The 48 Laws of Power
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4.4 • 140 Ratings
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- $22.99
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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 48 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. In a bold and arresting two-color package, 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 book 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. Even if you have no intention of following all 48 of Greene’s maxims, this is an incredibly useful read for dealing with ambition and competition.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Greene and Elffers have created an heir to Machiavelli's Prince, espousing principles such as, everyone wants more power; emotions, including love, are detrimental; deceit and manipulation are life's paramount tools. Anyone striving for psychological health will be put off at the start, but the authors counter, saying "honesty is indeed a power strategy," and "genuinely innocent people may still be playing for power." Amoral or immoral, this compendium aims to guide those who embrace power as a ruthless game, and will entertain the rest. Elffers's layout (he is identified as the co-conceiver and designer in the press release) is stylish, with short epigrams set in red at the margins. Each law, with such allusive titles as "Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy," "Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit," "Conceal Your Intentions," is demonstrated in four ways--using it correctly, failing to use it, key aspects of the law and when not to use it. Illustrations are drawn from the courts of modern and ancient Europe, Africa and Asia, and devious strategies culled from well-known personae: Machiavelli, Talleyrand, Bismarck, Catherine the Great, Mao, Kissinger, Haile Selassie, Lola Montes and various con artists of our century. These historical escapades make enjoyable reading, yet by the book's conclusion, some protagonists have appeared too many times and seem drained. Although gentler souls will find this book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented solely to power will have a perfect vade mecum. BOMC and Money Book Club alternates. Author tour.
Customer Reviews
A must read
Pay no mind to those who argue that Greens’s book is a how-to for sharks and ruthless people. The core idea behind 48 Laws of Power is that people are motivated for personal gain. Everyone. Some are better practitioners, but even fewer are those who recognize it in the actions of others. This book stands up well to repeated reading. Indispensible when you’re first joining the workforce, you’ll find new insight reding this in your 40s and 50s in understanding how people work and why they do what they do.
Great book
laws for life
Definitely a good read !!
It has taken me a while to finish the book, as I wanted to really take in the laws presented from this book. This is definitely great for those that need a quick crash-course on building up social awareness and cues.