The 48 Laws Of Power

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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 yourreputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before theyhappen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations.Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.

Law 6

Court Attention at all Cost

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself getlost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Makeyourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious, than thebland and timid masses.

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 onlywill such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura ofefficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered.Never do yourself what others can do for you.

Law 8

Make other People come to you - use Bait if Necessary

When you force the other person to act, you are the one in control. It is always better to makeyour opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulousgains - then attack. You hold the cards.

Law 9

Win through your Actions, Never through Argument

Any momentary triumph you think gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: Theresentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change ofopinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, withoutsaying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Law 10

Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky

You can die from someone else’s misery - emotional states are as infectious as disease. Youmay feel you are helping the drowning man but you are only precipitating your own disaster.The unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune on themselves; they will also draw it on you.Associate with the happy and fortunate instead.

Law 11

Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you arerelied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness andprosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do withoutyou.

Law 12

Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm your Victim

One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gesturesof honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once yourselective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. Atimely gift - a Trojan horse - will serve the same purpose.

Law 13

When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest,

Never to their Mercy or Gratitude

If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance andgood deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or inyour alliance with him, that will benefit him, and emphasize it out of all proportion. He willrespond enthusiastically when he sees something to be gained for himself.

Law 14

Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep youa step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Askindirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasionthat is not an opportunity for artful spying.

Law 15

Crush your Enemy Totally

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely.(Sometimes they have learned this the hard way.) If one ember is left alight, no matter howdimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway thanthrough total annihilation: The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not onlyin body but in spirit.

Law 16

Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, themore common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal fromit will make you more talked about, even more admired. You must learn when to leave. Createvalue through scarcity.

Law 17

Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’sactions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberatelyunpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme,this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

Law 18

Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself - Isolation is Dangerous

The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere - everyone has to protect themselves. Afortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from - itcuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better tocirculate among people find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

Law 19

Know Who You’re Dealing with - Do Not Offend the Wrong Person

There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyonewill react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive or outmaneuver some people and they willspend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose yourvictims and opponents carefully, then - never offend or deceive the wrong person.

Law 20

Do Not Commit to Anyone

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself.By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others - playing people againstone another, making them pursue you.

Law 21

Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker - Seem Dumber than your Mark

No one likes feeling stupider than the next persons. The trick, is to make your victims feel smart- and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspectthat you may have ulterior motives.

Law 22

Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power

When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose surrender instead. Surrender givesyou time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power towane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you - surrender first. Byturning the other check you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of power.

Law 23

Concentrate Your Forces

Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. Yougain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine toanother - intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevateyou, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk for a long time to come.

Law 24

Play the Perfect Courtier

The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around power and politicaldexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he flatters, yields to superiors, and assertspower over others in the mot oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws ofcourtiership and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.

Law 25

Re-Create Yourself

Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity,one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image

rather than letting others define if for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your publicgestures and actions - your power will be enhanced and your character will seem larger than life.

Law 26

Keep Your Hands Clean

You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: Your hands are never soiled by mistakes andnasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance by using others as scapegoats and cat’s-pawsto disguise your involvement.

Law 27

Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following

People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of suchdesire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full ofpromise; emphasize enthusiasm over rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciplesrituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organizedreligion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold power.

Law 28

Enter Action with Boldness

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infectyour execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes youcommit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold;no one honors the timid.

Law 29

Plan All the Way to the End

The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possibleconsequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give theglory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and youwill know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking farahead.

Law 30

Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go intothem, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you

could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work - it only raisesquestions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

Law 31

Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards you Deal

The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feelthey are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in yourfavor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils,both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are goredwherever they turn.

Law 32

Play to People’s Fantasies

The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to truth and realityunless you are prepared for the anger that comes for disenchantment. Life is so harsh anddistressing that people who can manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in thedesert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.

Law 33

Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew

Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usual y an insecurity, anuncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once found, itis a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

Law 34

Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated like one

The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated; In the long run, appearingvulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires thesame sentiment in others. By acting regally and confident of your powers, you make yourselfseem destined to wear a crown.

Law 35

Master the Art of Timing

Never seem to be in a hurry - hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time.Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become adetective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to

power. Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it hasreached fruition.

Law 36

Disdain Things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best Revenge

By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention youpay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and morevisible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is somethingyou want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you reveal, the more superioryou seem.

Law 37

Create Compelling Spectacles

Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power - everyone responds tothem. Stage spectacles for those around you, then full of arresting visuals and radiant symbolsthat heighten your presence. Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are reallydoing.

Law 38

Think as you like but Behave like others

If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas andunorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down uponthem. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blendin and nurture the common touch. Share your originality only with tolerant friends and those whoare sure to appreciate your uniqueness.

Law 39

Stir up Waters to Catch Fish

Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm andobjective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain adecided advantage. Put your enemies off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through whichyou can rattle them and you hold the strings.

Law 40

Despise the Free Lunch

What is offered for free is dangerous - it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation.What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt,and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price - there is no cutting corners withexcellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, for generosity is a sign and amagnet for power.

Law 41

Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes

What happens first always appears better and more original than what comes after. If yousucceed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish double theirachievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of yourown making: Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearingfather, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.

Law 42

Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter

Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individual - the stirrer, the arrogant underling, thepoisoned of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to theirinfluence. Do not wait for the troubles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them- they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at thesource of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.

Law 43

Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others

Coercion creates a reaction that will eventually work against you. You must seduce others intowanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced becomes your loyal pawn. Andthe way to seduce others is to operate on their individual psychologies and weaknesses. Softenup the resistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what theyfear. Ignore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.

Law 44

Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

The mirror reflects reality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror yourenemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mirror Effectmocks and humiliates them, making them overreact. By holding up a mirror to their psyches,you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values; by holding up a mirror to theiractions, you teach them a lesson. Few can resist the power of Mirror Effect.

Law 45

Preach the Need for Change, but Never Reform too much at Once

Everyone understands the need for change in the abstract, but on the day-to-day level people arecreatures of habit. Too much innovation is traumatic, and will lead to revolt. If you are new to aposition of power, or an outsider trying to build a power base, make a show of respecting the oldway of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.

Law 46

Never appear too Perfect

Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to haveno faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects,and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable.Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.

Law 47

Do not go Past the Mark you Aimed for; In Victory, Learn when to Stop

The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arroganceand overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, youmake more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is nosubstitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.

Law 48

Assume Formlessness

By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a formfor your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothingis certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless aswater; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.