ANTON CHEKHOV

We all have masculine and feminine qualities in us. Their quantity is determined by our genetics, the society we grew up in and our parent of the opposite sex. We repress the masculine or feminine part within us that society doesn’t want ...

We are all narcissists, some more (deep narcissists) or less (functional narcissists) than others. We are naturally self-absorped and mostly sensitive to ourselves. Our self-esteem is developed during childhood. We also naturally possess empathy

1. Recognise the biases: These include confirmation bias, conviction bias, appearance bias, the group bias, the blame bias and superiority bias.
2. Beware the enflaming factors: Our emotions rise up when ou...

1. Become a master persuader: Become a deep listener. Infect people with the proper mood. Confirm their self-opinion (even negative ones) and the three qualities mentioned above. Allay their insecurities. Use people’s resistance and stubbornness. Use th...

We all have a high opinion of ourselves and when this opinion is being confirmed, we feel grandiose. We forget the role luck or other people might have played in our success and tie it solely to ourselves. On the other hand, we think fail...

1. Illusions of grandiose leaders: “I am destined, I am a common man/woman, I deliver you, I rewrite the rules, I have the golden touch, I am invulnerable.”
2. Fantastical grandiosity: It is a result of our...

Because we don’t have instincts, we have to consciously make decisions and take control of our lives. However, most of them are directed by society or by our emotions which is why we often end up where we don’t want to be. We are rather aimless

When in a group, we are often a very different person as if we were on our own. We conform to the morals of the group and think, behave, feel and act like the rest of the group. We lose our individuality and are more pron...

1. The individual effect: We have a desire to fit in and a need to perform. We experience emotional contagion and hypercertainty.
2. Group dynamics: Group culture, group rules & codes, group court, group en...

1. Strategies for establishing authority: Find your authority style (authenticity). Focus outwardly (attitude). Cultivate the third eye (vision). Lead from the front (tone). Stir conflicting emotions (aura). Never appear to take but always to give (tabo...

1. Chronic aggression: They are extremely obsessed with something and try to control it as best as they can.
2. Strategies of passive aggressors: Showing subtle superiority (e.g. being purposely late), crav...

We are deeply affected by the absence and presence of something. Too much presence of something suffocates us while absence spurs our interest as it leaves room for imagination. We generally desire what we can’t or don’t have, which is considered as the

We are impressed by the things in the present moment that we tend to forget why they happened or what consequences they will have. This is why we overly react to present circumstances and grave instant gratification. With the passage of t...

1. Observe other people closely and decode the cues: Often our true self slips through and we can see it in sudden nonverbal cues. They can be identified as like/dislike, dominance/submission and deception. Ta...

1. The energy of the shadow can be released through contradictory behaviour, emotional outbursts, vehement denial, “accidental” behaviour, overidealisation or projection.
2. See through the types of people’s masks

1. Strategies for stimulating desire: Know how and when to withdraw. Create rivalries of desire. Use induction (something creates the contrast in our mind). Do something unconventional or advanced.
2. The supreme de...

1. When in love, the other side within us comes out and takes control. C. G. Jung refers to this as animus (the “inner” male for the female) and anima (the “inner” female for the male).
2. Types of gender projection...

We repress the fact that we will all die one day and that death is inevitable. We don’t like thinking of death not only because of fear but also because of awkwardness. By thinking about death regularly (and in a healthy ...

We all have a shadow self within us that includes all of our negative feelings and traits. We conceal, repress and hide it by covering it up with a carefully crafted mask. Our shadow is mostly unconscious but by making it conscious we can...

1. The paradoxical death effect: People that experienced death closely are often more alive and awake than ever before.
2. A philosophy of life through death: Make the awareness visceral. Awaken to the shor...

1. Strategies to develop a high sense of purpose: Discover your calling in life. Use resistance and negative spurs. Absorb purposeful energy. Create a ladder of descending goals and lose yourself in the work.
2. The...

We think of ourselves as rational creatures that consciously make decisions and act out in a rational way. We forget that most of our behaviour is caused by our emotions and that even our thinking is never truly rational. However, rationa...

Our attitude determines how we see and interpret the world around us. As a result, we act in a way according to our attitude and sabotage ourselves with it. By having negative thoughts of the people around us, they sense our energy and turn away from us. ...

1. Be honest about your own nature and don't deny it.
2. Recognise deep narcissists: They never take responsibility for their actions and quickly become angry or defensive when criticised (...

We are all playing a role and wearing a mask. We like to present ourselves in a good way, that makes us seem confident, kind and likable. We like to conceal our negative traits, emotions and intentions. Personality comes ...

1. Understand your own character and how it has been formed: With this awareness you can recognise your negative patterns and channel your toxic traits into something positive.
2. Read the character of the people yo...

We are constantly comparing and measuring ourselves with others. Some may channel this into a motivating force while others develop deep envy. It is most common in friendships. Notice any sign of envy and draw attention away from yourself...

People always feel ambivalent towards their leader, our feelings are never pure or simple. We want freedom and being lead, we love and hate our leader. Getting people to follow you freely takes time and practice. Appear powerful, legitimate and fair.

Behind their mask, people are dealing with frustration and aggression. We repress these unwanted feelings because we think of ourselves as peaceful and good. However, we want to control and manipulate people and can come off as passive-ag...

We humans have a certain nature to us that has been with us since the very start of our existence. We are more or less a slave to it. However, through practice it can be channelled into something positive. In this book, Robert Greene introduces us to the ...

1. Become aware of your own attitude and how it influences your circumstances. Believe that by changing it, you ultimately change your reality.
2. Recognise constricted (negative) attitudes: The hostile att...

We are born into a generation that has a huge influence on us. Every generation wants to separate itself from the previous one with new ideas and worldviews. During our childhood, we internalise these beliefs and in our a...

1. Signs of shortsightedness: Unintended consequences happen, we lost sight of our goal and fight for something else, we become impatient and grave more information right know and we are lost in trivia.
2. The farsi...

1. Generational patterns: The 1st generation revolutionarily break with the past. The 2nd generation wants order and stabilisation. The 3rd generation is pragmatic, wants to solve problems and live comfortably. The 4th generation is unhappy with society...

In this competitive world we must look after ourselves first. We all think of ourselves as autonomous, intelligent and good people: “I am acting out of my own free will. I am intelligent in my own way. I am basically good and decent”. We hate being critic...

1. Signs of envy: Microexpressions, poisonous praise, backbiting, push and pull.
2. Types of envy people: The leveller, the self-entitled slacker, the status fiend, the attacher and the insecure master.