from
the
crowd,
andthemoreadmiration
you
eam.
Society
is
fullofthose
whothink
daringthoughts
butlack
the
guts
to
print
and
publicize
them.
Voicewhatthe
public
feels--the
expression
ofshared
feelings
is
always
powerful.
Searchoutthemost
prominenttargetpossible
and
slingyour
boldestshot.Theworldwill
enjoy
the
spectacle,
andwillhonortheunder-
dog—you,
thatis-—with
glory
and
power.
KEYSTOPOWER
Mostofusaretimid.Wewanttoavoidtensionandconflictandwewantto
beliked
by
all.We
maycontemplate
a
boldactionbutwe
rarelybring
it
to
life.Weareterrifiedofthe
consequences,
ofwhatothers
might
thinkof
us,
ofthe
hostility
wewillstir
up
ifwedare
go
beyond
ourusual
place.
Although
we
maydisguise
our
timidity
asaconcernfor
others,
ade-
sirenottohurtoroffend
them,
infactitisthe
opposite—we
are
really
self-
absorbed,
worriedaboutourselvesandhow
others
perceive
us.
Boldness,
ontheother
hand,
is
outer-directed,
andoftenmakes
people
feelmoreat
ease,
sinceitislessself-consciousandless
repressed.
Thiscanbeseenmost
clearly
inseduction.All
great
seducerssucceed
througheffrontery.
Casanova’sboldnesswasnotrevealedina
daringap-
proach
to
thewomanhe
desired,
orin
intrepid
wordstoflatter
her;
itcon-
sistedinhis
ability
tosurrenderhimselftoher
completely
andtomakeher
believehewoulddo
anything
for
her,
evenriskhis
life,
whichinfacthe
sometimesdid.Thewomanonwhomhelavishedthisattentionunder-
stoodthatheheld
nothing
backfromher.Thiswas
infinitely
moreflatter-
ing
than
compliments.
Atno
pointduring
theseductionwouldheshow
hesitationor
doubt,
simply
becauseheneverfeltit.
Partofthecharmof
being
seducedisthatitmakesusfeel
engulfed,
temporarily
outsideofourselvesandtheusualdoubtsthat
permeate
our
lives.Themomenttheseducer
hesitates,
thecharmis
broken,because
we
become
awareofthe
process,
oftheir
deliberateefforttoseduce
us,
of
theirself-consciousness. Boldnessdirects attention outward and
keeps
theillusionalive.Itneverinducesawkwardnessorembarrassment.And
soweadmirethe
bold,
and
prefer
tobearound
them,
becausetheirself-
confidenceinfectsusanddrawsusoutsideourownrealmofinwardness
andreflection.
Fewarebornbold.
Even
Napoleon
hadtocultivatethe
habitonthe
battlefield,
whereheknewitwasamatteroflifeanddeath.Insocialset
tings
hewasawkwardand
timid,
butheovercamethisand
practiced
bold-
nessin
everypart
ofhislifebecausehesawitstremendous
power,
howit
could
literallyenlarge
itman
(even
one
who,
like
Napoleon,
wasinfact
conspicuously
small).
We
also
seethis
change
inIvanthe
Terrible:Aharm-
less
boysuddenly
transformshimselfintoa
powerfulyoung
manwhocom-
mands
authority,
simplybypointing
a
finger
and
taking
holdaction.
Youmust
practice
and
developyour
boldness.Youwilloftenfinduses
forit.Thebest
place
to
begin
isoftenthedelicateworldof
negotiation,par-
TflliHOY.’l.'\l‘l
TfiliNETTlJ’,
A
boyplaying
inthe
fieldsgotsrwzgby
a
nettle.Heranhometo
his
mother,
telling
her
thathehadbutIouched
rim!
nastyweed,
andit
had
stung
him.“Itwas
justyourtouching
it,
myboy,"sai1l
the
mnthflf.“thatcausedit
to
stingyou;
thenext
rime
you
meddlewitha
nettle,grasp
it
tightly,
anditwilldo
you
nohim.
”
Do
boldly
what
you
do
at
all.
FAHLES,
Aas
or,
sncmCENTURYEr).
lI\‘)\VT0BF,
VliI'l‘l)l'll()llE-4l.\l..('l\r'l',
Butwiththerewho
havemadean
impres-
sion
uponyourheart,
I
havenoticedthat
you
aretimid.This
quality
mightaffecl
abour-
geoise,
but
you
mu.rt
attacktheheart
afa
woman
ofllxr
world
withother
weapons.
.
..
Iwell
you
an
belmlfaf
women:lheff,’l5P10!073?
ofizs
whodoesno!
prefer
a
lime
rough
handling
to(onmuch
considemtimx.Men
lose
rlzroaigll
blunder-
ing
moreheartsthan
virmesaves.Themore
limidity
alovershows
will;asthemorei!
concernsour
pride
to
goal}
himon;themore
respect
hehas
for
our
LAW 28 233