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Summary - The 48 LAWS OF POWER by Robert Greene
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A book summary of The 48 LAWS OF POWER by Robert Greene
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- Summary -The 48 Laws of Power
by Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power, a Machiavellian treatise for the modern age. Part Prince, part Art of War,
Robert Greene’s best seller boasts the unique distinction of being quoted by such management
luminaries as Jay Z, UGK, Kanye West, and Drake, and even featured in tattoos sported by the likes of
Calvin Harris and DJ Premier. (50 Cent liked the book so much he went on to co-author the sequel.)
The 48 Laws of Power has enjoyed similar popularity in diverse walks of life, from Wall Street to
Hollywood to D.C.
The author views everything through the lens of power, which results in a distinctly uncomfortable
degree of honesty about why humans do what they do. He labels as disingenuous anyone who claims
that we do what we do for reasons other than power, and illustrates how people who try to “opt out”
of the game of power by championing honesty, equality, or naivety are actually leveraging a time-
honored law of power themselves.
In terms of format, the book is eminently readable. After each law, a slightly expanded summary of
the meaning is included, followed by a historical incident that illustrates transgression of the law, then
another historical anecdote about an observance of the law. The author finishes each law by
expounding on the “keys of power,” or the details about how to apply the law in practice, and
cautioning us with the “reversal”, or how the particular law may not apply in all situations.
The only solution I could find to concisely give you the core of the book was to list only a summary of
the meaning of each law. To attempt to recap a story supporting each one would result in a massively
unwieldy article, so this book summary is a verbatim quotation of the author’s laws and summaries
thereof. Without further ado:
The 48 Laws of Power:
Law 1 : Never outshine the master.
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do
not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and
insecurity.
Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
"Avoid outshining the master. All superiority is odious, but the superiority of a subject over his prince
is not only stupid, it is fatal. This is a lesson that the stars in the sky teach us—they may be related to
the sun, and just as brilliant, but they never appear in her company." Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658
Law 2: Never put too much trust in friends; learn how to use enemies.
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.
"To have a good enemy, choose a friend: He knows where to strike."
Dianf de Poitiers. 1499-1566. mistress of Henri II of France
"Every time I bestow a vacant office I make a hundred discontented persons and one ingrate."
Louis XIV, 1638-1715
,"Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies." Voltaire, 1694-1778
"There are many who think therefore that a wise prince ought, when he has the chance, to foment
astutely some enmity, so that by suppressing It he will augment his greatness. Princes, and especially
new ones, have found more faith and more usefulness in those men, whom at the beginning of their
power they regarded with suspicion, than in those they at first confided in. Pandolfo Petrucci, prince of
Siena, governed his state more bv those whom he suspected than by others."
Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527
"Pick up a bee from kindness, and learn the limitations of kindness." Sufi proverb
"Men are more ready to repay an injury than a benefit, because gratitude is a burden and
revenge a pleasure." Tacitus, c. a.d. 55-120
"Know how to use enemies for your own profit. You must learn to grab a sword not by its blade,
which would cut you, but by the handle, which allows you to defend yourself. The wise man profits
more from his enemies, than a fool from his friends." Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658
Law 3: Conceal your intentions.
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions.
If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down
the wrong path, envelope them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will
be too late.
If at any point in the deception you practice people have the slightest suspicionas to your intentions, all
is lost. Do not give them the chance to sense what you are up to: Throw them off the scent by dragging
red herrings across the path. Use false sincerity, send ambiguous signals, set up misleading objects of
desire. Unable to distinguish the genuine from the false, they cannot pick out your real goal.
"Do not be held a cheat, even though it is impossible to live today without being one.
Let your greatest cunning lie in covering up what looks like cunning."
Ballasar Gracián, 1601-1658
"Have you ever heard of a skillful general, who intends to surprise a citadel, announcing his plan to his
enemy? Conceal your purpose and hide your progress; do not disclose the extent of your designs until
they cannot be opposed, until the combat is over. Win the victory before you declare the war. In a
word, imitate those warlike people whose designs are not known except by the ravaged country
through which they have passed." Ninon de Lenclos, 1623-1706
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 sphinxlike.
Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less.
The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.
“Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of
stone or seaweed into it and the oyster cannot close again so that it serves the crab for meat.
Such is the fate of him who opens his mouth too much and thereby puts himself at the mercy of
the listener.” Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519
"Undutiful words of a subject do often take deeper root than the memory of ill deeds.... The late Earl
of Essex told Queen Elizabeth that her conditions were as crooked as her carcass; but it cost him his
head, which his insurrection had not cost him but for that speech." Sir Walter Raleigh. 1554-1618
, "It is even more damaging for a minister to say foolish things than to do them." Cardinal de
Retz, 1613-1679
Law 5: So much depends on reputation – guard it with your life.
Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once
you slip, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation
unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen.
Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations.
Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.
"It is easier to cope with a bad conscience than with a bad reputation."
Friedrich Nietzsche, 1844-1900
Law 6: Court attention at all cost.
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing.
Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion.
Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost.
Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than the
bland and timid masses.
Draw attention to yourself by creating an unforgettable, even controversial image. Court scandal.
Do anything to make yourself seem larger than life and shine more brightly than those around you.
Make no distinction between kinds of attention—notoriety of any sort will bring you power.
Better to be slandered and attacked than ignored.
"Even when I’m railed at, I get my quota of renown." Pietro Aretino, 1492-1556
"Be ostentatious and be seen.... What is not seen is as though it did not exist....
It was light that first caused all creation to shine forth.
Display fills up many blanks, covers up deficiencies, and gives everything a second life,
especially when it is backed by genuine merit." Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658
Never make it too clear what you are doing or about to do.
Do not show all your cards.
An air of mystery heightens your presence; it also creates anticipation—everyone will be watching
you to see what happens next. Use mystery to beguile, seduce, even frighten
"If you do not declare yourself immediately, you arouse expectation....
Mix a little mystery with everything, and the very mystery stirs up veneration.
And when you explain, be not too explicit....
In this manner you imitate the Divine way when you cause men to wonder and watch."
Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658
Never appear overly greedy for attention, then, for it signals insecurity, and insecurity drives power
away. Understand that there are times when it is not in your interest to be the center of attention.
When in the presence of a king or queen, for instance, or the equivalent thereof, bow and retreat to the
shadows; never compete.
Law 7: Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit.
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause.
Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of
efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered.
Never do yourself what others can do for you.
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