An edition of The 48 Laws of Power (1998)

The 48 laws of power

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Cover of: The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene, Joost Elffers, Robert Greene
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  • ★★★★ 4.1 (831 ratings) ·
  • 31,713 Want to read
  • 2,290 Currently reading
  • 796 Have read
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Last edited by Drini
October 31, 2023 | History
Edit
An edition of The 48 Laws of Power (1998)

The 48 laws of power

by and

  • ★★★★ 4.1 (831 ratings) ·
  • 31,713 Want to read
  • 2,290 Currently reading
  • 796 Have read

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power into 48 well-explicated laws. It outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence, the virtue of stealth, and many demand the total absence of mercy, but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.--From publisher description.

Publish Date
Publisher
Penguin Books
Language
Portuguese
Pages
452

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Previews available in: Portuguese English German

Subjects

Business, Control (Psychology), Contrôle (Psychologie), Pouvoir (Morale), Nonfiction, Power (Philosophy), Self-Improvement, Conduct of life, Contrãole (Psychologie, Political Science, Abridged Audio - Misc. Nonfiction, Politics/International Relations, History & Theory - General, Political Science / History & Theory, Audiobooks, Political science & theory, Psychology, Contrôle (Psychologie.), Pouvoir (Morale.), BUSINESS & ECONOMICS, Leadership, Motivational, SELF-HELP, Personal Growth, Success, Macht, Nutzung, Gesellschaft, Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung, Power (Social sciences), Power (Psychology), Control (Philosophy), poder, influência, manipulação, liderança, ambição, jogo, persuasão, Philosophy and ethics

Times

Ao longo de toda história

Showing 5 featured editions. View all 52 editions?

Edition Availability
Cover of: The 48 laws of power
The 48 laws of power
2000, Penguin Books
in Portuguese
Libraries near you: WorldCat
Cover of: The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power: A Joost Elffers Production
November 20, 2000, Profile Books Ltd
Paperback in English - New edition
Libraries near you: WorldCat
Cover of: Power. Die 48 Gesetze der Macht. Ein Joost- Elffers- Buch.
Power. Die 48 Gesetze der Macht. Ein Joost- Elffers- Buch.
August 1, 1999, Carl Hanser
Hardcover in German
Libraries near you: WorldCat
Cover of: The 48 laws of power
The 48 laws of power
1998, Penguin
in English
Cover of: The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power
1998, Viking
Hardcover in English - 1st ed.
Libraries near you: WorldCat

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Book Details

Table of Contents

Preface -- -- law 1.
Never outshine the master -- -- law 2.
Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies -- -- law 3.
Conceal your intentions -- -- law 4.
Always say less than necessary -- -- law 5.
So much depends on reputation - guard it with your life -- -- law 6.
Court attention at all cost -- -- law 7.
Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit -- -- law 8.
Make other people come to you - use bait if necessary -- -- law 9.
Win through your actions, never through argument -- -- law 10.
Infection : avoid the unhappy and the unlucky -- -- law 11.
Learn to keep people dependent on you -- -- law 12.
Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim -- -- law 13.
When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude -- -- law 14.
Pose as a friend, work as a spy -- -- law 15.
Crush your enemy totally -- -- law 16.
Use absence to increase respect and honor -- -- law 17.
Keep others in suspended terror : cultivate an air of unpredictability -- -- law 18.
Do not build fortresses to protect yourself - isolation is dangerous -- -- law 19.
Know who you're dealing with - do not offend the wrong person -- -- 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 : transform weakness into power -- -- 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 : get others to play with the cards you deal -- -- 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 and the sheep will scatter -- -- 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 to perfect -- -- law 47.
Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop -- -- law 48.
Assume formlessness --
Selected bibliography --
Index.

Edition Notes

Originally published: [New York] : Viking, 1998.

"A Joost Elffers production."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 431-432) and index.

Published in
New York
Other Titles
Forty-eight laws of power., Power.

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
303.3
Library of Congress
BD438 .G74 2000

The Physical Object

Pagination
xxiii, 452 p. ;
Number of pages
452

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL16120130M
ISBN 10
0140280197
OCLC/WorldCat
45062606
Goodreads
1303

Source records

Oregon Libraries MARC record
marc_cca MARC record
Internet Archive item record
Internet Archive item record
marc_openlibraries_sanfranciscopubliclibrary MARC record
Internet Archive item record
amazon.com record
Better World Books record
harvard_bibliographic_metadata record

First Sentence

"Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV's finance minister in the first years of his reign, was a generous man who loved lavish parties, pretty women, and poetry."

Work Description

Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention--grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.

Community Reviews (34)

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Pace 6 Slow paced 50% Medium paced 50% Enjoyability 9 Engaging 54% Exciting 27% Neutral 18% Clarity 5 Clearly written 28% Well organized 28% Effective explanations 28% Dense 14% Difficulty 8 Intermediate 30% University 20% Beginner 20% Advanced 20% Expert 10% Breadth 7 Comprehensive 37% Focused 37% Interdisciplinary 25% Genres 7 Philosophical 22% Research 16% Based on a true story 11% Reference 5% Nonfiction 5% Essay 5% Textbook 5% Drama 5% How-to 5% Exploratory 5% Memoir 5% Encyclopedia 5% Mood 7 Reflective 30% Informative 30% Scientific 20% Inspiring 10% Mysterious 10% Impressions 9 Highly recommend 20% Quotable 16% Recommend 16% Life changing 12% Original 8% Unremarkable 4% Actionable 4% Best in class 4% Citable 4% Field defining 4% Overhyped 4% Length 11 Long 61% Medium 30% Short 7% Credibility 6 Objective 40% Accurate 30% Outdated 20% Subjective 10% Features 6 Chapters 40% Bibliography 30% Table of contents 20% Index 10% Content Warnings 1 Insensitivity 100% Style 5 Technical 60% Slang 40% Purpose 9 Self-help 29% Learn about 16% Problem solving 16% How-to 8% Inspiration 8% Entertainment 8% Broaden perspective 4% Hope 4% Fact checking 4%

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History

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