The 48 Laws Of Power

118 LAW 16 OBSERVANCEOFTHELAW For many centuries the Assyrians ruled upper Asiawithanironfist.Inthe eighthcentury B.C.,however, ...

respect forhim gradually turnedintoaformof worship: Hewasnota mere mortal, they believed, butthesonofa god. Interpretation Deioc ...

120 LAW 16 Themoment you allow yourself tobetreatedlike anyone else, itistoo late--you areswallowedand digested To prevent this ...

Extendthelawof scarcity to your ownskills.Makewhat you areoffer- ing the worldrareandhard to find, and youinstantly increaseitsv ...

REVERSAL This law onlyapplies onceacertainlevelof power hasbeenattained.The needtowithdraw only comesafter you haveestablished y ...

17 KEEPOTHERSIN SUSPENDED TERROR: CULTIVATEANAIROF UNPREDICTABILITY _]UDGMENT Humansarecreatures ofhabit withaninsatiabteneedto ...

OBSERVANCEOFTHELAW In May of 1972, chess champion Boris Spasskyanxiously awaitedhisrival Bobby Fischerin Reylqavik, Iceland.Thet ...

show up ontimefor thesecond game. Thistimethe organizers had had enough: Hewas given aforfeit.Nowhewasdowntwo games to none, at ...

I26 LAW 17 tempt to put theinitiativeonhissideandto keepSpassl-Ly offibalance. Clearly theendless waiting hadaneffecton Spassky’ ...

would suddenly start treating himwiththeutmostdisdain. Confused, the man might leavethe court, whenthedukewould suddenly recallh ...

128 LAW 17 heallowedhimafairamountoflatitudein handling his paintings, thenone day, forno apparent reason, hetoldthemanhewouldno ...

REVERSAL Sometimes predictability canworkin your favor: Bycreating a pattern for people tobefamiliarandcomfortable with, you can ...

130 18 DONOT BUILDFORTRESSES TO PROTECTYOURSELF- ISOLATIONISDANGEROUS _]UI)GM ENT Theworld is dangerous andenemiesam everywhere- ...

TRANSGRESSIONOFTHELAVV Ch’inShih Huang Ti, thefirst emperor ofChina (221-210B.C.), wasthe mightiest manofhis day. His empire was ...

prr~i:uuIim1.s thr- 4'rmmers migh! bid dr7_fimzr;v IO mnlagiorz. '171¢‘L’.Xl€‘W1tl[world zruuldtakecare: of itself In (/16mmntir ...

about him, noticingeverything. Hewasoffendedifthemost distinguished noblesdidnotlive permanently at court, andthosewhoshowedthem ...

l 34 LAW 18 Becausehumansare social creatures by nature, powerdepends onso- cial interactionandcirculation. To make yourselfpowe ...

tality ofhis namehe wouldcommissionfrescoes forthemain chapel ofthe churchofSanLorenzoinFlorence.Hehad manygreatpainters tochoos ...

I 36 LAW 18 Image: TheFortress. High up onthe hill, thecitadelbe comesa symbol ofallthatis hatefulin power and authority. Thecit ...

LAW 19 KNOW WHO YOU’RE DEALING WITH- DO NOT OFFEND THE WRONG PERSON JUDGMENT Thereare many different kinds ofpeople inthe world, ...