48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene

The 48 Laws of Power

"Power is a game. It is necessary to know how to play it to conquer what you desire in politics, in business, in personal life, and even in the court of love. The 48 Laws of Power shows how masters act in this art that involves intelligence, insight, planning, and, above all, dissimulation, whether in feudal Japan or in the court of Louis XIV, in the Italian Renaissance or in Mafia-era Chicago.

The Laws include, among others, the ability to wait for the right moment to strike, the skill to create an mystifying aura to confuse enemies, knowing how to conquer people's hearts and minds, and covering up all actions with smoke screens.

Kings, politicians, generals, diplomats, and religious figures – as well as courtesans, bandits, and charlatans – serve as the basis for the 48 Laws that govern power and influence over people. Among other examples, learn:

• How Galileo Galilei managed to move from beggary to become the court astronomer.

• What led Louis XIV to be the feared “Sun King.”

• How Talleyrand manipulated the powerful Napoleon.

• In what way Mao Zedong managed to seize power with a ragged army.

• Why Abraham Lincoln praised the Southerners in the middle of the Civil War.

• What was the secret of Casanova's methods of seduction."