The 48 Laws of Power
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4.3 • 127 Ratings
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control—from the author of The Laws of Human Nature.
In the book that People magazine proclaimed "beguiling" and "fascinating," Robert Greene and Joost Elffers have distilled three thousand years of the history of power into forty-eight essential laws by drawing from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz and also from the lives of figures ranging from Henry Kissinger to P. T. Barnum.
Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), others teach the value of confidence ("Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness"), and many recommend absolute self-preservation ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"). Every law, though, has one thing in common: an interest in total domination. The 48 Laws of Power is ideal whether your aim is conquest, self-defense, or simply to understand the rules of the game.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Everything you’ve heard about this audiobook is true. Robert Greene’s megabestseller is a thorough how-to guide for success by any means necessary—and some of its pointers are intense. Like Law 15, which is all about crushing your enemies. Or Law 7, which advises you to take credit for other people’s work. All that ruthlessness definitely sets Greene’s tough-love playbook apart from more softhearted self-help guides, but he balances his cutthroat rules with loads of practical tips, like being suspicious of free lunches (Law 40), knowing when to slow down (Law 47), and the importance of making bold decisions (Law 28). A classics major turned screenwriter who claims to have worked at over 80 different jobs, Greene uses fascinating historical examples to illustrate how well-known badasses like Michelangelo and Al Capone used many of these laws to their own advantage. And narrator Richard Poe drives home the book’s ideas with his straightforward, assured reading. Even if you have no intention of following all 48 of Greene’s maxims, this is an incredibly useful listen for dealing with ambition and competition.
Customer Reviews
Chapter divisions are ridiculous
The way they divided the book chapters is beyond silly.
The narrator is one of the best I’ve heard.
If you have good character, this book will help you be better.
If your character is bad, it will make it worse. Some of the laws are bordering on evil. But it helps me to be more aware of being manipulated or fooled.
Outstanding read
Love this book. Makes you feel empowered In any social situation.
Mostly negative with some valuable takeaways
The book provides author’s viewpoint on power. He has tried to breakdown the dynamics behind power into 48 laws in which he offers his reflections along with historical citations supporting his research. While it’s an interesting read, I personally find it hard to believe that it’s all doom and gloom out there given many historical instances where power was achieved, accumulated and sustained in a positive way unlike the books message that generally revolves around the opposite. It’s a long read but very interesting research on many cultures and geographies from both ancient and modern times where power games were played. My advice is to not get influenced by the message but consider this as one’s perspective, i.e. the author, on historical events. That’s where it stops for me!