Nonfiction

The 48 Laws Of Power

The 48 Laws Of Power

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-26 13:19:55
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Robert Greene
  • ISBN：1861972784
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Summary

Amoral， cunning， ruthless， and instructive， this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws。 As attention-grabbing in its design as it is in its content， this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence， synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli， Sun-tzu， Carl von Clausewitz， and other great thinkers。

Some laws teach the need for prudence （"Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"）， the virtue of stealth （"Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"）， and many demand the total absence of mercy （"Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"）， but like it or not， all have applications in real life。

Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I， Henry Kissinger， P。 T。 Barnum， and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power， these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining， observing， or defending against ultimate control。

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Reviews

Milizent ，

good

Jason Pettus ，

2021 reads， #10。 So how is it that I find myself this month reading through a group of books that are collectively known in some online circles by the provocative title of "The Redpill Collection？" Well， you can thoroughly blame Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program for that; for as friends know， on an impulse last Christmas I unwisely bought a six-month subscription to the service， then immediately learned that not a single one of the 100+ titles currently in my "to be read" list was available thro 2021 reads， #10。 So how is it that I find myself this month reading through a group of books that are collectively known in some online circles by the provocative title of "The Redpill Collection？" Well， you can thoroughly blame Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program for that; for as friends know， on an impulse last Christmas I unwisely bought a six-month subscription to the service， then immediately learned that not a single one of the 100+ titles currently in my "to be read" list was available through it。 That's had me reading a series of evermore random choices there as a way of justifying the money; and the more obscure my choices， the weirder Amazon's recommendation engine is getting about what I should read next， with me for example getting to a point a few weeks ago where I found myself blazing through a bunch of books on speed-reading and improving your memory， at which point MechaBezos decided that I would probably like to read books about the subject of "power，" with Robert Greene's book on the subject being one of the most well-known because of being one of the only ones published by a major press。Of course， "power" is a euphemism here; what these books should really be titled is "How to Lie， Cajole and Bully Your Way Into Doing Anything You Want to Do，" and the genre's experienced a huge spike in popularity in recent years because of the realization that they essentially describe the daily playbook of Donald Tr*mp's entire adult life， and that four years of a Tr*mp White House has proven that they really do work if you can thoroughly commit to working the system。 Of course， the problem is that "working the system" essentially means adopting the mindset of a psychopath， which is what truly makes these books nightmarishly fascinating; they're essentially describing how to be a serial killer and get away with it， which uncoincidentally happens to be the same exact set of instructions for how to be an effective corporate executive， or popular social media "influencer，" or someone who's good at tricking a lot of women into having sex with you， which is why books like these have become the holy texts of sorts for all the incels and Proud Boys and PewDiePies and the rest of the scariest proportion of the US population， who unfortunately in recent years have become the new American mainstream， and have been largely dictating official US governmental policies based directly off these power laws。So what exact kinds of "rules" are we talking about？ Well， let's take Law #3 for example， "Conceal Your Intentions，" with Poole going on to elaborate， "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， envelop them in enough smoke， and by the time they realize your intentions， it will be too late。" Hmm， sound like any recent President you know？ Or Law #6: "Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger， more colorful， and more mysterious than the bland and timid masses。" Or Law #14: "Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses。" Or Law #21: "Make your victims feel smarter than you are。 Once convinced of this， they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives。" Essentially it's a blueprint of every dirty trick ever invented; and while such a step-by-step action plan is benign and even interesting when read by most （the reason this is a mainstream book in the first place is because Greene is presenting it all as a history book， using famous examples from both literature and real life to show how he came up with that "law" to begin with）， we've all seen how terrifyingly effective such an action plan can be when actually enacted with no sense of irony by those who suffer from the so-called "dark triad" of mental conditions known as psychopathy， narcissism and Machiavellianism， essentially an exact description of both Tr*mp and all the Gamergaters who want to be the next Tr*mp。Ultimately these kinds of books have neither the use nor the patience for modernity in any shape whatsoever; they're constantly evoking harsher and more brutal eras like the Neolithic Period and the Medieval Age， and place the entire justification for their existence on the argument that， since this was the cultural norm for humans a thousand years ago， they will continue to be the unchanging cultural norm for humans for the rest of time， forever and ever amen。 So in this， it's modernity that's the proper antidote to the laws of power， and where enlightened people should both start and end when it comes to combating these kinds of behaviors。 At one point in the past， most humans didn't think twice about slavery or incest; now 99 percent of the human population finds both these subjects repulsive， thus proving that humans can fundamentally change as a species。 That's my self-defined Law #1 for fighting the laws of power （you're welcome， humanity）; and I would love to see some smart humanist write out another 47 of them as a way of adapting to and overcoming each and every rule seen in this book， because I have to plainly say， we as a society have been doing a pretty piss-poor job at it as of late。 As friends know， I'm a big believer in reading the literature of people you disagree with， so that you understand where they're coming from and why they behave the way they do; so in that spirit， this should be required reading for a good 80 percent of the population， basically anyone who watched the Capitol Riots in horror and asked themselves how we ever got to such a place in this country。 This book explains exactly how we got to that place; and more importantly， in a roundabout way it explains exactly how to defeat it。 It comes strongly recommended in this specific spirit。 。。。more

Esmail Rojhalat ，

You know what I read 4 times in a row; I know what I read 4 times in a row。 5 stars

Raul Pirva ，

It can easily be in my top 10 best books I've read。 It can be very useful in our day-to-day activities especially when you're dealing with other people。 A gem among all leadership books imo。 It can easily be in my top 10 best books I've read。 It can be very useful in our day-to-day activities especially when you're dealing with other people。 A gem among all leadership books imo。 。。。more

Yylee ，

The points were quite useful not only。to have a tactocal advantage over others， but were great advice for being a better person。 However the examples tend to get pretty lengthy at the end making it a slightly toring read at the end。 Overall it was a good book and would highly recommend people read this book。

brook ，

Long-term power comes from respect， not domination。I got to law 7 and I was like this author is a crummy piece of shit。Sure， some powerful people use these rules。 But the majority of people become powerful because they are a magnet for innovation， discussion， and more。 This author just comes of as swarmy as he tires to be that whiny kid in the back that thinks that they're super evil and a master mind。You can be great without being cruel。 Karma will bite your ass and this book is really not some Long-term power comes from respect， not domination。I got to law 7 and I was like this author is a crummy piece of shit。Sure， some powerful people use these rules。 But the majority of people become powerful because they are a magnet for innovation， discussion， and more。 This author just comes of as swarmy as he tires to be that whiny kid in the back that thinks that they're super evil and a master mind。You can be great without being cruel。 Karma will bite your ass and this book is really not something you should put your morals in。 I got to law 10 and was like this book is shit。Law 7 says to take credit for other people's work。 Bull shit this book is for short-term power， power tripping， and manipulation。 This book is for short-term gratification， not long-term success。 People these days think they're all the shit when in reality other people are just as smart as you。 This book is shit and I will probably never touch a book by this author again。 If you hold these laws against your heart then you're a god damn sheep。 。。。more

kyle ，

A lot of wisdom in this one。 I will have to read over and over to get different points out of it。 Definitely worth the read。

Josué Rodríguez ，

I have mixed feelings about this one。 You can't deny that Robert Greene is a genius and he does his research。 And I know from his interviews that he intentionally writes strong （even if controversial） ideas and statements to capture audiences。 As a history fan， I enjoyed this one， but it morally took a lot out of me to finish it。 Robert Greene has admitted that he has a rather pessimistic view of humans， and it shows in his writing。 I think it is a bit of a stretch to call these "Laws"， when he I have mixed feelings about this one。 You can't deny that Robert Greene is a genius and he does his research。 And I know from his interviews that he intentionally writes strong （even if controversial） ideas and statements to capture audiences。 As a history fan， I enjoyed this one， but it morally took a lot out of me to finish it。 Robert Greene has admitted that he has a rather pessimistic view of humans， and it shows in his writing。 I think it is a bit of a stretch to call these "Laws"， when he clearly cherry picks historical examples to prove his point。 I'm sure someone else could find enough examples of successful people being kind， compassionate， and vulnerable， and call it "The 48 Laws of Kindness。" So， while interesting， I think it is a bit outdated and not always very applicable to everyday life in the 21st century。 Which makes sense， considering his historical examples are mostly from before the 20th century。 Out of the 48 Laws， I probably take 10 of them with me as actually helpful to my life today。 I agree this can be a good defensive book so that people don't do this to you， but I wouldn't take any of these too close to heart。 It's both a very powerful book and a deceiving one。 It can be dangerous if people read it with the notion that it should be followed like a manual to "achieve power"。 I think many people confuse power with status。 In this day and age， I would think that power comes from empathy， being flexible， knowing what to ignore， having a cool head， and knowing how to work with people （not manipulate them）。 I have to admit that I was a bit cautious （read embarrassed） when reading this in public， and that says something。 I believe a book like How to Win Friends and Influence People， by Dale Carnegie， is a better example of how we should treat people so that we're actually influencing them and making friends along the way。 If you can read this while maintaining a safe distance from its sometimes dangerous ideas， then this is a pretty good read。 。。。more

Gabe ，

I don't subscribe to most any of these "laws"。 I think more collaborative efforts produce better outcomes than what he outlines （He preaches lot's of solidarity and subterfuge and backstabbing）。 But it was fun to read because he told interesting stories of history to prove his points and it was entertaining。 But literally it felt like the witch from the Lion， Witch and the Wardrobe was whispering her tenets straight into my ear the whole time。 I don't subscribe to most any of these "laws"。 I think more collaborative efforts produce better outcomes than what he outlines （He preaches lot's of solidarity and subterfuge and backstabbing）。 But it was fun to read because he told interesting stories of history to prove his points and it was entertaining。 But literally it felt like the witch from the Lion， Witch and the Wardrobe was whispering her tenets straight into my ear the whole time。 。。。more

Max Sebastian ，

Üks kõige põnevam raamat， mida lugenud olen。 Tuletab meelde hetki， kus oleksin saanud neid nippe ise ka kasutada。 Paneb kõike teise nurga alt vaatama。 Ohtlik！

alfred ，

Not sure what to say about this one。 I’m glad I read it。 Really really glad。 Also a good entrance into delving deeper instead of broader for me。 Revealed a lot to me about the （and this might come across as brazen） reasons I have been well liked， socially， throughout my life。。。as well as the reasons and ways I work to get what I want， and often fail。 All that and why I sometimes don’t manage to push through certain barriers （be that because of moral or ethical reasons or because it’s just not a Not sure what to say about this one。 I’m glad I read it。 Really really glad。 Also a good entrance into delving deeper instead of broader for me。 Revealed a lot to me about the （and this might come across as brazen） reasons I have been well liked， socially， throughout my life。。。as well as the reasons and ways I work to get what I want， and often fail。 All that and why I sometimes don’t manage to push through certain barriers （be that because of moral or ethical reasons or because it’s just not a skill that comes naturally to me）。 That said， the concept of ‘play or be played’ seems to ring true; and regardless of how Machiavellian I plan to be in my future years， having a framework to understand and interpret other people’s behaviour and how it may affect me seems pretty crucial， especially for the industry I am moving into。 I wish I read it though and didn’t consume it as an audiobook。 I would have benefited from having a physical location for all of the chapters and laws that I could keep flicking back to and building a visual reference of。 Think I need to do some mental filing in order to preserve the goodness。 A bit dense， and some stories that definitely could have been left out。。。。if you want to read it， maybe read the concise version。& remember - grain of salt。 Maybe that’s why I didn’t find this as ‘offensive’ as some people do？ Or maybe I spent too much time relating it to acting。。anyway。。 。。。more

Sushmi ，

The anecdotes are really interesting in relation the laws presented but it's definitely not a book with much practical use。 The anecdotes are really interesting in relation the laws presented but it's definitely not a book with much practical use。 。。。more

Alex Foster ，

Reads a little like an intro to pyschopathy but that might say more about our society than be an indictment on the book。

Kevin Christiansen ，

A thought-provoking discussion on the exercise of power in its many forms。

Brittany ，

This is my formal proposition to retitle this book 'The 48 Laws of Becoming a Sociopath and Developing Your Own Cult'。 I just can't imagine relating to people this way （maybe if you work on Wall Street。。。）; it sounds exhausting。 "You should make babies， Madame， not literature。" This is my formal proposition to retitle this book 'The 48 Laws of Becoming a Sociopath and Developing Your Own Cult'。 I just can't imagine relating to people this way （maybe if you work on Wall Street。。。）; it sounds exhausting。 "You should make babies， Madame， not literature。" 。。。more

Sil ，

If you can’t tell by now the person writing this article subscribes to anarchical thinking （and as you could probably guess， without really having read anything about anarchy）， so it should come as no surprise that they won’t read any book about “laws，” let alone 48 of them。 They feel a bit conflicted about calling this book stupid because according to the Wikipedia blurb on the first page of google， it “is popular with prison inmates，” which makes them wonder if there might be some wisdom hidde If you can’t tell by now the person writing this article subscribes to anarchical thinking （and as you could probably guess， without really having read anything about anarchy）， so it should come as no surprise that they won’t read any book about “laws，” let alone 48 of them。 They feel a bit conflicted about calling this book stupid because according to the Wikipedia blurb on the first page of google， it “is popular with prison inmates，” which makes them wonder if there might be some wisdom hidden behind this disgusting metaphor of law， but upon reading the last bit， “and celebrities，” they are convinced whatever is imprinted on those pages can lend itself to nothing but the exploitation of the working class。 All in all， it’s definitely not worth reading unless you want to take over the world in 80 days or however the movie goes。 "https://thefreakbook。substack。com/p/b。。。" 。。。more

Kenan ，

Tıpkı oyunlarda "skill kasmak" tadında tavsiyelerle hayatta sözde daha avantajlı olmanın yollarını anlatan kitap。 Anlattığı tarihten hikâyeler için bile okumaya değer。 Tıpkı oyunlarda "skill kasmak" tadında tavsiyelerle hayatta sözde daha avantajlı olmanın yollarını anlatan kitap。 Anlattığı tarihten hikâyeler için bile okumaya değer。 。。。more

Nirmal ，

Path to Inner and outer power。。。detailed！

Divyanshu ，

So this book itself was a decent non fiction。The 48 Laws of Power would be useful to a dictator， or a king， or really anyone who lived in an era where power was necessary for survival。 However in today’s modern word， to the average person， it holds little or no merit at all。 These laws are outdated and frankly just ridiculous。 Sure， you may learn to win a few phycological power struggles with other immature people constantly playing the power game and you might even be able to convince your star So this book itself was a decent non fiction。The 48 Laws of Power would be useful to a dictator， or a king， or really anyone who lived in an era where power was necessary for survival。 However in today’s modern word， to the average person， it holds little or no merit at all。 These laws are outdated and frankly just ridiculous。 Sure， you may learn to win a few phycological power struggles with other immature people constantly playing the power game and you might even be able to convince your starbucks cashier that he’s an inferior being， poor guy。 But the reality is the kind of thinking this book suggest， in our day of age， is redundant。 Take this book for what it’s worth and learn some badass things people have done for power in human history。 if you are a military general or a king time traveling and reading my review than pick this book up。 Jokes aside this was a decent book which I almost Dnf ed'。 so I'll not recommend you but if you want to try it than the plate is yours and after eating don't throw it out from your mouth。 Bie🤘💕 。。。more

Pavel Pavlidis ，

Ένα εξαιρετικό βιβλίο。

Raju Sahadevan ，

An essential leadership book for growing entrepreneurs with real-life stories。 However the principles in this book cannot be used in its entirety in this day and age。 Definitely a good reference for manipulating and getting things done。

Adithyan ，

I don't really know why I read his books （Robert Greene） it makes me feel really bad。 The methods are unethical but effective。 Unfortunately， I am not the kind of person who can act that selfishly。 But if you are not bothered about the ethical issues in the book you might be the right person for the book。 I wanted to give a terrible rating because of how the book made me feel。 I don't really know why I read his books （Robert Greene） it makes me feel really bad。 The methods are unethical but effective。 Unfortunately， I am not the kind of person who can act that selfishly。 But if you are not bothered about the ethical issues in the book you might be the right person for the book。 I wanted to give a terrible rating because of how the book made me feel。 。。。more

Muaad Sucule ，

One of the best books ive ever read。 I started reading this book on the 4th of February and finished at the 18th March。 I took my time taking in this book because I wanted to completely comprehend each law。 This book was important to me because everyone uses power tactics and obeys the laws of power in their lives。 Sometimes knowlingly and sometimes subconsciously。 For me， I was subconsciously obeying some of these laws of power。 After I read this book， the laws of power have become very clear t One of the best books ive ever read。 I started reading this book on the 4th of February and finished at the 18th March。 I took my time taking in this book because I wanted to completely comprehend each law。 This book was important to me because everyone uses power tactics and obeys the laws of power in their lives。 Sometimes knowlingly and sometimes subconsciously。 For me， I was subconsciously obeying some of these laws of power。 After I read this book， the laws of power have become very clear to me。 A small dislike about the book for me was how the long quotes/sayings would randomly appear and disrupt my flow whilst I was reading each chapter。 Overall， I am very grateful to have found this book and it meant to much to me that I wrote all 48 laws of power down to revise them in the future。 。。。more

Pooja ，

A well-written book tells about various strategists， politicians and diplomats from around the world。

Matthew Smith ，

Laws of Temporary power， closer title should be charlatans handbook

Ibrahim Hamza ，

There are so many things to learn from this book。 Following most of the laws will be ruthless and unethical， but it will help you understand the nature of people and avoid being deceived。 Loved the stories and some of the laws。 The examples felt very outdated。

Muhannad AK ，

Filled with lots of history， politics， this book teaches a lot about human psychology， emotional intelligence， art of deception。 This book is absolutely well written。 Some of the laws might seem immoral for some people， but an interesting read nevertheless。 It's like taking the red pill and seeing the wickedness of our world。"The Crown。 Place it upon your head and you assume a different pose- tranquil yet radiating assurance。 Never show doubt， never lose your dignity beneath the crown， or it wil Filled with lots of history， politics， this book teaches a lot about human psychology， emotional intelligence， art of deception。 This book is absolutely well written。 Some of the laws might seem immoral for some people， but an interesting read nevertheless。 It's like taking the red pill and seeing the wickedness of our world。"The Crown。 Place it upon your head and you assume a different pose- tranquil yet radiating assurance。 Never show doubt， never lose your dignity beneath the crown， or it will not fit。 It will seem to be destined for one more worthy。 Do not wait for a coronation; the greatest emperors crown themselves。" 。。。more

Yuley Burrow ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 As extensive as this book gets， I don't agree with everything it has to offer。 I don't agree that lies， deceit， and deception are the answer。 I believe in open honesty no matter what。 I actually like Ella enchanted can not lie。 😇 As extensive as this book gets， I don't agree with everything it has to offer。 I don't agree that lies， deceit， and deception are the answer。 I believe in open honesty no matter what。 I actually like Ella enchanted can not lie。 😇 。。。more

Eduardo Contreras ，

Y pensar que está info。 existe desdé que tengo 8 años。 Un clásico。 Ahora entiendo por qué de este libro， se derivan los otros。 Robert no deja de sorprenderme！

Ly Nguyen ，

Cringy book for edgy people。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The 48 Laws Of Power

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The 48 Laws Of Power&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The 48 Laws Of Power&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0