The 48 Laws of Power

Robert Greene

Sept 2000 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

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.

Ratings and reviews

1. Writing a manual on how to manipulate, hurt,and "conquer" others for selfish intent. Is disgustingly vile. Shame on you. This material needs to be regulated. Coming from a manipulator and a narcissist myself. I had to be shown from other narcissists to be aware of what I was doing to people. Using hatred and selfish conquest over another only feeds the fire that continues the way we treat each other. This book fuels a paradigm that devolves humanity and the love that is inside of us all. In the right hands and with good intentions to help defend against others yes however it needs to be reviewed together. Deceptive and dishonesty creates a black hole. Nothing escapes. Not even light.

I have Read this book many times. Some have an obsession with believing that it teaches you how to gain power. IMO, all of the methods are ineffective. I'm giving 2 stars because some of the book details interesting history lessons, aside from that this is a very boring read and it really never gets good. I read this book multiple times to see if I missed things that others read into, unfortunately for me I can not reclaim all of those hours of my life back.

If I could I would give this zero stars. This book is a disgusting example of the lack of humanity that we are now experiencing in our world. It teaches individuals to use one another and manipulate to get what you want. It also encourages people to assume the worst about one another prior to investigation. This book is for a person who is not intelligent enough to reason for themselves and/or lacks basic human decency.

About the author

Robert Greene, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, The 33 Strategies of War, The Art of Seduction, Mastery, and The Laws of Human Nature, is an internationally renowned expert on power strategies. He lives in Los Angeles.

Joost Elffers is the packaging genius behind Viking Studio's Secret Language series, Play with Your Food, and How Are You Peeling?. He lives in New York City.