The 48 Laws of Power

by Greene, Robert; Elffers, Joost

• ISBN13: 9780140280197
• ISBN10: 0140280197
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-01
• Publisher: SCHOLG

Summary

Cunning, instructive, and amoral, this controversial bestseller distills 3,000 years of the history of power into 48 well-explicated laws.

Author Biography

Robert Greene has a degree in classical studies and is the author of several bestselling books, including The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, The Art of Seduction, and Mastery. He lives in Los Angeles.

Joost Elffers is the packaging genius behind Viking Studio's Secret Language series, Play with Your Food, and How Are You Peeling?. He lives in New York City.

Table of Contents

Preface	xvii
Never Outshine the Master	1	(7)
Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies	8	(8)
Conceal Your Intentions	16	(15)
Always Say Less Than Necessary	31	(6)
So Much Depends on Reputation--Guard It with Your Life	37	(7)
Court Attention At All Cost	44	(12)
Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit	56	(6)
Make Other People Come to You--Use Bait If Necessary	62	(7)
Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument	69	(7)
Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky	76	(6)
Learn to Keep People Dependent on You	82	(7)
Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim	89	(6)
When Asking for Help, Appeal to People's Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy or Gratitude	95	(6)
Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy	101	(6)
Crush Your Enemy Totally	107	(8)
Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor	115	(8)
Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability	123	(7)
Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself--Isolation Is Dangerous	130	(7)
Know Who You're Dealing with--Do Not Offend the Wrong Person	137	(8)
Do Not Commit to Anyone	145	(11)
Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker--Seem Dumber Than Your Mark	156	(7)
Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power	163	(8)
Concentrate Your Forces	171	(7)
Play the Perfect Courtier	178	(13)
Re-Create Yourself	191	(9)
Keep Your Hands Clean	200	(15)
Play on People's Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following	215	(12)
Enter Action with Boldness	227	(9)
Plan All the Way to the End	236	(9)
Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless	245	(9)
Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards You Deal	254	(9)
Play to People's Fantasies	263	(8)
Discover Each Man's Thumbscrew	271	(11)
Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One	282	(9)
Master the Art of Timing	291	(9)
Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them Is the Best Revenge	300	(9)
Create Compelling Spectacles	309	(8)
Think as You Like But Behave Like Others	317	(8)
Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish	325	(8)
Despise the Free Lunch	333	(14)
Avoid Stepping into a Great Man's Shoes	347	(11)
Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter	358	(9)
Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others	367	(9)
Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect	376	(16)
Preach the Need for Change, But Never Reform Too Much at Once	392	(8)
Never Appear Too Perfect	400	(10)
Do Not Go Past the Mark You Aimed for; in Victory, Learn When to Stop	410	(9)
Assume Formlessness	419	(12)
Selected Bibliography	431	(2)
Index	433