The Laws of Power

Law 1
Never Outshine the Master
Always make those above you feel
comfortably superior.In your desire to
please or impress them, do not go too
far in displaying your talents or you
might accomplish the opposite – inspire
fear and insecurity.Make your masters
appear more brilliant than they are and
you will attain the heights of power.

Law 2
Never put too Much Trust in Friends,
Learn how to use Enemies
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.In fact,
you have more to fear from friends than
from enemies.If you have no enemies,
find a way to make them.

Law 3
Conceal your Intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark
by never revealing the purpose behind
your actions.If they have no clue what
you are up to, they cannot prepare a
defense.Guide them far enough down
the wrong path, envelope them in
enough smoke, and by the time they
realize your intentions, it will be too
late.

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.Powe
rful people impress and intimidate by
saying less.The more you say, the more
likely you are to say something foolish.

Law 5
So Much Depends on Reputation –
Guard it with your Life
Reputation is the cornerstone of
power.Through reputation alone you
can intimidate and win; once you slip,
however, you are vulnerable, and will be
attacked on all sides.Make your
reputation unassailable.Always be alert
to potential attacks and thwart them
before they happen.Meanwhile, learn to
destroy your enemies by opening holes
in their own reputations.Then stand
aside and let public opinion hang them.

Law 6
Court Attention at all Cost
Everything is judged by its appearance;
what is unseen counts for nothing.Never
let yourself get lost in the crowd, then,
or buried in oblivion.Stand out.Be
conspicuous, at all cost.Make yourself a
magnet of attention by appearing larger,
more colorful, more mysterious, than
the bland and timid masses.

Law 7
Get others to do the Work for you, but
Always Take the Credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork
of other people to further your own
cause.Not only will such assistance save
you valuable time and energy, it will give
you a godlike aura of efficiency and
speed.In the end your helpers will be
forgotten and you will be
remembered.Never do yourself what
others can do for you.

Law 8
Make other People come to you – use
Bait if Necessary
When you force the other person to act,
you are the one in control.It is always
better to make your opponent come to
you, abandoning his own plans in the
process.Lure him with fabulous gains –
then attack.You hold the cards.

Law 9
Win through your Actions, Never
through Argument
Any momentary triumph you think
gained through argument is really a
Pyrrhic victory:The resentment and ill
will you stir up is stronger and lasts
longer than any momentary change of
opinion.It is much more powerful to get
others to agree with you through your
actions, without saying a
word.Demonstrate, do not explicate.

Law 10
Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and
Unlucky
You can die from someone else’s misery
– emotional states are as infectious as
disease.You may feel you are helping the
drowning man but you are only
precipitating your own disaster.The
unfortunate sometimes draw misfortune
on themselves; they will also draw it on
you.Associate with the happy and
fortunate instead.

Law 11
Learn to Keep People Dependent on You
To maintain your independence you
must always be needed and wanted.The
more you are relied on, the more
freedom you have.Make people depend
on you for their happiness and
prosperity and you have nothing to
fear.Never teach them enough so that
they can do without you.

Law 12
Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to
Disarm your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover
over dozens of dishonest ones.Open-
hearted gestures of honesty and
generosity bring down the guard of even
the most suspicious people.Once your
selective honesty opens a hole in their
armor, you can deceive and manipulate
them at will.A timely gift – a Trojan
horse – will serve the same purpose.

Law 13
When Asking for Help, Appeal to
People’s Self-Interest,
Never to their Mercy or Gratitude
If you need to turn to an ally for help,
do not bother to remind him of your
past assistance and good deeds.He will
find a way to ignore you.Instead,
uncover something in your request, or
in your alliance with him, that will
benefit him, and emphasize it out of all
proportion.He will respond
enthusiastically when he sees something
to be gained for himself.