Nonfiction

The 48 Laws of Power

The 48 Laws of Power

  • Downloads：7125
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-10 04:14:56
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Robert Greene
  • ISBN：0140280197
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Nabeel ，

Do not be frivolous with such a critical matter。 The gods of power frown on the frivolous; they give ultimate satisfaction only to those who study and reflect， and punish those who skim the surfaceslooking for a good time。This passage from the preface is so accurate。

Matthew Izzo ，

Pretty good， I liked a lot of the historical references used throughout。 Learned a lot about history as well as power

Rosann ，

It took me 2 tries to get through this book。 I found it difficult to read b/c there were so many sinister and what seemed manipulative advice。 But as I got deeper in the book， I began to understand how important it was to understand the 48 laws especially as we navigate our career journeys。 There is a lot to learn about ourselves too。

Abdulaziz ，

3。5 stars。This is an interesting read。 I recommend it for anyone who wants to read something different。 I really think that each reader will pick up something different from reading it because the way that it was written confuses the reader on the purpose of this book。 I suspect that there will be 3 types of readers:-People who read it for the sake of reading something different， like me。-People who read it to actually learn from it so they can apply it themselves。-People who read it to learn ab 3。5 stars。This is an interesting read。 I recommend it for anyone who wants to read something different。 I really think that each reader will pick up something different from reading it because the way that it was written confuses the reader on the purpose of this book。 I suspect that there will be 3 types of readers:-People who read it for the sake of reading something different， like me。-People who read it to actually learn from it so they can apply it themselves。-People who read it to learn about these laws so they can recognize them in their environment and be prepared to protect themselves against schemers and ill-intentioned people。I believe the book was written for these laws to be applied， even though the author suggests in the introduction that it was written for mostly educational purposes。 As you read through the book， you might read things like "the best way to choose YOUR victim/scapegoat"， which is written like instructions instead of explaining how a law is applied。 So， this begs the question on the purpose such a book。 Nevertheless， it was very interesting and entertaining considering that the reader won't actually apply some of immoral the laws。I can certainly say， if you keep an open mind and read it for educating yourself that this book will change the way you think about power， positions within a workplace/society。 Which is the most interesting part of reading such books。I have a few gripes though:-I felt that some laws contradict each other， at least on the surface-There too many stories in this book。 Almost half of the book is stories/examples。 Which I can certainly imagine that a lot of people will like， but it was too many for my personal taste。-The examples that were mentioned were supposed to be from all cultures throughout history， but they were picked *almost* exclusively from a handful of cultures。 Namely， the Greeks， some European countries， China， Japan and the US。 It would've been a lot more interesting of more examples were used from other cultures such as， African culture， Middle East， South America and Islamic dynasty in Europe。 It was as if the author intentionally and carefully avoids such cultures and time periods for some reason。 。。。more

Nithesh Satish ，

This is a book I began reading long back。 It is filled with 48 suggestions which have been elevated to the status of laws。 However， it doesn't seem to be a law because， the author shows that the reversal of each law could also be relevant in certain circumstances。 I had abandoned the book for a while because it tries to fit in too many stories to justify a certain approach while dealing with people。 There are smaller stories and quotes on the margins of each page as well。 It seemed like an overk This is a book I began reading long back。 It is filled with 48 suggestions which have been elevated to the status of laws。 However， it doesn't seem to be a law because， the author shows that the reversal of each law could also be relevant in certain circumstances。 I had abandoned the book for a while because it tries to fit in too many stories to justify a certain approach while dealing with people。 There are smaller stories and quotes on the margins of each page as well。 It seemed like an overkill。 In spite of this， the author manages to surprise the reader with obscure stories from the past。 I would not claim that this book is an essential read for gaining 'power' or master 'strategy' in real life。 Instead I would consider these 48 'laws' as thumb rules to keep in mind when you are dealing with people。 Though they seem to be commonsensical， we tend to behave in irrational ways when we are given some sort of power。 Such blunders can be avoided if one understands the general psychology of people。 The book provides you many insights into general psychology of people。However， I believe that the book could have been shorter than what it is currently。 。。。more

D。K。 Powell ，

This book by Robert Greene is， without a doubt， one of the very worst books I've ever read。 It is ghastly on multiple levels。I do try to read an eclectic range of books and push myself to read recommended books I wouldn't normally bother with。 I can't recall is 'The 48 Laws of Power' was recommended to me， or if it just kept coming up on social media， or if I just came across it and thought "why not？" I can imagine it might just have been the latter as， with my psychologist's hat on， it is just This book by Robert Greene is， without a doubt， one of the very worst books I've ever read。 It is ghastly on multiple levels。I do try to read an eclectic range of books and push myself to read recommended books I wouldn't normally bother with。 I can't recall is 'The 48 Laws of Power' was recommended to me， or if it just kept coming up on social media， or if I just came across it and thought "why not？" I can imagine it might just have been the latter as， with my psychologist's hat on， it is just about in my line of interest and I certainly read it hoping I would get some insights into how people tick which might be useful。 I was disappointed。Instead， I got to see the very worst of human nature - something I can get more than my fill of just by going on Twitter and reading the myriad right-wing comments I see every time。 Worse than that （for with my historian's hat on， you see the worst and most stupid of humanity on a regular basis and so it is no big deal） Greene writes absolute rubbish and passes it off as fact。 That's unforgivable。These 48 'laws' are nothing of the sort。 They are a mix up of opinions and weird interpretations of stories and alleged moments of history which bear little resemblance to real life。 Indeed， Greene's tortured view of historical events is so bad that my History students would easily see the faults。 His versions of Tudor history， for instance， are， at best， simplistic and， at worst， absolute fiction。 Similarly， from ancient history to modern， Russian， Chinese， British， American or European， he shows again and again that he's read a history book once and twisted every moment he can to fit his ideas。 It's like reading tales of history taken straight out of the British Empire era。What is blatantly missing is any psychological evidence or indeed the use of any science at all， and that is telling。 Greene twists history and resorts to myths and children's tales to exemplify his points。 There's zero definitive truth in this book。But perhaps worst of all is the moral vacuity of the book。 You can forgive books such as Dale Carnegie's classic "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - which also don't use scientific evidence - for their simple moral value。 Carnegie writes to help you get on better with your fellow humans and live and peace and mutual prosperity。 He uses stories from real life from which you can see understandable and realistic principles， easily be applied to your own life to see if they work or not （and on the whole， they do）。 Conversely， Greene's 'laws' sound grand but are actually vague and impractical。 And， ultimately， every single one is self-seeking and to the detriment of those around you and with whom you interact。Written at the end of the 90s， I think - if not， truly hope - that this book is a product of its time。 I seem to recall there was a lot of such books on the market back then offering the gullible reader ways to get ahead of the pack， to beat the rat race， get the promotion， improve your inner skills and so on。 My feeling is that these kinds of books have died out over the last ten to fifteen years。 Perhaps this is because of the internet and all that can be accessed with the web？ Life is simpler in many ways now with young people entering into minimalist lifestyles so much more easily than my generation did。 With a smart TV， phone， perhaps game station or laptop， there's very little more needed for a comfortable capitalist lifestyle。 Income， after paying bills， can be spent on those optional luxuries - clothes， holidays， cosmetics， drink or fine food。 Of course， many are ditching even this kind of luxurious living going for even simpler lifestyles。 And the fact is， this is all acceptable now。 No one judges their neighbours' way of living because we live in societies （in the West， at least） where individuality is encouraged。 Vive la difference！ But what we all feel we have now as a result， is power。 This power is the power to live how we wish to， rather than power to dominate。 To have enough money to spend on the simple pleasures that everything else that may be bad in the world seems nought。 Such living can lead to apathy， of course， and I would say the UK political climate at the moment is directly a result of such high-living apathy， but the craving for power at the expense of another is much less than in previous decades。And this is a good thing， I think。 Let the dinosaurs of Greene and his like be confined to the fossil collection of history。 Those who view humanity as a battle to be won， with victors and losers， and all around potential enemies to be controlled and used for gain。 Be gone， such foul creatures！ You are not welcome any longer。 And if you must， must be there at all - at least get your facts right and present proper evidence！ 。。。more

Antonio C。 Montecristo ，

I appreciated his efforts to transform some quotations in laws and some of his stories

Breyen Hyphen ，

This is a fine book， entertaining and full of knowledge。 I do think it overstays its welcome。 There is a "48 Concise Laws" version， but I think it'd be better perhaps， with less laws overall。 I also would have preferred a straight ahead textual layout without all the sidebars that detract from the flow。 Now， I do like and recommend this book。 But many of the laws intersect with each other， and are not so distinct。 The same characters， be they Chinese generals or European royals or 20th century c This is a fine book， entertaining and full of knowledge。 I do think it overstays its welcome。 There is a "48 Concise Laws" version， but I think it'd be better perhaps， with less laws overall。 I also would have preferred a straight ahead textual layout without all the sidebars that detract from the flow。 Now， I do like and recommend this book。 But many of the laws intersect with each other， and are not so distinct。 The same characters， be they Chinese generals or European royals or 20th century con artists， do in fact popup many times。 I began this book enthralled。 Great concept， great writing， great history。 As it moves forward， the new chapters are less and less relevatory。 Perhaps one should come back to a chapter every so often， and not be so concerned with reading this cover to cover。 Reinforcement of the principles， fresh retellings， rather than anecdote after anecdote。 Regarding those anecdotes -- yes， this is a book about people gaining， retaining and losing power。 I don't know how serious the author is about all the advice he gives。 Plenty of it is smart， both as a guide and a warning。 And some is alarmingly prescient！ But a lot I can't help but think is tongue and cheek。 True， we find characters playing off each other and moving successfully or otherwise thru the crests and troughs of history。。。 but perhaps they weren't as conscious or intentioned as interpretations made decades or centuries later， with the clarity of the passage of time， may suggest。 Perhaps we are not to take to heart the lessons learned by a queen that， yes， stays in power for many decades， but has to sacrifice her own children to do it。 Lessons about how to gain and retain power are not necessarily lessons about how to have a good life。 Yet。。。 still elucidating， and still fun to read。 There are at least 100 good movies in here。 。。。more

Kyle Kiekintveld ，

As someone who never cared much about power this book was fascinating。 It put a lot of history， politics and the media in perspective。

Joanna Bou Chakra ，

Speechless 。。。

Eimer Hussain ，

A book which teaches you that power is so much more than simply appearing physically imposing and dominant。

Eve ，

It's absolutely well written， a pleasure to read， but it is written from the perspective that power is everything。 That's why people buy it: because they want more power。 I bought it more out of curiosity but thought it might help with some things。 However， in the middle of if， I sort of realized that being that cut throat is depressing。 It's absolutely well written， a pleasure to read， but it is written from the perspective that power is everything。 That's why people buy it: because they want more power。 I bought it more out of curiosity but thought it might help with some things。 However， in the middle of if， I sort of realized that being that cut throat is depressing。 。。。more

zoe ，

You would be a truly horrible immoral person if you actually followed these laws😅 interesting read nonetheless

_booksforlife_ ，

4/5 highly enjoyableindulging in Robert Greene writing was wonderful。 I definitely finished this book with much to fill my plate。 I learned a lot traveling through Greene's wicked， smart *devilishly so*， cunning， REAL， intriguing， thought provoking， book。 I might have have skipped a law or 3， but its either because I don't believe in it or because its not for me， and thats the beauty of this book， you don't need to read chronologically。 I would highly recommend it to everyone。 4/5 highly enjoyableindulging in Robert Greene writing was wonderful。 I definitely finished this book with much to fill my plate。 I learned a lot traveling through Greene's wicked， smart *devilishly so*， cunning， REAL， intriguing， thought provoking， book。 I might have have skipped a law or 3， but its either because I don't believe in it or because its not for me， and thats the beauty of this book， you don't need to read chronologically。 I would highly recommend it to everyone。 。。。more

Faraj Miftah ，

قواعد السطوة اسم رنان ومغري ،لاكن للاسف الاسم اكبر من قدر الكتاب ،الاجدا ان نقول موسوعة السطوة ،لان ال48قاعدة يصعب تطبيقها لكثرتها ،لان نستطيع تخير عدة قواعد للاستفادة ،الكاتب اهم قواعد اخرى مهمة وتجنب الحديث عن عباقرة كثر في مجال السطوة ،لم يترجم إلا للغربيين

Jennifer ，

quite real， if you're accustomed to dealing with people who are terrible at manipulation this is a great tool to one-up them。 solid fuel to getting through a day in the modern U。S。 it's only evil if you want it to be。 quite real， if you're accustomed to dealing with people who are terrible at manipulation this is a great tool to one-up them。 solid fuel to getting through a day in the modern U。S。 it's only evil if you want it to be。 。。。more

Kassem ，

Very insightful。

Erato EE Morrison ，

All of the stories in this book were insanely fascinating。 As the book progressed （maybe at the 60-80% mark） things felt like they were getting redundant （the same incidences， Houdini and Louie the 14th and Cleopatra kept getting revisited and rehashed。）Structurally the book is interesting。 Greene extrapolates laws from a ton of stories and historical events—which he summarizes nicely。 Any one of these stories on their own would be interesting， but having them together was really cool。 It was he All of the stories in this book were insanely fascinating。 As the book progressed （maybe at the 60-80% mark） things felt like they were getting redundant （the same incidences， Houdini and Louie the 14th and Cleopatra kept getting revisited and rehashed。）Structurally the book is interesting。 Greene extrapolates laws from a ton of stories and historical events—which he summarizes nicely。 Any one of these stories on their own would be interesting， but having them together was really cool。 It was helpful to have them grouped in a unique and interesting way， even though sometimes Greene’s conclusions felt like he was imposing too much。 Some chapters were PURE GOLD。 This is a polarizing book！！ At the very least it’s a good defense against the dark arts book。 I think if you’re reading the book as a prescription for how to get power over other people， that’s not the best way to read the book—or live your life。 And I don’t think that’s what the book intends to be。 A lot of the content is about protecting yourself， and having power over yourself。 Yes you can read it and use the tactics to screw people over。 But at the end of the day I do think a better use of the book is to just 1） be aware of when people are taking advantage of you and 2） have a better or different understanding of power。 It’s funny—this is a very “male” book I think。 About getting ahead， conquering enemies， etc。 but the last law—assume formlessness， be flexible， embody a female spirit of ruling—is I think the essence of true power。 It involves a lot of self control， a lot of vision。 Power isn’t just about being this all powerful owner of the universe。 It’s about getting what you want， what you really want。 Incarnating a possibility from your heart into the world。 It’s creative。 It’s not fundamentally about screwing over other people。 Overall I do think there are many ways to read this book， some of which are aggressive and even dangerous， but there are also ways to read this book and empower yourself to be the best version of yourself and incarnate your visions and hearts true desires。 Worth the read—especially if you are the kind of person who， like me， resists reading something that initially felt so “mean。” Trust me。 。。。more

ЧІТАЮГУМІЛЬОВА ЧІТАЮГУМІЛЬОВА ，

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مروى الدين ，

Lost new man guide to survive

Jessica Vachon ，

Terrible book and life choice。 I hope no one listens to the advice and words of this book。

Ayoub elakhdar ，

كتاب جد ممتاز وقرأته لأكثر من مرة، قد يتحسس البعض من الناحية الأخلاقية لهذا الكتاب لكن يجب على الإنسان العاقل أن يدرك أن الأخلاق ليست أبيض أو أسود وإن على الإنسان أن يدرك الشر حتى لو كان ضده وكما قال الإمام الشافعي "عرفت الشر لا للشر ولكن لتوقيه ومن لم يعلم الشر من الناس يقع فيه"。 كتاب جد ممتاز وقرأته لأكثر من مرة، قد يتحسس البعض من الناحية الأخلاقية لهذا الكتاب لكن يجب على الإنسان العاقل أن يدرك أن الأخلاق ليست أبيض أو أسود وإن على الإنسان أن يدرك الشر حتى لو كان ضده وكما قال الإمام الشافعي "عرفت الشر لا للشر ولكن لتوقيه ومن لم يعلم الشر من الناس يقع فيه"。 。。。more

Nabil ，

Messaging is funny， but the history parts were fun。 I disagree with a majority of this book。

Derek Owusu ，

If you ignore the amorality that this book is trying to promote then it becomes a very interesting read。 The audiobook is quite brilliant。

♡AHGAHSE♡ ，

OK DAMN

Jordy ，

Very interesting book， just not for me， at this point in my life。 It describes world domination， yet I first need to get a job。 Maybe then I’m ready for world domination。 Read atomic habits if your in a similar spot

Philipp ，

This book hardly serves as a guide to virtuos living - quite the opposite I would say。 But if this is what you seek to understand， and perhaps understand those around you， it is very useful。 I do find it somewhat contradictory， perhaps deliberately so， perhaps because the entire subject is hardly linear and easily capturedMerged review:This book hardly serves as a guide to virtuos living - quite the opposite I would say。 But if this is what you seek to understand， and perhaps understand those ar This book hardly serves as a guide to virtuos living - quite the opposite I would say。 But if this is what you seek to understand， and perhaps understand those around you， it is very useful。 I do find it somewhat contradictory， perhaps deliberately so， perhaps because the entire subject is hardly linear and easily capturedMerged review:This book hardly serves as a guide to virtuos living - quite the opposite I would say。 But if this is what you seek to understand， and perhaps understand those around you， it is very useful。 I do find it somewhat contradictory， perhaps deliberately so， perhaps because the entire subject is hardly linear and easily captured 。。。more

Alimanzoor ，

You may hate the book。 Better READ it。The first impression you get when you read this book is the author promotes unethical practices left and right。 But there a is point we could reflect and develop from this book。 We learn more when reading or observing unethical people。 At least， we would know how not to behave like them。I remember reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu。 I got the same impression and decided to stop it。 But for some reason， I finished the book。 Sometimes， we need to know bad thing You may hate the book。 Better READ it。The first impression you get when you read this book is the author promotes unethical practices left and right。 But there a is point we could reflect and develop from this book。 We learn more when reading or observing unethical people。 At least， we would know how not to behave like them。I remember reading The Art of War by Sun Tzu。 I got the same impression and decided to stop it。 But for some reason， I finished the book。 Sometimes， we need to know bad things not for doing it， but to avoid it better， and to avoid those who practice it。 You would always find bunch of people who might practice these laws around you。 What if some of your colleagues believed in the 48 laws of power。 Imagine some of your friends got inspired by these laws。 Common sense is enough to avoid them， yes。 But this book can give you a better insight to know what they actually do。 There are people who celebrate this book as an effective leadership manual - well， it's their choice。 But， great leadership never appreciates unethical manipulations。 Rather， great leaders serve their followers and promote ethics all around。 You may hate the book。 Better READ it。 。。。more

Jordan Shepherd ，

Can’t recommended this book enough。

Nathan ，

Interesting but a bit cringe from time to time