Everyone wants power over people and events, and always tries to get more. No one likes feeling powerless.
But wielding power is a double-edged sword. It’s a vital asset, but appearing too power-hungry or being too blatant in using power could be fatal to you, or at least to your ambitions and status. You must create a facade of appearing fair and decent, but behind it you must be cunning and ruthless.
You can learn to play the game of power by studying how it was played in the Old World aristocratic courts that surrounded a powerful person — the rules are much the same today. In those days everyone schemed for power. Underlings served a king or master, but at the same time sought their own power by sucking up. If they got too obvious about it, however, their peers (who had the same goal) would turn on them.
On the surface, everyone had to seem civilized and refined. So winning the king’s favor required being subtle while also watching out for, and thwarting, others’ scheming to oust you.
The key was to be indirect: Smile while stabbing your opponent in the back, and use charm and deception instead of overt power grabs. You also had to apply tactical thinking, subtle strategy, and vigilance — always planning several moves ahead.
The game of power is the same today. You must appear fair and civilized, without applying those principles literally. If you were to behave in a truly fair and democratic way, you’d be crushed by others who understand the reality of wielding power: Respect the niceties but do whatever is necessary to deceive and outmaneuver everyone else.
(As Niccolo Machiavelli said: “Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.”)
Those most successful at playing the game manipulate others to do their bidding without the others’ recognizing it. And since they don’t realize it, they don’t resent or resist it.
Some people find the notion of consciously playing power games, even indirectly, off-putting — they see it as evil or immoral, a vestige of the past. But whether you intentionally participate or not, you’re still part of the game.
In fact, those claiming the loudest to be anti-power are often highly skilled players. You can easily spot them by the strategies they use to disguise their manipulations,including:
Supposed non-players flaunt their morality and sense of justice. But since all people yearn for power and are always trying to get it, they’re just throwing up these “virtues” as a smokescreen to distract others from their own power plays. Virtue-signallers are skilled power players (sometimes unconsciously skilled) who particularly resent being called out on their tactics.
There’s no point in trying to opt out of the power game. You’ll only end up with less power and you’ll be miserable. Rather than resisting the inevitable or feeling guilty, it’s better to be a master player of the power game.
The better you are at dealing with power, the better a person you become. You’ll give others pleasure and make them feel better about themselves. In addition, they’ll want to be around you (we like to bask in the glow of powerful people) and will come to depend on your abilities. By mastering the 48 Laws, you’ll spare others the pain of playing the game badly by taking control from them.
In order to apply the laws of power successfully, you must view the world in a different way. You’ll need to learn some overarching skills and mindsets that won’t come naturally:
This is the most important skill because emotions interfere with reason — if you can’t view a situation objectively, you can’t prepare for it and respond to it in a controlled way.
Responding emotionally is a mistake that will cost you more than the momentary satisfaction of venting. Anger is the most destructive emotional response because it blinds you the most. It also escalates situations and strengthens your opponent’s resolve. It’s better to keep an opponent off guard by pretending to be friendly than by revealing your anger. Love can also be dangerous — it can blind you to the self-serving behavior of those closest to you.
Controlling your emotions doesn’t mean repressing them, however. Just be careful in expressing them — and don’t let them affect your plans and strategies.
Viewing the past and future dispassionately enables you to better handle danger from any direction.
Study the past to educate yourself. Don’t look at the past while remembering pain or bearing grudges — forget those things because they eat at you and cloud reason.
First, learn from past power players — winners and losers. Also, learn from your own experience, and from your past actions and those of your friends. Analyze your mistakes in light of the 48 Laws: Each time you learn a lesson, vow never to repeat the mistake. This will help you break the patterns of the past.
As for the future, imagine and anticipate problems before they arise. Nothing should catch you by surprise. Instead of imagining your plan’s fruition, figure out every possible outcome and pitfall and plan for it. The farther you see ahead, the more powerful you become.
Have many masks, and choose the one that fits the occasion. Learn to disassociate from yourself. Be many different people. Make your face changeable; work to conceal your intentions.
This tool of deception is your most important weapon because all human interaction requires deception on some level; it distinguishes us from animals. Craftiness was revered in Greek mythology.
Patience will protect you from making foolish or catastrophic mistakes. It’s a sign of strength, whereas showing impatience makes you look weak. Rest assured that good things will come if you bide your time and see several steps into the future.
View circumstances neutrally rather than as good or evil. Power is amoral. It’s a game. When engaged in a game of strategy, judge others by the effect of their actions, not by their intentions. Judge their strategy and power by what you can see and intuit; don’t get caught up in making moral judgments.
Don’t take anything personally — it’s a game. Play with a strategy and calmly note your opponent’s moves, their outcomes, and the circumstances. Don’t be distracted by anything else.
Important note: What you don’t do, and don’t allow yourself to be pulled into, are as important as what you do.
Gauge everything by what it costs you. You may achieve your goal, but first know the price. Apply this standard to everything, including whether to collaborate with other people or come to their aid. Life is short, and your opportunities and energy are limited. Time is a cost. Don’t waste valuable time or mental energy on others’ issues.
Power is a social game — be a psychologist and look for the motivations behind people’s actions so you can learn how to push their buttons. When you understand someone’s hidden motives you can take advantage of them through deception and manipulation.
Key principle: Never trust anyone totally — carefully study everyone, including your friends and loved ones.
Conceal your strategy: Plan and implement your moves subtly and quietly, so you won’t be caught out or give your opponent a chance to preempt you. Also, by being indirect, you can appear to be epitome of decency while pulling the strings behind the scenes.
This book is a guide to the art of deception. The 48 Laws are based on writings going back 3,000 years of people who have excelled at the game of power. The laws of power reflect their accumulated wisdom. Observing the laws will usually increase your power, while violating or failing to observe them will erode it.
A quick reading will allow you to evaluate your past actions and get more control over the present. A careful reading may prompt bigger changes. You can also read it for entertainment, but beware that it’s easy to become consumed with the possibilities. Also, don’t be frivolous: The gods of power reward those who study it, but punish those who fail to approach it seriously.
(Shortform ote: in our summary, we’ve kept all 48 laws instead of combining or omitting them. While this causes a longer summary, each law has unique aspects, and condensing further for the sake of brevity could omit relevant points.)