The 48 Laws Of Power

Interpretation

DrWeislecler
may

haveknown

nothing

about

medicine,

butheunder-

stoodhumannature.He

recognized

that

people

donot

always

want

words,

orrational

explanations,

ordemonstrationsofthe

powers

of

science;

they

wantanimmediate

appeal

totheiremotions.Givethemthatand

they

will

dotherest—suchas

imaginethey

canbehealed

by

the

light

reflectedfrom

arock
a
quarter

millionmiles

away.

Dr.Weislederhadnoneedof

pills,

or

of

lengthy

lecturesonthemoon’s

power,

orof

anysillygadgetry

to

amplify

its
rays.

Heunderstoodthatthe

simpler

the

spectacle

the

better—just

the

moonlightpouring

infromthe

side,

the

stairwayleading

tothe

heavens,

andthe
rays

ofthe

moon,

whether

directly

visibleornot.

Any

addedef-

fects

might

havemadeitseemthatthemoonwasnot

strongenough

onits

own.Andthemoonwas

strongenough——it

wasa

magnet

for

fantasies,

as

it

hasbeen

throughouthistory.Simplybyassociating

himselfwiththe

image

ofthe

moon,

thedoctor

gainedpower.

Remember:Yoursearchfor

powerdepends

onshortcuts.Youmustal-

ways

circumvent

people’ssuspicions,

their

perverse

desiretoresist

your

will.

Images

arean

extremely

effectiveshortcut:

Bypassing

the

head,

the

seatofdoubtand

resistance,

they

aim

straight

fortheheart.

Overwhelming

the

eyes,they

create

powerful

associations,

bringingpeopletogether

and

stirring

theiremotions.Withthewhite

light

ofthemoonintheir

eyes,your

targets

areblinded

tothe

deceptionsyoupractice.

OBSERVANCEOFTHELAWII

In 1536 thefuture

king

HenriIIofFrancetookhisfirst

mistress,

Dianede

Poitiers.

Dianewas

t.hirty—seven

atthe

time,

andwasthewidowofthe

grand

seneschalof

Normandy.

Henri,meanwhile,

wasa

sprightly

ladof

seventeen,

whowas

justbeginning

tosowhiswildoats.Atfirsttheirunion

seemed

merelyplatonic,

withHenri

showing

an

intensely

spiritual

devo-

tiontoDiane.Butitsoonbecameclearthathelovedherin

everyway,pre-

ferring

herbedto

thatofhis

young

wife,

Catherine

de’Médicis.

In 1547

King

FrancisdiedandHenriascendedtothethrone.Thisnew

situation

posedperils

forDianedePoitiers.Shehad

just

turned

forty-eight,

and

despite

hernotoriouscoldbathsandrumored

youthpotions,

shewas

beginning

toshowher

age;

nowthatHenriwas

king,perhaps

hewouldre-

turntothe

queen's

bed,

and

doasother

kings

haddone—choosemis-

tressesfromthe

bevy

ofbeautieswhomadetheFrenchcourtthe

envy

of

Europe.

He

was,

after

all,

onlytwenty-eight,

andcuta

dashingfigure.

But

Dianedidnot

giveup

so

easily.

Shewouldcontinuetoenthrallher

lover,

as

shehadenthralledhimforthe

past

eleven

years.

Diane’ssecret

weapons

were

symbols

and

images,

towhichshehadal-

wayspaidgreat

attention.

Early

oninher

relationship

with

Henri,

shehad

createdamotif

byintertwining

herinitialswith

his,

to

symbolize

their

union.Theideaworkedlikeacharm:Henri

put

this

insignia

everywhere-

onhis

royal

robes,

on

monuments,

on

churches,

onthefacadeofthe

where

Antony

uwaitvri

the

queen

emhronedon

his

tribunal,

mm"!atlast

hewas

leftsittingquite

alonn.Andtheword

spread

on

every

side

[hat

Aphrodite

had

cometonavelwith

Dionysusfor

the

happinessofAxia.

/imony

thansmra

messageinviting

C'Ieo[1utra

todinewith

him.Butshe

thought

it

more

appmprime

thal

heshouldcometo

her,

andso.ashewishedto

showhis

courtesy

and

goodwill,

he

accepted

andwent.He

found

the

prcpariuirmx

madeto

receivehim

rnagnificent

Ileyolxdwords,

but

whata.s'toni.s'hezlhim

most

of

allwasthe

extraordinary

number

ofIiglits.

So

manyof

them

itis

said,

werelet

down

from

the

roof

and

¢Il.x‘[)luyell

onall

sidesat

ante.

and

they

were

arranged

and

grouped

m.Yll('l’l

inge-

nious

patterns

inrela-

tiontoemrh

olhr-.r,

.s'mm-

in

squares

andsomein

circles,

thm

they

(.‘f€(lll’ll

asbrillianta

spectacle

ascaneverhawbeen

zle\«'is'edto

delight

the

eye.

LIFEOFANTONY.

l’LlI'i‘AR(‘H.

c.A.D.4ti—l20

IntheMiddle

Ages

/he

.\’ymlwli.\‘t

umrudvwas

muchmoreinevidmce.

...
Syrnbolisrnappears

as(1sort

o_/Crlwrt

out

of

thought.

lmtezul

of

lookingfor

therelaliml

LAW 37 311