The 48 Laws of Power

Robert Greene

Rating: 4.0/5 Stars
Rank: 169

"Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the world, a shifting of perspective," writes Robert Greene.

Mastery of one's emotions and the arts of deception and indirection are, he goes on to assert, essential. The 48 laws outlined in this book "have a simple premise: certain actions always increase one's power ... while others decrease it and even ruin us."

The laws cull their principles from many great schemers--and scheming instructors--throughout history, from Sun-Tzu to Talleyrand, from Casanova to con man Yellow Kid Weil. They are straightforward in their amoral simplicity: "Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit," or "Discover each man's thumbscrew." Each chapter provides examples of the consequences of observance or transgression of the law, along with "keys to power," potential "reversals" (where the converse of the law might also be useful), and a single paragraph cleverly laid out to suggest an image (such as the aforementioned thumbscrew); the margins are filled with illustrative quotations.

Practitioners of one-upmanship have been given a new, comprehensive training manual, as up-to-date as it is timeless. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Robert Greene has a degree in classical studies. He is also a playwright.
Joost Elffers is the producer of Viking Studio's bestselling The Secret Language of Birthdays, The Secret Language of Relationships, and Play with Your Food.

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Editorials(9) | Customer Reviews(55)

Editorials

Sample 3 of 9

The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene


	From Publishers Weekly
	Greene and Elffers have created an heir to Machiavelli's Prince, espousing principles such as, everyone wants more power; emotions, including love, are detrimental; deceit and manipulation are life's paramount tools. Anyone... read full editorial

	Book Description
	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... read full editorial

	Book Info
	(Joost Elffers) Outlines the laws of power from the synthesized work of Machiavelli, Suntzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. These laws show the reader how to gain power, to observe it, or to defend themselves against it. Softcover.

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Customer Reviews

Sample 3 of 55

The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene


	power, Power and POWER!!
	(Boise, ID) June 24, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars
	I've been collecting a whole library of books like "The 48 Laws of Power" and find that this gem takes everything to a new level. As Lou Tsu says "Before you win in battle you must win in strategy." and the 48 Laws... read full review

	My Bible
	(San Diego, California) March 15, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars
	As I walked around for a month with this book some people said, "Why do you need to read that book? You have a quiet power." They hadn't read this book. While many may think that this is about manipulation, or other... read full review

	How To Use Friends and Step All Over Them...
	(So Cal) February 15, 2005 - 5.0/5 stars
	Firstly, I am appalled at the number of reviewers -myself included- who have given this book 5 stars. Appalled because of the dearth of simple ethical behavior. But since I live in the ::::REAL:::: world -as opposed to... read full review

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