48 laws
Laws 1–10: The Foundation of Power
Law 1: Never Outshine the Master This law hits you right in the gut. Always try to hide your talent in the presence of your superiors. If you try to show you’re smarter, your master will feel insecure. I’ve seen brilliant employees get sidelined simply because they made their boss look bad in a meeting. Greene’s advice? Be humble and even ask your superiors for help. It might sting your ego, but it saves your career.
Law 2: Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies Here’s where Greene gets really dark. “Be wary of friends — they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove.” Your friend might unconsciously compete with you. Your former rival has something to prove.
Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions Always lead people astray when it comes to your intentions. Make sure they don’t realize your plans too soon. Think of it like poker — you don’t show your hand until the game’s over.
Law 4: Always Say Less Than Necessary “When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike.” I’ve seen this in action countless times. The person dominating the conversation usually has the least power in the room.
Law 5: So Much Depends on Reputation — Guard It With Your Life Greene calls reputation “the cornerstone of power.” “Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life’s artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.” Your reputation precedes you into every room, every deal, every relationship.
Law 6: Court Attention at All Costs Make sure you’re always in the spotlight. But here’s the catch — it has to be the right kind of attention. Greene isn’t talking about being a loudmouth; he’s talking about strategic visibility.
Law 7: Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit This sounds terrible, but watch how successful leaders operate. They delegate brilliantly, then position themselves as the visionary behind the success. Harsh? Yes. Effective? Unfortunately, also yes.
Law 8: Make Other People Come to You — Use Bait if Necessary Always make your opponents come to you. Control the playing field, set the terms. When people come to you, you’re automatically in a position of power.
Law 9: Win Through Your Actions, Never Through Argument “Many a serious thinker has been produced in prisons, where we have nothing to do but think.” Arguments create enemies. Demonstrable results create followers.
Law 10: Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky This might sound coldhearted, but Greene argues that negative energy is contagious. Surround yourself with people who elevate you, not drain you. Laws 11–20: Manipulation and Control
Law 11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on You “Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent.” But also ensure they need you. If people can easily replace you, they will.
Law 12: Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim “Remember: The best deceivers do everything they can to cloak their roguish qualities. They cultivate an air of honesty in one area to disguise their dishonesty in others.” One generous act can cover a multitude of sins.
Law 13: When Asking for Help, Appeal to People’s Self-Interest Never appeal to mercy or gratitude. People act based on what benefits them. Frame your requests accordingly.
Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy Get close to people to learn their secrets. “Never be distracted by people’s glamorous portraits of themselves and their lives; search and dig for what really imprisons them.”
Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally “A Prince asked the dying spanish statesman, ‘Does your Excellency forgive all your enemies?’ ‘I do not have to forgive all my enemies,’ answered the statesman, ‘I have had them all shot.’” When you have the chance, neutralize threats completely.
Law 16: Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor Scarcity creates value. The less available you are, the more people appreciate you when you show up.
Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability “To succeed in the game of power, you have to master your emotions. But even if you succeed in gaining such self-control, you can never control the temperamental dispositions of those around you.” Keep people guessing.
Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself — Isolation is Dangerous Isolation cuts you off from information. Information is power. Stay connected.
Law 19: Know Who You’re Dealing With — Don’t Offend the Wrong Person “Never assume that the person you are dealing with is weaker or less important than you are.” Some fights aren’t worth picking.
Law 20: Do Not Commit to Anyone Independence equals power. As soon as you commit, you limit your options. Laws 21–30: Advanced Tactics
Law 21: Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker — Appear Dumber Than Your Mark Let people think they’re smarter than you. “He who poses as a fool is not a fool.” They’ll underestimate you, which is exactly where you want them.
Law 22: Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power Sometimes retreating is the smartest move. Live to fight another day, when the odds are better.
Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces “Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others — that is too high a price to pay.” Focus your energy where it matters most.
Law 24: Play the Perfect Courtier Master the art of fitting in while standing out. Flatter those above, control those below.
Law 25: Re-Create Yourself “LAW 25: Re-Create Yourself. Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience.”
Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean Let others do the dirty work. Distance yourself from anything that could tarnish your reputation.
Law 27: Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cult-Like Following People desperately want to believe in something bigger than themselves. Give them that, and they’ll follow you anywhere. Get Anurag’s stories in your inbox
Law 28: Enter Action with Boldness “If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness.” People respect decisiveness.
Law 29: Plan All the Way to the End Think several moves ahead. Consider every possible outcome and have contingencies ready.
Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless Never let people see you sweat. Make success look easy, even when it’s not. Laws 31–40: Advanced Control Mechanisms
Law 31: Control the Options: Get Others to Play with the Cards You Deal Present choices that all benefit you. Let people think they’re deciding when you’ve already determined the outcome.
Law 32: Play Into People’s Fantasies People want to feel special. Feed that need, and they’ll do almost anything for you.
Law 33: Discover Each Person’s Thumbscrew Everyone has a weakness, a pressure point. Find it. Use it carefully.
Law 34: Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act like a King to Be Treated Like One “Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated” — how you carry yourself determines how others treat you.
Law 35: Master the Art of Timing Timing is everything. The right action at the wrong time fails. The wrong action at the right time can succeed.
Law 36: Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them Gives You Power “You choose to let things bother you. You can just as easily choose not to notice the irritating offender.” What you ignore loses power over you.
Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles People love drama, pageantry, show. Give them spectacle, and you control their attention.
Law 38: Think as You Like But Behave Like Others “LAW 38: Think As You Like But Behave Like Others. If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention.” Blend in outwardly while remaining unique inwardly.
Law 39: Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish Create chaos to create opportunities. While everyone’s distracted by the turbulence, you can act.
Law 40: Despise the Free Lunch “Despise The Free Lunch” — nothing’s really free. Everything comes with strings attached. Laws 41–48: Master-Level Power Dynamics
Law 41: Avoid Stepping Into a Great Man’s Shoes Don’t try to replace a legend. You’ll always suffer by comparison. Create your own legacy instead.
Law 42: Strike the Shepherd, and the Sheep will Scatter “Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter” — target the leader, and the whole organization falls apart.
Law 43: Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others Win people emotionally, not just rationally. Hearts and minds together create unstoppable loyalty.
Law 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect Reflect people’s behavior back at them. It’s deeply unsettling and gives you psychological advantage.
Law 45: Preach the Need for Change but Never Reform Too Much at Once People resist dramatic change. Introduce it gradually, make it palatable.
Law 46: Never Appear Too Perfect “LAW 46: Never Appear Too Perfect. Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies.” Show strategic vulnerability.
Law 47: Do Not Go Past the Mark You Aimed For; In Victory, Learn When to Stop “There is nothing more intoxicating than victory, and nothing more dangerous.” Know when you’ve won. Overreach destroys everything.
Law 48: Assume Formlessness Be adaptable, unpredictable, hard to pin down. “When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet.”