Always make those above you feel superior. Avoid showing off your talents too much.

Never Outshine the Master

Friends may betray; enemies are often more dependable.

Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends; Learn How to Use Enemies

Keep people off-balance by hiding your plans.

Conceal Your Intentions

Powerful people impress by speaking little.

Always Say Less Than Necessary

So Much Depends on Reputation—Guard It with Your Life

Leverage others' knowledge and skills.

Get Others to Do the Work for You, but Always Take the Credit

Play the waiting game to keep control.

Make Other People Come to You—Use Bait if Necessary

Actions are more persuasive than words.

Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument

Emotions and mindsets are contagious.

Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky People

Make others rely on you for their own success.

Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

A small gesture of kindness can break down defenses.

Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim

Gather information to stay in control.

Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

Limited presence increases your value.

Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Stay involved with people, Isolation is Dangerous

Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself

People react differently; be cautious.

Know Who You’re Dealing With—Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

Keep people off-balance by not being loyal to anyone.

Do Not Commit to Anyone

Stand out to avoid being overlooked.

Court Attention at All Costs

A threat that is not fully eliminated will return stronger.

Crush Your Enemy Totally

People are more likely to help if it benefits them.

When Asking for Help, Appeal to Self-Interest, Never to Mercy

Being unpredictable keeps others wary.

Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate Unpredictability

summary of the 48 Laws of Power, as written by Robert Greene in his book The 48 Laws of Power. Each law is concise and presents a concept on influence and control.

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control – from the author of The Laws of Human Nature. In the book that People magazine proclaimed “beguiling” and “fascinating,” Robert Greene and Joost Elffers have distilled three thousand years of the history of power into 48 essential laws by drawing from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz and also from the lives of figures ranging from Henry Kissinger to P.T. Barnum.   Some laws teach the need for prudence (“Law 1: Never Outshine the Master”), others teach the value of confidence (“Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness”), and many recommend absolute self-preservation (“Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally”). Every law, though, has one thing in common: an interest in total domination. In a bold and arresting two-color package, The 48 Laws of Power is ideal whether your aim is conquest, self-defense, or simply to understand the rules of the game.

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Robert Greene is an American author of books on strategy, power, and seduction. He has written six international bestsellers, including The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature.

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