Power game stories highlighting both winners and losers over the past 3000 years are consolidated into the strategy guide, The 48 Laws of Power. Author Robert Greene, shares the adventures and misadventures of historical figures to show how power can be won or lost. From master of the power game, Niccolo Machiavelli to con artist, Yellow Kid Weil; Robert Greene distills lessons about power to 48 concise statements.
Summary – The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The 48 Laws of Power is an incredible compilation of the history of power and how others have successfully and not so successfully played power games. Each chapter describes one law of power with examples and strategies.
Examples of how the law was applied successfully and how the law was misused or not applied are shared from the point of view of historical figures and the events surrounding them. The "Key to Power" section describes how to apply a specific law to a current situation. Greene includes a segment on “Reversals” to show when not to use the law or how to defend when the law is being used by others. Quotes about power printed in red ink and arranged in fanciful shapes adorn the sidebars of each chapter adding visual interest and information.
Review – How-to Strategy Guide The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The basic premise of the book is that certain actions increase power and other actions decrease power. By studying the historical winners and losers in the power game, the reader is able to see how the laws apply today.
Readers thinking of laws as definitive rules may find The 48 Laws of Power to be imprecise and that laws conflict with each other. Thinking of a law as a generalization describing a set of events can help the reader see the situational context of each of The 48 Laws of Power.
The names of the 48 laws seem built for tabloid headlines. Some are harsh such as “Law 15 Crush your enemy totally.” Some are slimy, for example, “Law 14 Pose as a friend, work as a spy.” Readers should not be put off by the headlines. The stories behind the headlines are informative and complex.
Whether the reader reads the book from front to back or hones in on specific chapters, The 48 Laws of Power will intrigue, inform and instruct.
Background 411 on The 48 Laws of Power and Robert Greene
Rapper 50 Cent and Robert Greene have just released a new book, The 50th Law.
The 48 Laws of Power is published by Penguin Books
Copyright: 2000
ISBN – 0 -14 02.8019 7
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