The 48 Laws Of Power

885

Image:

Vineswith

Many

Thorns.

Below,

theroots

grow

deep

andwide.

Above,

thevines

pushthrough

bushes,

entwinethemselves

LAW 11

around

trees

and

poles

and

window

ledges.

To

get

ridofthem

wouldcostsuchtoiland

blood,

itiseasiertoletthemclimb.

Authority:

Make

peopledepend

on

you.

More

is to be

gained

from

• 
  

such

dependence

than

courtesy.

He

whohasslakedhis

thirst,

immedi-

ately

turnshis back on the

well,

no

longerneeding

it.When

depen~

dence

disappears,

so does

civifity

and

decency,

and

then

respect.

Thefirstlesson which

experience

shouldteach

you

isto

keephope

alive butnever

satisfied,

keeping

evena

royalpatron

everinneedof

you.

(BaltasarGracién,16014658)

REVERSAL

Theweaknessof

making

others

depend

on

you

isthat

you

areinsome

measure

dependent

onthem.But

trying

tomove

beyond

that

point

means

getting

ridofthoseabove

you—it

means

standing

alone,

depending

onno

one.Such

isthe

monopolistic

driveof

a_].

P.

Morgan

or

ajohn

D.Rocke-

feller———todriveoutall

competition,

tobein

complete

control.If

you

can

cornerthe

market,

somuchthebetter.

Nosuch

independence

comeswithouta

price.

Youareforcedtoisolate

yourself.Monopolies

oftenturninwardand

destroy

themselvesfromthein-

ternal

pressure.They

alsostir

uppowerful

resentment,

making

theirene-

miesbond

together

to

fight

them.Thedrivefor

complete

control

is

often

ruinous

andfruitless.

Interdependence

remains

the

law,

independence

a

rareandoftenfatal

exception.

Betterto

placeyourself

ina.

position

ofmu-

tual

dependence,

then,

andtofollowthiscriticallawratherthanlookforits

reversal.Youwillnothavetheunbearable

pressure

of

being

on

top,

andthe

masterabove

you

willinessencebe

your

slave,

for

kewill

depend

on

you.