The 48 Laws Of Power

Greene implores his readers to not seek to outshine their masters, but instead strive to make their superiors look better. He uses Nicolas Fouquet, the seventeenth-century French king Louis XIV’s finance minister, to illustrate how showing off too much before your superior leads to demotion. Fouquet hosted a splendid party to commemorate the building of his new chateau, Vaux-le-Vicomte under the auspices of flattering Louis XIV and ingratiating himself with him. However, jealous, demagogic Louis XIV was so insecure after this display of wealth that he found an excuse to imprison Fouquet for the rest of his life. While Fouquet languished in prison, the dull Jean-Baptiste Colbert was put in charge of the treasury, because Louis knew he would never outshine him. Greene argues that Fouquet was pushed into obscurity because he tarnished the king’s image of his own superiority.

Instead of attempting to outshine his patrons, the Medicis, 17th-century scientist Galileo used his discovery of Jupiter’s moons to honor the family who had Jupiter as their symbol. As a result, the Medicis made Galileo the official court philosopher and mathematician, which meant that he had a sufficient salary to continue the investigations that meant so much to him. According to Greene, Galileo succeeded because he recognized that “all masters want to appear more brilliant than other people” and so used his ingenuity to glorify the Medicis as the patrons of an exciting scientific discovery (40).

Greene goes as far as advocating that the attractive and talented should tone down the traits that might make their masters appear at a disadvantage. He maintains that “by letting others outshine you, you remain in control, instead of being a victim of their insecurity” (44).

Nevertheless, in the case of a weak master, it may serve to outdo and out-charm them in order to promote their fall. In any case, power naturally weakens, and you will one day have a chance to outshine your master.

Greene turns traditional wisdom on its head when he argues that friends can betray you faster than enemies, as they can become ungrateful, envious, and self-seeking. Instead, enemies have everything to prove to you, so if you hire them, they can be more loyal and inspire you to excellence.

Greene uses the example of Byzantine emperor Michael III as a reason for why not to promote your friends. Michael promoted Basilius, a Macedonian peasant who saved his life, to the position of chief counsellor, as opposed to his experienced uncle Bardas, who had betrayed Michael’s mother, Theodora. While Michael believed that Basilius would be loyal, Basilius was profligate and self-seeking. He also spread the rumor that Bardas sought Michael’s throne and so got the latter’s permission to have Bardas murdered. When Basilius replaced Bardas as head of the army, he soon had enough power to stage an uprising, stab Michael to death, and become emperor himself. According to Greene, Basilius behaved in the manner of a typical friend when he forgot Michael’s role in his success and imagined he had earned his merits on his own accord.

Instead, Greene considers that “your enemies […] are an untapped gold mine that you must learn to exploit” (56). For example, at the beginning of the 19th century, Napoleon’s foreign minister Talleyrand employed his former enemy, Joseph Fouché, as his partner in opposing Napoleon’s more ruinous policies. Talleyrand knew that Fouché would expect nothing from him and would instead be professional and hold him to account. The men were successful in mounting opposition to Napoleon.

Indeed, Greene considers that enemies who keep us sharp and inspire us to excellence are so valuable that those without enemies should cultivate them. The boundaries that you naturally have with enemies allow you to keep enough distance for clarity and rational thought. By contrast, you never know where you truly stand with friends. Greene advocates that friends should only be employed in business to cover up dirty mistakes or be used as scapegoats.

Greene writes that concealing one’s intentions is a key power move, as when people cannot predict what you are up to, they cannot defend themselves against you.

He argues that pretending you want something other than your object of desire is beneficial. The famous 17th-century French courtesan Ninon de Lenclos advised the Marquis de Sevigné to seduce an unresponsive young countess by continually throwing her off the scent by changing his game. He was to pretend that he wanted only her friendship and to make her jealous by appearing amongst other attractive women in unexpected places. Such behavior would make the Marquis seem like a difficult, much sought after prize. While this approach began to work, the Marquis blew it when he declared his love to the countess. Once he revealed his game as one of seduction instead of a pleasurable guessing game of suggestions, she immediately lost interest.

In the mid-19th century, Prussian parliamentarian Otto von Bismarck played the game of deception much better by concealing how much he wanted the war that would bring him power. Instead, von Bismarck claimed he wanted the peace his conservative cronies desired and talked on the madness of war. This caused him to gain the king’s trust and be promoted as the Prussian premier. Once he was in this position of power, he achieved the war he wanted and further strengthened his position.

The smoke screen, or bland exterior, can be an invaluable asset in making others feel comfortable around you and for misleading them about your true intentions. However, some charlatans have used colorful disguises and distracted audiences with humor to great effect. This is because people mistake appearance for reality and find it difficult to concentrate on more than one thing at once.

Greene argues that those who speak few words retain the aura of mystery than enables others to imagine that they are more intelligent than they actually are. The great Roman military hero Coriolanus became the stuff of legends because he was a relative mystery and people projected heroism onto him. However, when he decided to exploit the reputation silence had given him and enter politics, his blustering, brashly worded speeches disappointed his audiences and led to his downfall and banishment from Rome. According to Greene “the more Coriolanus said, the less powerful he appeared—a person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect” (88).

In contrast, the French despot Louis XIV trained himself to be a man of few words. As a result, few people knew what he was thinking or where they stood with him. This meant that people feared him, and he retained absolute power. Mid-20th century artist Andy Warhol also gained an aura of profundity from his vague, sparsely worded quotes as “by saying less than necessary you create the appearance of meaning and power” (91).

However, there are times when being silent can arouse suspicion and it is more advisable to resemble the guileless, chatty court jester. Your speech can put people at ease and allow you to carry out your work of deception.

Greene writes that “reputation is the cornerstone of power” as it enables you to intimidate and influence others (94). A good reputation precedes you and does the hard work of gaining influence before you even arrive. Correspondingly, a bad reputation has the reverse effect.

Greene argues that because other people are unknowable to us, we can never judge them for their true character. Instead, we judge them on appearances, as we take in their physicality, actions, and what others say about them. These form the basis for reputation. A good reputation will protect you from having people know what you are really like, and so make you less vulnerable.

Greene advises establishing a reputation for one outstanding quality, as this will make your virtues clear in others’ minds and create anticipation prior to your actual appearance. For example, a reputation for honesty will allow you to create all manner of deceptions. In the case where you have already lost your reputation, you can improve it by associating with someone who has a more wholesome image. This will boost your reputation by proxy.

Greene also argues that you can gain power by subtly poking holes in another’s reputation.

The ability to keep the public’s eyes on you, as opposed to getting lost in the crowd, can be an immense source of power. Making yourself a “magnet of attention,” whether good or bad and cultivating an aura of mystery, so that no-one can predict your appearances and actions allows you greater influence over people (107).

Greene maintains that while no one is born knowing how to outshine others, it is a skill that you can learn. For example, you can begin by cultivating a startling quality that sets you apart from other people. Those in lowly positions can often boost their reputation by slandering those of their superiors. Once in the limelight, it is important to vary your act so that people do not get used to you and grow bored. He cites the example of the supposedly East Asian dancer Mata Hari, who arrived in Paris at the turn of the 20th century and beguiled the city with her many stories of origin, all of which concealed the truth that she was a Dutch girl by the name of Margaretha Zelle. Her mystery continued to be her standout quality and ensured she had a career far longer than that of most showgirls. This is because those who have an aura of mystery see this magnified by others who constantly try to interpret them and so keep them front and center in their attention.

However, the need for attention should be used wisely and kept in check at times when it might threaten to outshine and embarrass your superiors or give you the wrong reputation.

Greene argues that using the knowledge, skills, and creativity of others to further your own course can save you time and energy. The trick is to get as many inventions or accomplishments as possible associated with your name. The mistake of late nineteenth-century Serbian scientist Nikola Tesla was that he worked on behalf of numerous scientists, substantially furthering their progress, but never getting his name attached to any invention. As a result, he died in poverty and relative obscurity. In contrast, Thomas Edison, the man who exploited Tesla, was more a businessman than scientist, as he spotted “the trends and the opportunities that were out there, then hiring the best in the field to do the work for him” (131). This is because he understood that the credit to the invention is more important than the innovation itself.

The successful are vulture-like exploiters of others’ creativity and the only way you can guard against them is to become one of them yourself. However, taking credit for others’ work should be done with caution. Often, if you are inexperienced, you could be charged with wanting to push others out of the limelight. Instead, sometimes giving others credit for your work when you are confident that the truth will come out later, is more empowering.

Greene maintains that “when you force the other person to act, you are the one in control” because “it is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process” (136). Having an attractive enough bait or reward for your enemies “will blind them to reality” and force them to act in accordance with your plans (142). You will thus also save vital energy while others exhaust themselves.

However, there are situations where a fast attack is the best course of action, when it startles your enemy and makes them respond on your terms. 

Greene argues that victories in verbal arguments are ephemeral, as they are subject to changes in opinion. In contrast, the impact of actions has greater longevity, as it is better able to change lives.

Moreover, if you seek to try and win an argument verbally, there is the chance that you will offend the other person instead of succeeding in getting what you want. At the beginning of the 16th century, Michelangelo came to Florence to carve a figure from a block of marble. The figure would become the famous David sculpture of 1501. When Florence’s mayor, Soderini came to inspect the statue, he commented that David had an over-large nose. While Michelangelo thought Soderini was mistaken, he knew that getting into a verbal argument with this man who considered himself an aesthete, would be offensive. Instead, he physically walked the mayor over to another place in the room and pretended to chisel away at the nose, whilst in reality doing nothing to alter the statue.

Greene also advises choosing the indirect route to power and selecting battles carefully to conserve energy. However, you can use verbal arguments as a distraction tactic when practicing deception.

Greene argues that “emotional states are as infectious as diseases” and that associating with the unlucky or pathologically dissatisfied will cause you to resemble them (158). He maintains that most misery arises from self-inflicted folly rather than circumstance, and therefore it is futile to attempt to improve the lot of the unfortunate. Rather than listening to people’s stories, you would do better to judge them for the effects their behavior has on others.

When it comes to power, “the people you associate with are critical” and by having “infectors” in your life, you waste valuable time and energy (165). In contrast, you stand to benefit from being around those who are cheerful and intelligent because you will inevitably gain a share of their prosperity. Seeking people who have the opposite of your flaws can also help; for example, a gloomy person should keep cheerful company and watch themselves transform.

Greene argues that the more you make yourself indispensable and irreplaceable, the more power and freedom you have. Since the time of the condottieri, Medieval Italian mercenary soldiers, people who do not excel in their personality or skills stand to be replaced by someone younger and cheaper. However, if you are “the only one who can do what you do and make the fate of those who hire you so entwined with yours that they cannot possibly get rid of you” (171), your fate will be different. For example, the German statesman Otto von Bismarck purposely sought to be the assistant of weak rulers who would let him do as he pleased and felt they could not cope without him. He thus avoided being swallowed up by more powerful people.

Greene states that power is not free-floating self-reliance, but instead it’s getting other people to do your bidding through interrelationship. Even if you do not have a spectacular talent that makes you indispensable, you can take the American politician Henry Kissinger’s approach and ingratiate yourself in so many aspects of an organization that your superiors cannot demote you without major disruption.

While Greene maintains that deceit is a key agent of power, tactical noble gestures of honesty, generosity, and kindness can bring down the guard of others and make them amenable to you. This is because “the essence of deception is distraction” (185), as distracting those you want to deceive gives you the space to do something they will not notice.

Greene claims that “selective honesty” can touch even the most suspicious hearts, as it gives them respite from the overt power moves and deceptions that people continually play on them (183). Honesty, in addition to gift-giving and selective kindness, reduce people to a gullible child-like state where their defenses are weaker.

When you have earned a reputation for deceit, people will recognize any attempts at emotional manipulation. In this case, it is better to be periodically candid about your skills as a master deceiver. This will earn others’ respect and endow you with a measure of power. 

In your mission to attract more power, you will inevitably have to make requests to those more powerful than you. Most people make the mistake of trying to appeal to people’s sense of gratitude for past good deeds. Instead, it is far better to study your potential benefactor carefully and appeal to something that will nurture their self-interest. Greene argues that most people fail to understand this because “they are completely trapped in their own wants and desires” (196), assuming that people have a selfless interest in helping them. Instead, they would do better to understand their benefactor’s psychology and appeal to their weak points, for example, vanity or concern for social standing.

However, there are some exceptions who will be persuaded by a situation where they will be able to feel superior to you and be seen as the generous party. You must be able to tailor your appeal to the type of benefactor you wish to attract.

Intimate knowledge of rivals is essential and the best way to gather relevant information is by spying on them. You will then be in a position to penetrate your rival’s weaknesses and anticipate their desires.

Greene states that indirect questioning is the best method for gathering information, rather than pointed enquiries, as this encourages people to let their guard down and speak on their own accord.

It is also important to prepare for the eventuality that someone may spy on you. You might decide to give out false information to distract your rivals from the precious truth. Keeping the truth secret is essential to maintaining your power.

Greene writes how all great leaders know they must crush an enemy completely, rather than merely weakening them. Enemies who are weakened but not overcome will lick their wounds and inevitably seek revenge. You will never be peaceful and secure while they are still around and able to harm you.

When we sympathize with our enemies, we strengthen their hatred of us, and because they are humiliated, they gather further ammunition to harm us. For Greene, “only one side can win, and it must win totally” (216). Greene argues that in the modern day, getting rid of your enemy involves not murder, but banishment to a place where they will be rendered harmless. You must always expect that while the enemy has an ounce of power, they will be plotting against you.

There are exceptions, when it is better to allow your enemy to destroy themselves, as cornering them when they are weak may make them fight even more viciously. Moreover, modern historians consider that the Treaty of Versailles, which exhorted severely punitive reparations from Germany at the end of the First World War, created the spirit of bitterness and despair that paved the way for Hitler’s rise. In this case, it may have been better for the war’s victors to have been more lenient with their enemy.

Greene argues that “too much circulation makes the price go down” (223). Therefore, it is wise to create value through scarcity and intersperse a strong presence with well-timed absences. This is especially true in the field of romantic love, where after the initial period, where a strong, captivating presence is essential, too much presence can create saturation and make your lover tire of you. If you are too present, even your most splendid talents can become a habit. Instead, in your absence, you spark your lover’s imagination, making them wonder about you and desire to chase you again.

Feudal era rulers applied similar tactics, withdrawing to remote palaces and so making the populace miss them. Greene writes that you must learn the art of knowing when to withdraw before others “unconsciously push you away” (230). This is especially important for today, when we are saturated with images that speak to people’s presence. Instead, timely disappearances can increase the value of presence.

However, Greene cautions that absences only work when a strong degree of presence has already been achieved. If you absent yourself before you have left a memorable impression, you may be forgotten and so diminish your power.