The 48 Laws Of Power

deceit
(see

Law

21,

SeemDumberThanYour

Mark).

Andeven

genuine

naivetéisnotfreeofthesnaresof
power.

Children

may

benaivein

many

ways,

but

they

often

act

from

an

elementalneed

to

gain

controloverthose

aroundthem.
Children
suffer

greatly

from

feelingpowerless

in

theadult

world,

and

they

use

any

meansavailableto

get

their

way.Genuinely

inno-

cent

peoplemay

stillbe

playing

for

power,

andareoften

horribly

effective

atthe
game,

since

they

arenothindered

by

reflection.Once

again,

those

whomake
ashowor

display

ofinnocencearetheleastinnocentofall.

Youcan

recognize

these

supposednonplayersby

the

waythey

flaunt

theirmoral

qualities,

their

piety,

their

exquisite

senseof

justice.

Butsince

allofus

hunger

for

power,

andalmostallofouractionsareaimedat

gain-

ing
it,
the

nonplayers

are

merelythrowing

dust

inour

eyes,distracting

us

from
their

powerplays

with

theirairofmoral

superiority.

If

you

observe

them

closely,you

willseeinfactthat

they

areoftentheonesmostskillfulat

indirect

manipuiation,

evenifsomeofthem

practice

it

unconsciously.

And

they

greatly

resent

anypublicizing

ofthetactics

they

use

everyday.

Iftheworldislikea

giantscheming

courtandweare

trapped

inside

it,

thereisnousein

trying

to

opt

outofthe

game.

Thatwill

only

render

you

powerless,

and

powerlessness

willmake

you

miserable.

Insteadof

strug-

glingagainst

the

inevitable,

insteadof

arguing

and

whining

and

feeling

guilty,

itisfarbettertoexcelat

power.

In

fact,

thebetter

you

areat

dealing

with

power,

thebetter

friend,lover,

husband,wife,

and

personyou

be

come.

Byfollowing

the

route

of

the

perfect

courtier

(see

Law

24)you

learn

tomakeothersfeelbetterabout

themselves,

becoming

a

sourceof

pleasure

tothem.

They

will

grow

dependent

on

your

abilitiesanddesirousof

your

presence.Bymastering

the 48 lawsinthis

book,

you

spare

othersthe

pain

thatcomesfrom

bungling

with

power—~byplaying

withfirewithoutknow-

ing

its

properties.

If

the

game

of

power

is

inescapable,

bettertobeanartist

than2.denierora

bungler.

Learning

the

game

of

powerrequires

acertain

way

of

looking

atthe

world,

a

shifting

of

perspective.

It

takeseffort

and

years

of

practice,

formuch

of

the

game

may

notcome

naturally.

Certainbasicskillsare

required,

and

once

you

mastertheseskills

you

willbeableto

apply

thelawsof

power

more

easily.

Themost

important

ofthese

skills,

and

power’s

crucial

foundation,

is

the

ability

tomaster

your

emotions.

An

emotional

response

toa.situationis

the

singlegreatest

barrierto

power,

amistakethatwillcost

you

alotmore

than

any

temporary

satisfaction

you

mightgainby

expressingyour

feel-

ings.

Emotionscloud

reason,

andif

you

cannotseethesituation

clearly,

you

cannot

prepare

forand

respond

toitwith

any

degree

ofcontrol.

Anger

isthe

mostdestructiveofemotional

responses,

forit

clouds

your

visionthemost.Italsohasa

ripple

effectthat

invariably

makessitua-

tionslesscontrollableand

heightensyour

enemy’s

resolve.If

you

are

try»

ing

to

destroy

an

enemy

whohashurt

you,

farbetterto

keep

him

off—guard

byfeigning

friendlinessthan

showingyouranger.

l

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