The 48 Laws Of Power

I 36 LAW 18

Image:

TheFortress.

High

up

onthe

hill,

thecitadelbe

comesa

symbol

ofallthatis

hatefulin

power

and

authority.

Thecitizens

ofthetown

betray

you

tothefirst

enemy

thatcomes.

Cutofffromcommunicationandin-

telligence,

thecitadelfallswithease.

Authority:

A

good

andwise

ptince,

desirousof

maintaining

that

character,

andtoavoid

giving

the

opportunity

tohissonstobe-

come

oppressive,

willneverbuild

fortresses,

sothat

theymay

place

theirreliance

upon

the

good

willoftheir

subjects,

andnot

upon

the

strength

ofcitadels.

{NiccoloMachiavelli, 1469-4527)

REVERSAL

Itis

hardly

ever

right

and

propitious

tochooseisolation.Without

keeping

anearonwhatis

happening

inthe

streets,

you

willbeunableto

protect

yourself.

About

the

onlything

that

constanthumancontactcannotfacili~

tateis

thought.

The

weight

of

society's

pressure

to

conform,

andthelackof

distancefromother

people,

canmakeit

impossible

tothink

clearly

about

whatis

going

onaround

you.

Asa

temporary

recourse,then,

isolationcan

helpyou

to

gainperspective.Many

a

seriousthinkerhasbeen

produced

in

prisons,

wherewehave

nothing

todobutthink.Machiavellicouldwrite

ThePrince

only

oncehefoundhimselfinexileandisolatedonafarmfar

fromthe

political

intrigues

ofFlorence.

The

danger

is,however,

thatthiskindofisolationwillsireallkindsof

strange

and

perverted

ideas.You

maygainperspective

onthe

largerpic-

ture,

but

you

loseasenseof

your

ownsmallnessandlimitations.

Also,

the

moreisolated

you

are,

theharderitistobreakoutof

your

isolationwhen

you

chooseto——itsinks

youdeep

intoits

quicksand

without

yournoticing.

If

you

needtime

to

think,then,

chooseisolation

only

asalast

resort,

and

only

in

smalldoses.Be

carefulto

keepyourway

back

into

societyopen.