The48La

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The 48 Laws of Power

by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers

Law 1

Never Outshine the Master

Alwaysma ket
hos
ea boveyoufeelc
omf ort
abl
ys uperior
. Inyourdes
iret
ople
aseorimpres
sthem,
donotgotoofari
ndispla
yingyourta
lentsoryoumi ghta c
complis
htheoppos
it
e–i ns
piref
earand
ins
ecur
it
y. Makeyourma st
ersa
ppearmo rebri
ll
iantthantheyareandyouwil
latt
ainthehe
ight
sof
power.

Law 2

Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies

Bewaryoff
ri
ends-
theywi l
lbetr
ayyoumor equic
kly,f
ortheyareea
silyar
ouse
dt oenvy. The yalso
be
comespoi
ledandtyra
nnical
.Buthireaformerenemyandhewi l
lbemor el
oyalthanaf r
iend,
be
caus
ehehasmoret oprove.
 Infact
,youhavemor et
ofearfr
omf r
iendst
hanfrome nemies. Ifyou
ha
venoenemies
,fi
ndawa ytoma ket
hem.

 
Law 3

Conceal your Intentions

Ke e
ppe opleof
f-bala
nceandinthedarkbyne verre
veal
ingthepurpos
ebe hi
ndyourac
tions
. I
fthey
havenoc luewha tyouareupto,the
yc annotprepar
eade f
e ns
e. Gui
det he
mf a
renoughdownt he
wrongpa t
h,envelopethe
mi nenoughsmo ke,andbytheti
met heyreal
izeyouri
nte
nti
ons,i
twillbe
toolat
e.

 
Law 4

Always Say Less than Necessary

Whe nyouar etryingtoimpresspeoplewit

hwor ds
,themor eyous ay,themorecommonyoua ppe
ar,
andtheles
si nc ontr
ol.
 Evenifyoua resa
yingsome thi
ngbana l
,itwillsee
mor i
ginali
fyoumakeit
vague,ope
n- ended,andsphinxli
ke. Power
fulpeopleimpressandinti
mi dat
ebysa yi
ngle
ss.
 The
moreyous ay,themor elike
lyyoua retosa
ys omethingfool
ish.

Law 5

So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life

Reput
ati
onisthecorner
stoneofpowe r.
 Throughre putat
ionaloneyouc aninti
midat
ea ndwi n;once
yousli
p,however
,youa r
evul ner
abl
e ,andwillbea tt
ackedona lls
ides.
 Ma keyourreputat
ion
unas
sail
able
. Al
wa ysbea l
erttopot
entiala
tta
c ksa
ndt hwa rtt
hembe f
oretheyhappen.
 Me anwhi l
e,
le
arntodest
royyourenemiesbyope ningholesintheirownr eputa
tions.
 Thenstandasideandl e
t
publ
icopini
onhangthem.

Law 6

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Court Attention at all Cost

Ever
ythingisju
dge dbyitsappear
ance;wh ati
sunseencount
sfornothing. Neverl
etyours
elfget
l
osti
nt hecrowd,then,orburi
edinoblivion.
 Sta
ndout. Becons
picuous ,atal
lcost
. Makeyourse
lf
amagne tofat
tent
ionbya ppear
ingla
rge r
,morec ol
orf
ul,mor
emys t
e r
ious ,t
hantheblanda
ndt i
mid
mass
es.

Law 7

Get others to do the Work for you, but Always Take the Credit

Usethewis dom,knowl e
dge,andlegworkofotherpeopl
etofurt
heryourownc a
use
. Notonl
ywill
suc
ha ssi
st
a ncesaveyouva l
uabl
etimea ndenergy,i
twil
lgiveyouagodlikeaur
aofeff
ici
enc
yand
spe
ed. Inthee ndyourhelpe
rswillbeforgot
tenandyouwillberemembered.
 Neverdoyour
sel
f
whatother
sc andof oryou.

Law 8

Make other People come to you – use Bait if Necessary

Whe nyouf or
cet
heotherpersontoac
t,y
ouar
etheonei
ncont
rol.
 Itisa
lwa
ysbet
tertomakeyo
ur
opponentcometoyou,abandoninghi
sownpl
ansi
nthepr
oces
s. Lurehi
mwithf
abulousgai
ns–
the
na t
tack.
 Youholdthecards.

Law 9

Win through your Actions, Never through Argument

Anymome nta
rytri
umphyout hi
nkga ine
dthroughargume nti
sreal
lyaPyrrhicvic
tory: The
resentmentandillwil
lyoust
irupi sst
rongerandla
stslongertha
nanymome nta
ryc hangeof
opinion.
 Itismuc hmorepowe r
fultogetother
stoagreewi t
hyouthroughyouracti
ons ,wit
hout
sayingawor d. Demonst
rat
e,donote xpli
cate
.

Law 10
 

Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky

Youc andief
roms omeoneel
se’smiser
y–e moti
onals
tat
esareasinfe
cti
ousasdis
eas
e. Youmay
feelyouar
ehelpi
ngthedrowningma nbutyouar
eonlypreci
pit
ati
ngyourowndi s
ast
er.
 The
unfort
unat
esometi
me sdra
wmi sfor
tuneonthemse
lves
;the
ywi l
lalsodra
wi tonyou.
 Assoc
iat
ewit
h
thehappyandfor
tunat
einst
ead.

Law 11

Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

Toma i
nta
inyourinde
pendenceyoumustalwaysbenee
dedandwante
d. Themor eyouarer
eli
ed
on,t
hemorefreedomyouhave. Makepeopledepe
ndonyoufort
hei
rhappinessandpros
per
it
ya nd
youhavenot
hingtofea
r. Nevert
eacht
heme noughsot
hatt
heycandowithoutyou.

Law 12

Us
eSe
lec
tiveHone
stya
ndGe
ner
osi
tyt
oDi
sar
myourVi
cti
m

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Onesince
r eandhones
tmovewi l
lcove rove
rdoz ensofdis
honestones.
 Open-hear
tedges
tur
esof
hones
tyandge ner
osi
tybr
ingdownt hegu a
rdofe venthemostsuspic
iouspeople
. Onceyour
sel
ect
ivehonestyope
nsaholeintheirarmor,youc a
nde c
eivea
ndma nipul
atet
hema twil
l.
 Ati
mely
gif
t–aTr oja
nhorse–wil
lservethes a
mepur pose.

Law 13

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

Never to their Mercy or Gratitude

Ifyouneedtotur
ntoa nal
lyforhelp,donotbot
hertor emi
ndhimofyourpa s
ta s
sis
tanceandgood
deeds.
 Hewi l
lfi
ndawa ytoignoreyou. 
Inst
ead,uncoversomethinginyourreques
t,orinyour
all
ianc
ewi t
hhim,thatwi
llbenef
ithim,andempha s
izeitoutofallpropor
ti
on. Hewillres
pond
enthus
ias
ti
call
ywhe nheseessomethingt
obega i
nedf orhi
ms e
lf.

Law 14

Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy

Knowingaboutyourrivali
sc ri
ti
cal.
 Usespie
stogat
herva
luableinf
orma t
iontha
twil
lkeepyoua
st
epahead.
 Be t
terst
il
l:Playthespyyourse
lf.
 Inpol
it
esoc
ialencounter
s,l
e a
rntopr
obe.
 Ask
i
ndir
ectques
tionstogetpeopletorevea
lthei
rwe a
kness
esandinte
ntions
. Therei
snooccasi
ontha
t
i
snotanoppor t
unit
yfora r
tfuls
pying.

Law 15

Crush your Enemy Totally

Allgre
atlea
de r
ssi
nceMos e
sha veknownt ha
tafearede nemymustbec rus
he dcomplet
ely. 
(
Some ti
mestheyhavele
arnedthisthehar
dwa y.)
 Ifonee mberi
sleftali
ght,noma t
terhowdi mlyi
t
smolder
s,afir
ewil
leventua
llybreakout.
 Mor ei
slostthroughs
toppinghalfwaythanthroughtot
al
anni
hil
ati
on: Theene
mywi llrecover
,andwillse
ekr e
ve nge.
 Cr
ushhi m,notonlyinbodybuti n
spi
ri
t.

Law 16

Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor

Toomuchci
rcul
ati
onma kesthepri
cegodown: Themoreyoua r
esee
na ndhear
df r
om,themore
commonyouappear
. I
fyoua real
readye
stabl
is
he di
nagroup,t
empora
rywithdr
a walf
romitwi
ll
makeyoumoreta
lkedabout,eve
nmor eadmir
ed. Youmustle
arnwhentolea
ve. Crea
teval
ue
t
hroughs
car
cit
y.

Law 17

Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Huma nsa r
ec re
atur
esofha bitwi
thaninsat
iabl
ene edtose
efamil
iari
tyi
notherpeople
’sacti
ons.
 
Yourpr edi
ctabi
lit
ygivesthemas enseofcontr
ol.
 Turntheta
bles
:Bedeli
berat
elyunpredi
ctabl
e. 
Behaviorthatseemstohavenoc onsi
s t
enc
yorpur posewil
lkeepthe
mof f
-bal
ance,andthe
ywi l
l
wearthe msel
vesouttryi
ngt oexpl
ainyourmove s
. Takentoanextr
eme,t
hisstr
ategycanint
imidat
e
andterrori
ze.

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Law 18

Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous

Thewor l
disdange
rousa ndenemiesaree ve
rywhere–e veryonehastoprotectthemsel
ves
. A
for
tres
sseemsthesaf
est.Butis
olat
ione xposesyoutomor eda nger
sthanitprotec
tsyoufr
om–i t
cutsyouofff
romvaluableinf
ormation,itmakesyouc onspicuousandane a
syt ar
get
. Bet
tert
o
cir
culat
eamongpeoplefindall
ies
,mi ngle.
 Youa r
es hie
ldedf romyourenemi e
sbyt hecr
owd.

 
Law 19

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

Therearemanydiff
erentkindsofpeoplei
ntheworld,andyoucanneverassumetha
teveryonewil
l
reac
ttoyourstr
ate
giesinthesamewa y. Dec
eiveoroutma ne
uve
rsomepe opleandt
heywi l
lspe
nd
theres
tofthei
rli
vesseekingrevenge.
 Theyarewolvesinlambs
’clot
hing.
 Chooseyourvict
imsand
opponentsca
ref
ull
y,then–ne veroff
endordecei
vethewr ongper
son.

 
Law 20

Do Not Commit to Anyone

I
tist hefoolwhoalwaysr
ushestotakes
ide
s. Donotcommittoanys
ideorc
ausebutyoursel
f.
 By
ma i
ntaini
ngyourinde
pendence,youbec
omet hemas
terofot
hers–pl
ayi
ngpeopl
eagainstone
another,makin
gthempursueyou.

 
Law 21

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

Noonelikesf
ee l
ingstupi
dert
hanthene
xtpers
ons.
 Thetri
ck,i
stomakeyourvi
cti
msfeelsmar
t–
andnotj
ustsma r
t,butsmart
ert
hanyouare
. Onceconvi
ncedofthi
s,t
heywil
lne
versus
pe c
ttha
tyou
mayhaveulte
riormotives
.

 
Law 22

Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power

Whe nyoua r
ewe aker,neverfi
ghtforhonor’
ssake;choosesurr
enderinst
ead. Surr
endergivesyou
ti
met orec
ove r
,ti
met otormentandirri
tat
eyourconqueror,t
imet owaitf
orhi spowe rt
owa ne.
 Do
notgivehi
mt hesati
sfact
ionoffighti
nga nddef
eati
ngyou–s ur
renderfi
rst
. Byt ur
ningtheother
checkyouinfuri
ateandunse t
tl
ehim. Ma kesur
renderatoolofpowe r
.

 
Law 23

Concentrate Your Forces

Conse
rveyourf orce
sa ndenergi
esbyke e
pingthe mc onc
entrat
edatthe
irs
trongestpoint
. Yougai
n
morebyfindingar i
chmi neandminingitdeeper,thanbyfli
tt
ingfromones hal
lowmi netoanot
her
–int
ensi
tyde fe
atsexte
ns i
tye
ve r
ytime. Whenl ookingforsource
sofpowert oeleva
teyou,fi
ndthe
onekeypatron,thefa
tc owwhowi llgi
vey oumi lkforalongtimetocome.

 
Law 24

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Play the Perfect Courtier

Thepe rf
ectcou
rti
erthri
vesinawor l
dwhe r
ee ver
ythingrevolvesar
oundpowe ra
ndpol i
ti
cal
dexte
rit
y. Hehasma st
eredthea r
tofi
ndi
rect
ion;hef la
tte
rs,yie
ldstosupe
rior
s,andasse
rtspowe
r
overothersi
nthemotobl i
quea ndgra
cef
ulma nner
. Le ar
na ndappl
ythelawsofc our
ti
ershi
pand
ther
ewi l
lbenol i
mittohowf aryoucanri
seinthec ourt
.

 
Law 25

Re-Create Yourself

Donota cce
pttherolestha
tsoci
etyfoist
sonyou. Re-c
reat
eyoursel
fbyforginganewide
nti
ty,one
thatcommandsatte
ntionandneverborestheaudi
ence.
 Bethema st
erofyourownimagerat
hertha
n
let
tingot
hersdef
ineifforyou.
 Incorpor
atedramat
icdevi
cesint
oyourpublicges
tur
esandact
ions–
yourpowerwillbeenha nc
edandyourc harac
terwi
llseemlar
gerthanli
fe.

 
Law 26

Keep Your Hands Clean

Youmustseemapa r
a gonofc
ivil
it
ya ndef
fi
cie
ncy:Yourhandsar
eneversoi
ledbymi
sta
kesan
d
na
stydee
ds. Maint
ainsuchaspot
lessappe
ara
ncebyusingothe
rsass
capegoat
sandca
t’s
-pa
wsto
di
sgui
seyourin
volveme nt
.

Law 27

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

Peoplehaveanoverwhelmingdesiretobel
ieveinsomething.
 Be c
omethefocalpointofsuchd
esir
e
byofferi
ngthemac ause
,ane wfaithtofol
low. Keepyourwor dsvaguebutfullofpromis
e;
empha s
izeent
husi
asmove rrat
ionali
tyandc l
earthi
nki
ng. Giveyournewdi s
c i
plesri
tual
sto
perf
orm,a s
kthemtoma kes a
crif
icesonyourbe hal
f.
 Intheabsenceofor
ganizedreli
gionandgr
and
cause
s,yournewbeliefsys
temwi llbri
ngyouunt ol
dpowe r.

 
Law 28

Enter Action with Boldness

Ifyouareunsureofacours
eofact
ion,donotat
temptit
. Yourdoubtsandhes
it
ati
onswilli
nfe
ct
yourexecuti
on. Ti
midi
tyisda
ngerous:
 Bet
tert
oe nt
erwithboldne
ss. Anymist
akesyoucommit
thr
ougha udaci
tyar
eeasil
ycor
rec
tedwi t
hmoreaudacit
y. Ever
yonea dmir
est
hebold;noonehonor
s
theti
mid.

 
Law 29

Plan All the Way to the End

Theendingisever
ythi
ng. Pl
anallthewaytoit
,ta
kingintoa c
c ounta l
ltheposs
iblecons
equence
s,
obst
acle
s,andtwis
tsoffort
unethatmightre
ver
seyourha r
dwor kandgi vethegloryt
oother
s. 
By
pla
nningtotheendyouwi l
lnotbeove r
whelme
dbyc ir
cums tancesa ndyouwi l
lknowwhe ntostop.
 
Gentl
yguidefort
uneandhe l
pdetermineth
efut
urebythinkingf arahead.

 
Law 30

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Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Youract
ionsmustseemna t
uralandexecut
edwi theas
e. Allt
hetoi
landprac
tic
ethatgointot he
m,
andal
soallthecl
evertr
icks
,mus tbeconcealed.
 Whenyoua ct
,actef
for
tl
essl
y,asifyouc oulddo
muchmor e.
 Avoidthetempt
a t
ionofrevea
linghowha rdyouwork–itonlyrai
sesquest
ions. Teac
h
nooneyourtri
cksortheywillbeusedagai
ns tyou.

 
Law 31

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

Thebes
tdecepti
onsaretheonesthats
eemtogivet heotherpersonac hoic
e: Yourvi
ctimsfeelt
hey
ar
eincontr
ol,butar
ea c
tual
lyyourpuppet
s.
 Gi vepeopleoptionsthatcomeoutinyourf a
vor
whic
heveronetheychoose.
 Forcethe
mtoma kec hoice
sbe twee nt
hel es
seroft
woe vi
ls,bothof
whic
hserveyourpurpose.
 Putthemonthehornsofadi le
mma : Theya r
egoredwherevertheyt
urn.

 
Law 32

Play to People’s Fantasies

Thetrut
hisofte
na voi
dedbe ca us
ei tisugl
ya ndunple
a s
ant.
 Ne vera
ppealtot
rutha
ndr e
ali
tyunless
youareprepar
edfortheange rthatc omesfordi
s e
nchant
me nt
. Lifei
ssoharshanddis
tre
ssi
ngt ha
t
peopl
ewhoc anma nufac
turer oma nceorconjureupfanta
syarel i
keoas
esinthedese
rt:
 Everyone
fl
ockstothem.Thereisgre
a tpowe rinta
ppingintot
hef a
ntas
iesofthema s
ses.

 
Law 33

Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew

Everyonehasaweakness
,agapinthecas
tl
ewal
l.
 Thatweaknessi
susualyanins
ecur
it
y,an
uncontr
oll
abl
eemotionorne
ed;itcanal
sobeas
ma l
lsec
retple
asur
e. Ei
therwa
y,oncefound,i
tisa
thumbscre
wyo uc
ant ur
ntoyouradvant
age.

 
 Law 34

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

Thewa yyouc arr

yyour
sel
fwil
loft
endet
ermi
nehowyoua r
etrea
ted;I
nthelongrun,appeari
ng
vulgarorcommonwi l
lmakepeopl
edi
sre
spec
tyou. Forakingres
pect
shimselfa
ndi nspi
resthe
sames ent
imentinot
her
s.
 Byacti
ngre
gall
yandconfi
dentofyourpowers
,youma keyourselfse
em
desti
nedtowe aracr
own.

 
Law 35

Master the Art of Timing

Neversee
mt obeinahur ry–hur r
yingbet
raysala c
kofc ont
roloveryourse
lf,andovert
ime
. 
Alwaysseempa t
ient,a
sifyouknowt hateveryt
hingwillcometoyoue vent
ua l
ly.
 Becomea
det
ecti
veoftheri
ghtmome nt
;snif
foutthespiri
tofthetimes,t
hetr
e ndst
hatwi l
lcar
ryyout
o
power.
 Lear
nt ost
a ndbackwhe ntheti
mei snotyetri
pe,andtostr
ikefie
rcelywhenithasr
eac
hed
fr
uit
ion.

 
Law 36

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

Bya cknowl
edgingape ttyproblemyougiveitexiste
nc eandc r
edibi
li
ty.
 Themor eat
tent
ionyoupay
anene my,t
hestrongeryouma kehim;andasma llmistakeisoft
enma deworseandmor evi
sibl
e
whe nyoutr
ytof ixit.
 Itissometi
me sbes
ttole
a vethingsa l
one.
 Ifther
eissomethi
ngyouwa n
tbut
cannothave
,showc ont
e mptforit
. Thele
ssint
ere s
tyour eveal
,themoresuperi
oryous e
em. 

Law 37

Create Compelling Spectacles

Str
iki
ngima ge
ryandgrandsymbol
icges
tur
escrea
tet
heauraofpowe r–ever
yonere
spondsto
the
m. Stagespec
tacl
esfort
hosear
oundyou,t
henful
lofar
resti
ngvis
ualsandra
dia
ntsymbolstha
t
hei
ghtenyourpre
sence.
 Dazzl
edbyappear
ance
s,noonewillnot
icewhatyouarer
eal
lydoing.

Law 38

Think as you like but Behave like others

Ifyoumakeashowofgoinga gai
nstt
hetimes,flaunti
ngyourunc onvent
ionali
deasa ndunort
h o
dox
wa ys
,pe
oplewil
lthi
nkthatyouonlywa n
tatt
e nti
ona ndthatyoulookdownupont hem. Theywi l
l
fi
ndawa ytopuni
shyouforma ki
ngthemf e
eli nf
e r
ior. I
tisfars
afertoblendi
na ndnurtur
et he
commontouch.Shar
eyourorigi
nali
tyonl
ywi thtolerantfr
iendsandthosewhoa r
es uretoappreci
ate
youruni
quenes
s.

Law 39

Stir up Waters to Catch Fish

Angerandemotionarest
rate
gica
llycounte
rpr
oduct
ive.
 Youmus tal
wa ysst
aycalmandobject
ive. 
Butifyoucanma keyourenemiesangr
ywhi l
est
ayingcal
myour se
lf,yougainadec
idedadvantage
. 
Putyourenemi
esof f
-bal
ance:Fi
ndthec h
inkint
hei
rva ni
tyt
hroughwhi chyoucanra
ttl
ethema nd
youholdthest
ri
ngs.

Law 40

Despise the Free Lunch

Wha ti
soffer
edforfr
e eisdangerous–i tusual
lyinvolvesei
theratri
ckorahiddenobl i
gati
on. Wha
t
hasworthiswort
hpa yingfor.
 Bypa yingyourownwa yyoustayclearofgr
ati
tude,guil
t,and
dece
it.
 Iti
salsooft
enwi setopayt hefullpri
ce–t her
eisnoc utt
ingcorner
swithexcell
ence. Be
la
vishwithyourmone yandke epitcir
culati
ng,forgeneros
it
yi sasignandama gnetforpowe r.

Law 41

Avoid Stepping into a Great Man’s Shoes

Wha thappe
nsfi
rsta
lwa ysappearsbe t
terandmor eorigi
nalthanwha tcomesaft
er.
 Ifyous uccee
da
grea
tma norhaveafamouspa re
nt ,youwi llha
vet oaccomplis
hdoubl ethei
rachi
eveme nt
st o
outs
hinethem.
 Donotge tlosti
nt heirsha
dow,ors t
uckinapa stnotofyourownma king: Esta
blis
h
yourownna meandidenti
tybyc ha ngingcours
e. Slaytheoverbear
ingfathe
r,dis
par
a gehislegacy,
andgainpowerbyshini
ngi nyourownwa y.

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r Pa
ge8of9

Law 42

Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep will Scatter

Troubleca noft
enbetracedtoasinglestrongi ndivi
dual–thesti
rre
r ,t
hea r
rogantunderl
ing,t
he
poisonedofgoodwi l
l.
 Ifyouall
ows uc hpe opleroomt ooperat
e,otherswillsucc
umbt otheir
inf
luence. Donotwa i
tforthet
roublesth eyc ausetomulti
ply,donott r
ytone goti
atewit
ht he
m–
theyareirrede
emable.
 Ne ut
ral
izetheirinfl
ue ncebyi s
ola
tingorbani s
hingthem. Stri
keatthesour
ce
ofthetroubleandthesheepwil
ls cat
ter.

Law 43

Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others

Coerc
ionc r
eat
esareact
ionthatwilleventuall
yworka gai
nstyou.
 Youmus tseduceothersinto
wanti
ngtomov einyourdir
e c
tion.
 Ape r
sonyouha ves e
ducedbecome syourloyalpawn. Andt he
waytos e
duceother
sistooperateonthe i
rindivi
dualpsychol
ogie
sa ndwe akne
s s
es. Soft
enupt he
r
esis
tantbyworkingonthei
re motions,pl
a yi
ngonwha tt
heyholdde a
randwha ttheyf e
ar. Ignore
t
hehea r
tsandmindsofother
sa ndtheywi llgrowtohateyou.

Law 44

Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

Themirrorref
lectsre
alit
y,butitisals
othepe r
fectt
oolfordecepti
on:Whe nyoumi rroryour
enemie
s,doinge xact
lyastheydo,theyc a
nnotfigur
eoutyours tr
ategy. TheMirrorEf fe
ctmocks
andhumili
a t
esthem,ma kingthemove rr
eact
. Byholdingupami r
rortot he
irps
yc hes,youseduce
t
hemwi ththeil
lusionthatyous har
ethei
rvalues;byholdingupami r
rortothei
rac t
ions,youte
ach
t
hemal esson.
 Fe wca nresi
stthepowerofMi rr
orEffect.

Law 45

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

Everyoneunder
standstheneedf orchangeintheabst
ract,butontheda
y-t
o-dayleve
lpeoplear
e
cre
aturesofha
bit.
 Toomuc hinnovati
oni st
raumati
c,andwi lll
eadtor
evol
t. I
fyoua r
enewtoa
posi
tionofpower,oranoutsidertryi
ngtobuildapowe rba s
e,makeashowofr es
pecti
ngtheol
d
wayofdoi ngt
hings. I
fchangeisne cess
ary,makeitfe
e lli
keage nt
lei
mprovementonthepast
.

Law 46

Never appear too Perfect

Appe a
ringbette
rthanother
sisa l
waysda nge
rous,butmostdangerousofalli
stoappeart
oha veno
faul
tsorwe akness
es.
 Envyc re
atessi
lentenemie
s .
 Itiss
ma r
ttooc ca
siona
llydi
spla
yde f
ects
,and
admittoha r
mlessvic
es,inordertodef
lectenvyanda ppea
rmor ehuma nandapproac
hable.
 Only
godsandt hedeadcanseempe rf
ectwit
hi mpunit
y.

Law 47

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

Themome
ntofvi
ctor
yisof
tent
hemome
ntofgr
eat
estpe
ril
. I
nthehe
atofvi
ctor
y,a
rroga
ncea
nd

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 The48La
wsofPowe
r Pa
ge9of9

over
confi
denc
ec a
npushyoupastt
hegoalyouhadai
medf or
,andbygoi
ngtoof
ar,youma kemor
e
enemie
sthanyoudefe
at.
 Donotal
lowsucces
stogotoyourhead.
 The
reisnos
ubsti
tut
efor
st
rat
egyandcare
fulpl
anni
ng.
 Setagoal
,andwhenyoureachit
,st
op.

Law 48

Assume Formlessness

Bytakingashape,byhavingavisi
bleplan,youope nyours
elft
oatt
ack.
 Inst
eadoftaki
ngafor
mf or
yourenemytograsp,keepyourse
lfadapt
a bleandonthemove .
 Acce
ptthefactt
hatnot
hingi
s
cert
ainandnolawi sf
ixed.
 Thebe s
twa ytopr ot
ectyour
sel
fistobeasf
luidandformle
ssaswat
er;
neverbetonst
abi
lityorl
a st
ingor
der.
 Eve rythi
ngchanges
.

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ses
/cgt
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y/48_l
aws_of _power.ht
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2008