concentrate your forces – law 23 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 23 Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another – intensity defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to elevate you, find the one key …
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use the surrender tactic: transform weakness into power – law 22 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 22 When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose to surrender instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the satisfaction of fighting and defeating you – surrender first. By turning the other cheek …
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know who you’re dealing with – do not offend the wrong person – law 19 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 19 There are many different kinds of people in the world, and you can never assume that everyone will react to your strategies in the same way. Deceive of outmaneuver some people and they will spend the rest of their lives seeking revenge. They are wolves in lambs’ clothing. Choose your victims and opponents …
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do not build fortresses to protect yourself – isolation is dangerous – law 18 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 18 The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere – everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it protects you from – it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people, find …
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keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability – law 17 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 17 Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your …
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use absence to increase respect and honor – law 16 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 16 Too much circulation makes the price go down: The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear. If you are already established in a group, temporary withdrawal from it will make you more talked about, even more admired. Your must learn when to leave. Create value through scarcity. –{{Robert …
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crush your enemy totally – law 15 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 15 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 how dimly it smolders, a fire will eventually break out. More is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihiliation. The enemy …
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pose as a friend, work as a spy – law 14 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 14 Knowing about your rival is critical. Use spies to gather valuable information that will keep you a step ahead. Better still: Play the spy yourself. In polite social encounters, learn to probe. Ask indirect questions to get people to reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There is no occasion that is not an opportunity for …
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when asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude – law 13 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 13 If you need to turn to an ally for help, do not bother to remind him of your past assistance and good deeds. He will find a way to ignore you. Instead, uncover something in your request, or in your alliance with him, that will benefit him, and empathize it out of all …
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use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim – law 12 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 12 One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens a hole in their armor, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse …
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how to win friends and influence people by dale carnegie

tl;dr: {{Dale Carnegie}}’s {{How to Win Friends and Influence People}} is what {{Robert Greene}} was trying to redo with {{The 48 Laws of Power}} and {{The Art of Seduction}} (both of which I’ve previously reviewed). It’s probably the only “self-help” book I’ve ever read that didn’t either talk down to you, nor treat you as …
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learn to keep people dependent on you – law 11 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 11 To maintain your independence you must always be needed and wanted. The more you are relied on, the more freedom you have. Make people depend on you for their happiness and prosperity and you have nothing to fear. Never teach them enough so that they can do without you. –{{Robert Greene}}, {{The 48 …
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the 50th law by 50 cent and robert greene

The 50th Law The greatest fear people have is that of being themselves. They want to be 50 Cent or someone else. They do what everyone else does even if it doesn’t fit where and who they are. But you get nowhere that way; your energy is weak and no one pays attention to you. …
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infection: avoid the unhappy and unlucky – law 10 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 10 You can die from someone else’s misery – emotional states are as infectious as diseases. You may 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. …
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the 33 strategies of war by robert greene

I’ve now read [almost] all of {{Robert Greene}}’s books (just pending is {{The 50th Law}}, which I’ll have reviewed in a couple weeks). Thanks to my local library, I have not had to spend gobs o’ cash in the process (though at least one of his books I think is most definitely worth the expenditure). …
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win through your actions, never through argument – law 9 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 9 Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory: The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. …
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get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit – law 7 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 7 Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only wil such assitance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what …
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court attention at all costs – law 6 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 6 Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all costs. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious than the bland and timid masses. –{{Robert Greene}}, …
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the art of seduction by robert greene

Warning: This book contains, in places, intense terminology, and is directed at mentally-mature audiences Now back to our regularly-scheduled bog post After having read {{The 48 Laws of Power}} (and enjoying it), I decided to read some of {{Robert Greene}}’s other popular works. So, I read {{Mastery}}. And then I read {{The Art of Seduction}}. …
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so much depends on reputation – guard it with your life – law 5 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 5 Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes …
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mastery by robert greene

In {{Mastery}}, {{Robert Greene}} continues in the style of his excellent work, {{The 48 Laws of Power}} (which I previously reviewed and have been posting excerpts from). Sadly, it is not quite to the level of The 48 Laws – though it still a good book. Unbeknownst to me, I’ve already been practicing most of what …
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always say less than necessary – law 4 – #48laws by robert greene

Law 4 When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original it you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you …
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