholic Church
- Cromwell, a protestant fanatic, then put in motion a series of reforms to remove Catholicism from the country and replace it with Protestant beliefs
- due to how sudden and startling his reforms were, rebellions started popping up and King Henry put Cromwell in jail. He was shortly executed.
the best example of someone observing this law is Mao
- he wanted to bring communism to China, a country whose people are so traditional and so opposite to everything communism stands for
- he decided to spread his message via symbols and imagery from the past. He would use familiar stories and historical figures of the past and associate himself with them, to make himself and his cause seem more likeable to the people
the past is power. Use it to your advantage like Mao did. The past will help you hide the changes you are trying to impose to make it more palatable for the people.

“There is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.” - Machiavelli, p. 396

a historical example of this law in action is the decision to make Christmas on Dec 25
- the pre-Christian pagans already had a holiday during the Winter Solstice. Furthermore, Dec 25 was a huge holiday for the cult of Mithras and was declared a national holiday by emperor Aurelian (214-275AD)
- it was a smart move from Pope Liberius (352-366AD) to also select Dec 25 as the birth of Jesus
unless you’re willing to ‘use the sword’, change must be implemented slowly, carefully, and in under the traditions of the familiar past
- religions commonly stole concepts from the previous religion of the area just so it’s more familiar for the people, and therefore they’ll be more willing to accept it
- this was a very common practice in all Abrahamic faiths. See examples in Islam
- an example in Christianity is Christmas, explained a few sentences above
another strategy is to manipulate the past
- as mentioned, use the past to your advantage. But the past is open to interpretation so interpret it to fit your narrative

Law 46: Never Appear Too Perfect

envy creates silent enemies. By appearing too perfect you create envy
occasionally you should display defects and admit to harmless vices
power is a game of appearances. If you want true power, there’s no need to flaunt your wealth, influence, power, etc. That will only feed into the envy of others
envy is a very natural emotion and people only have so much envy they can manage. So eventually they’ll break and come after you.
- the reason is because humans have a hard time dealing with feelings of inferiority. By flaunting your power or appearing too perfect, you are appearing superior over everyone else
to prevent envy from brewing inside of people, occasionally display some defects
Joseph’s brothers were envious of him because his father Israel loved him the most. So they conspired to kill him. This just shows how powerful envy is, and how easy it can destroy.

Law 47: Do Not Go Past The Mark You Aimed For; In Victory, Learn When To Stop

set a goal. Once you reach it, stop. Do not allow success to go to your head. In the moment of victory, you’ll be arrogant and over-confident so it’s always best to just stop.
Cyrus the Great transgressed this law
- he quickly conquered many kingdoms and empires to the point he thought he was unbeatable
- he decided to go after the Massagetai kingdom. The Massagetai people were an ancient eastern Iranian Saka people, part of the wider Scythian culture
- long story short, Cyrus was defeated and killed in battle. He was beheaded
don’t fall into the trap of ‘momentum’; momentum will cause you to think irrationally, emotionally, and is simply never a good idea

Law 48: Assume Formlessness

everything changes. Therefore you must not stay rigid to your plan. Be as fluid and formless as water
The collapse of Sparta outlines the dangers of transgressing the law
- Sparta built a culture of war. Young boys were trained only in war and nothing else.
- After 27 years of war, Sparta finally defeated the wealthy and culturally rich kingdom of Athens and inherited their entire empire.
- Sparta struggled to maintain this empire due to having no skills in statehood, economy, etc
- After 30 years, Sparta completely collapsed.
- Why exactly was this? Sparta had a rigid and fixed way of life. The fluidity of the Athenians brought chaos into their lives. They couldn’t handle it.
- Also, Sparta did NOT WANT to change. They didn’t understand the concept that everything changes. The Athenians were quick to adapt, they became sea-faring, established trade, etc. The Spartans did none of that
another danger of rigidity is that your enemies learn everything about you since you never change. This only gives them more ammunition to use against you.
the essence of this law is to remain adaptable
- everyone has a form, it’s impossible to be ‘formless’, but what it means to ‘assume formlessness’ is to be adaptable to changing circumstances around you
power is not tied to size, it’s tied to adaptability
- large armies often were defeated.
- King Xerxes of Persian in 483BC attempted to conquer Greece. He failed because, as his advisor said best “the 2 mightiest powers in the world are against you: the land and sea”
- Xerxes’s army was 5 million strong. His navy was huge. His navy was so big it couldn’t dock anywhere safely. His army was so big supplying such an army would be too difficult, both economically and logistically
the young always replace the old because the old become rigid in their ways and times change; change required adaptability and fluidity
- this reminds me of how many ancient beliefs have
formlessness is a tool: it is NOT the same thing as “go with the flow” or “religious decree” style of living
- formlessness is used to gain power

“The laws that govern circumstance are abolished by new circumstances” - Napoleon, p. 429

Napoleon said it best. You cannot rely too much on past ideas, or the advice of others, or the wisdom of the sages. Judge each situation as a new situation.

Analysis

Lessons Learned & Actionable Things

See this page: Self-Mastery from The 48 Laws of Power In that page I “super-summarized” each law, focusing on more actionable things

Reflections

Overall really enjoyed this book. Learned a TON of stuff. A lot of it can be implemented in my own personal life.

Only criticism would be that there were some laws that I don’t understand how it could be applied to the real world today in day-to-day life, but I guess it’s not meant for day-to-day life but rather very specific contexts and use-cases.

Context: if you pick up a bee, it’ll sting you. This proverb is teaching us that being infinitely kind is not a good strategy in life. Sooner or later you will get stung. ↩
Context: using warmth you can modify the wax sculpture. In a similar manner, by being polite you can make people pliable and obliging. ↩
Context: Law 26 Keep Your Hands Clean ↩
Context: Law 28 Enter Action With Boldness ↩
Context: the madman is mad, but at least he is driven by boldness and confidence, while the idiot does not have that. Law 28 Enter Action With Boldness] ↩
This entire excerpt is great. Page 238 - 239. Came from Caravan of Dreams by Idries Shah ↩
Context: all men have something they truly desire. Find that out and you can exploit it. Law 33 Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew ↩
Context: it’s better to fit in outwardly. People dislike novel ideas and the unorthodox - they view it as a threat to themselves, their culture, and identity. Only flaunt your novel and unorthodox ideas to a few tolerant friends. Law 38 Think As You Like But Behave Like Others ↩

Wandering Meditations

Explorer

The 48 Laws of Power