This is a re-post:
I mentioned The 48 Laws of Power a couple of weeks ago, labeling it "A Sociopath's Handbook." I now have my hands on a copy. It is, indeed, instructive in understanding what some of the people around us are doing. Here are some of the "48 Laws" that the book discusses:
- Never outshine the master
- Never put too much trust in friends; use your enemies
- Conceal your intentions
- Always say less than necessary
- So much depends on reputation - guard it with your life
- Court attention at all cost
- Get others to do the work - but always take the credit
- Make other people come to you - use bait if necessary
- Win through your actions, never through argument
- Infection: Avoid the unhappy and unlucky
- Keep people dependent on you
- Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim
- When asking for help, appeal to their self-interest
- Pose as a friend; work as a spy
- Crush your enemy totally
- Use absence to increase respect
- Keep others in suspended terror; cultivate unpredictability
- Isolation is dangerous: Do not build a fortress to protect yourself
- Know who you're dealing with: do not offend the wrong person
- Do not commit to anyone
- Play a sucker to catch a sucker: Seem dumber than your mark
- The surrender tactic: Transform weakness into power
- Concentrate your forces
- Play the perfect courtier
- Re-create yourself
- Keep your hands clean
- Play on peoples' need to believe to create a cult-like following
- Enter action with boldness
- Plan all the way to the end
- Make your accomplishments seem effortless
- Get others to play with the cards you deal
- Play to peoples' fantasies
There are more, of course.
