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Business. Self-Improvement. Nonfiction. HTML: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… (more)
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As I continued reading, my position
Here is a small
“OPPONENTS, SUCKERS, AND VICTIMS: Preliminary Typology
In your rise to power you will come across many breeds of opponent, sucker, and victim. The highest form of the art of power is the ability to distinguish the wolves from he lambs, the foxes from the hares, the hawks from the vultures. If you make this distinction well, you will succeed without needing to coerce anyone too much. But if you deal blindly with whomever crosses you path, you will have a life of constant sorrow, if you even live that long. Being able to recognize types of people, and to act accordingly, is critical. The following are the most dangerous and difficult types of mark in the jungle, as identified by artists—con and otherwise—of the past.”
The sidebar directly beside the above paragraph reads: “When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet.”
Mr. Robert Greene is a classicist of the highest caliber, and he left no major classical work unnoticed as he gleaned that rich field of human knowledge. Although admittedly one-sided, dark-sided, a person can gain an admirable command of a deeply interesting part of Classical Studies by perusing the 452 pages of Mr. Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power.
The only criticism I might have is the title. As one reads this profoundly fascinating book, the astute will discover in short order that the ‘laws’ are not laws at all. Many of them conflict with each other, so I feel it would have been more accurate to call them The 48 GUIDELINES of Power. However, I admit, with such an unbeguiling title as I suggest, Mr. Greene's book would not have most likely become a National Bestseller, so I can forgive him that.
Why I picked this book up: I am a clinical Psychologis. I grew up in LA County and work in a max security, level 4, prison. I once talked with an inmate porter who cleaned our hallway, bathroom and cleared trash. I often read and he asked me if I ever read one
Thoughts: I know manipulation is common and even pets can manipulate to get what they want but I do not want my children reading this book. I don't want my children to manipulate others, I want them to be honest, honorable, trustworthy and pure.
Why I finished this read: In spite of all the morally unacceptable thind a in these laws I finished because I wanted to orient myself to and observe the inmates I work around. I read this to educate myself on how some criminals think and behave.
I rated this book at a 1.5 stars because I do like like this root of these 49 laws.
In addition to that, the wide range of historical anecdotes used to illustrate the "laws" make the book worth reading over and over again.
This is an entertaining and enlightening book. Definitely a must have for anyone who does not want their life to be the kicktoy of random events.
Repellent. Utterly amoral. Reprehensible. Negative 300 million zillion stars.
While the "laws" are useful
Using historical accounts of incidents,
The historical references are what kept my attention to the end. If this is your type of book, I would recommend it.
However, The 48 Laws is a really dispirating book, I DNF'd the abbreviated version many years ago, but thought I would give the full work a go.
The jaundiced views make it a negative book to read, not helped by the
Intellectually a nice idea, and it has clearly made Robert Green a lot of money, but in for the reader it is frustrating. This is not least because for each example given, it isn't that difficult to come up with a polar opposite, that would demonstrate a contrary law. In fact, there are many internal inconsistencies within the laws...maybe "it depends" is the overriding message?
Recently, Greene described this book, by saying it's a way of making you aware of the kind of people that are in the world, and allowing you to be better able to deal with them. If that was the case, then why didn't he write that book?
That being said, The 48 Laws are interesting thought experiments and both the layout and prose are engaging. I will continue to read Robert's books, but I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone.