48 Laws of Power Summary Audio

Audio summary of '48 Laws of Power' by Robert Greene

Consequently, in his controversial book, “The 48 Laws of Power,” best-selling author Robert Greene argues that if you manage to seduce, charm, and deceive your opponents, you will attain the ultimate power. Greene states that the better you become at handing power, the better friend, lover, and person you will become.

“The 48 Laws of Power” is structured as a detailed list that delves into each law in detail. In this “48 Laws of Power” summary, we look at each of the laws in turn and extract the key takeaways for you to consider before making your next move.

To Greene, power is amoral. It’s a game. A social game. To master it, you must be able to study and understand people. Yet, you must always take the most indirect route to power. “The 48 Laws of Power” is a handbook in the various arts of indirection.

Covering a span of more than 3,000 years, “The 48 Laws of Power” includes 48 pieces of wisdom from men and women across a variety of international civilizations that all share a common thread. Greene’s book is a distillation of this accumulated wisdom and a veritable how-to guide on how to become more powerful. It is a priceless source of knowledge for those seeking to get ahead.

Law 1: Never Outshine the Master

Law 2: Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends. Use Your Enemies

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions

Law 4: Always Say Less than Necessary

Law 5: Protect Your Reputation at All Costs

Law 6: Court Attention at All Costs

Law 7: Get Others Do the Work For You, But Take the Credit

Law 8: Make People Come to You

Law 9: Win Through Actions, Never Through Argument

Law 10: Don’t Get Infected by Misery and Misfortune

Law 11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on You

Law 12: Use Selective Honesty & Generosity to Disarm Your Victim

Law 13: Get Help by Appealing to Self-Interest, Never to Their Mercy

Law 14: Pose As a Friend Work As a Spy

Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally

Law 16: Raise your Value Through Absence and Scarcity

Law 17: Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Law 18: Don’t Isolate Yourself Behind a Fortress

Law 19: Know Who You’re Dealing with

Law 20: Do Not Commit to Anyone

Law 21: Play A Sucker to Catch a Sucker: Seem Dumber Than Your Mark

Law 22: Use the Surrender Tactic

Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces

Law 24: Play the Perfect Courtier

Law 25: Re-Create Yourself

Law 26: Keep Your Hands Clean

Law 27: Play on People’s Need to Believe to Create a Cultlike Following

Law 28: Enter Action With Boldness

Law 29: Plan All The Way to The End

Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Law 31: Control the Options

Law 32: Play to People’s Fantasies

Law 33: Discover Each Man’s Thumbscrew

Law 34: Be Royal in Your Own Fashion – Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One

Law 35: Master the Art of Timing

Law 36: Disdain Things You Cannot Have: Ignoring Them is the Best Revenge

Law 37: Create Compelling Spectacles

Law 38: Think As You Like, But Behave Like Others

Law 39: Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish

Law 40: Despise the Free Lunch

Law 41: Avoid Stepping Into a Great Man’s Shoes

Law 42: Strike the Shepherd to Scatter the Sheep

Law 43: Work on The Hearts and Minds of Others

Law 44: Disarm and Infuriate with the Mirror Effect

Law 45: Preach the Need for Change, But Never Reform Too Much at Once

Law 46: Never Appear Too Perfect

Law 47: Do Not go Past The Mark You Aimed For, In Victory, Know When to Stop

Law 48: Assume Formlessness