The 48 Laws of Power Paperback – September 1, 2000

This is the book every person who wants to be powerful or wants to have power not be used against them should read. This I would consider one of the greatest books I've ever read and I've only read half of it so far it is impactful.

This is a great book. I've been reading it for myself and to my kid. He isn't necessarily old enough to worry about leading an army, seducing a French noble girl, or pleasing the Emperor of China, but the lessons in this book are worth learning. I fear this book probably gets a bad rap as a cynical, Machiavellian practical manual for being a bad guy, but the lessons in this book do apply to nearly all aspects of your life, even if you find some of the approaches and reasoning objectionable. It's better to learn these rules from others' experiences, rather than your own blunders. One thing I love about this book is the historical examples used to justify the rules. The author pulls from all over the world's cultures to show you how politicians, business men, military commanders, politicians, and royals played the game of power. It helps bring history to life and makes historical figures more approachable. The sections on P.T. Barnum, for instance, made me laugh at his audacious showmanship. The sections on Louis the XIV brought him to life as more than just some old French guy with a cane and a blue cape lined with ermine (the Hyacinthe Rigaud portrait). The proverbs and anecdotes and quotes sprinkled throughout the margins also add another layer of context to the book. I like seeing how these rules are essentially universal to the human experience and they're found in Aesop and African proverbs and Chinese anecdotes and Shakespeare, etc.I believe everyone ought to read this book, even if you don't personally like the lessons it contains. Additionally, I recommend getting the hardcover version. For me, this book is one I'll be proudly adding to my library for re-reading and I like the larger format the hardcover version offers.

Good insight to current political situation with Trump. Sounds like he uses this book for his political plans

The 48 Laws of Power is a powerful and insightful book that offers a deep look into strategy, influence, and human behavior. Each law is backed by historical examples that make the content both educational and engaging. Whether you agree with all of it or not, it challenges you to think critically about power dynamics in everyday life. A must-read for anyone interested in personal growth or leadership.

there seems to be a lot of love and hate surrounding this book, so if you are curious but unsure, this review should help you decide whether or not to buy the book, and how it will impact youFirst, to understand the 48 laws of power, you must know two key ideas1. you CAN NOT escape the power game. thinking you can "not participate" is as foolish as thinking that you could somehow escape gravity or make the sun stand still. Robert Greene explains why in the intro with some excellent examples2. the 48 laws of power are neither good nor evil; they are just LAWS. If someone pushed a man off a cliff would you blame gravity for for his demise? This is the mindset you must adopt in order to learn a lot from this book.Things I Liked- NEW PARADIGMafter reading the 48 laws, you will never see the world the same way again. once you understand some of these laws you will see many underlying currents and motives you did not see before.- INCREASES POWERone of the main reasons to buy the book. you wil become exponentially more powerfull by knowing and understanding these laws-CRYSTAL CLEARevery law is clearly outlined with "transgression" of the law, "observance" of the law, keys to power, and a "reversal"-GREAT STORIESthe 48 laws are packed with mindblowing and sometimes humorous stories of people in history practicing these laws. this is helpful as some of the concepts are quite abstract.What I didn't like-RISKYan old proverb says " A man who plays with snakes will eventually be bitten". If you begin to use the 48 Laws improperly, you could get yourself in some dangerous situations, lose friends, piss off a lot a people, and destroy relationships- REQUIRES DISCERNMENTif you you are looking for a highly concrete book that the says "do xyz and you will accomplish vyx" look elsewhere. the Laws require good judgement and and and prospecting nature to practice and apply-NOT FOR EVERYONEIf you are aghast at the idea of manipulation and deceit then read with caution.OVERALL: If you want to have more power or a better understanding of why different situations turn out the the way they do, you should definitely read the 48 laws of power by Robert Greene. If you want to be naive, easily manipulated, weak, you should ignore this book and go watch some netfilx.Thanks for reading

A must have book to understand power and how to obtain it with a grey moral compass, but hey, we're talking about power, not being liked.