The 48 Laws Of Power

5'62 LAW 31

REVERSAI.

Controlling

the

options

hasonemain

purpose:

to

disguiseyourself

asthe

agent

of

power

and

punishment.

Thetacticworks

best,then,

forthose

whose

power

is

fragile,

andwhocannot

operate

too

openly

without

incur-

ring

suspicion,

resentment,

and

anger.

Evenasa

general

rule,however,

itis

rarely

wisetobeseenas

exertingpowerdirectly

and

forcefully,

nomatter

how

secureor

strongyou

are.Itis

usually

more

elegant

andmore

effective

to

givepeople

theillusionofchoice.

Ontheother

hand,

bylimiting

other

people’soptionsyou

sometimes

limit

your

own.Therearesituationsinwhichitisto

youradvantage

to

allow

your

rivalsa

largedegree

offreedom:As

you

watchthem

operate,

yougiveyourself

rich

opportunities

to

spy,gather

information,

and

plan

yourdeceptions.

The

nineteenth~century

banker

James

Rothschildliked

thismethod:Hefeltthat

if

he

triedto

control

his

opponents’

movements,

helostthechancetoobservetheir

strategy

and

plan

a

moreeffective

course.Themorefreedomheallowedthemintheshort

term,

themore

forcefully

hecouldact

against

theminthe

long

run.