P LAY ON PEOP LE'S NEED TO BELIEVE TO CREATE A CULT LIKE FOLLOWING
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in something. Become the focal point of such desire by offering
them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise; emphasize enthusiasm over
rationality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rituals to perform, ask them to make sacrifi,ces on your
behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold
power.
LAW 28 page227
ENTER ACTION WITH BOLDNESS
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit thrvugh audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
LAW 29 page 236
P LAN A LL THE WAY TO THE END
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles,
and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end
you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help
determine the future by thinking far ahead.
LAW 30 page 245
MAKE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS SEEM EFFORTLESS
Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also
all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the
temptation of revealing how hard you work-it only raises questions.
Teach no one your tricks or they will be
used against you.
LAW 31 page254
CONTROL THE OPTIONS: GET OTHERS TO P LAY WITH THE CARDS YOU DEAL
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in contral,
but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Forr;e
them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which seroe your purpose. Put them on the horns of
a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.
LAW 32 page263
P LAY TO PEOPLE'S FANTASIES
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and unpleasant. Never appeal to tru,th and reality unless you are
prepared for the anger that comes frvm disenchantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can
manufacture romance or conjure up fantasy are like oases in the desert: Everyone flocks to them. There is great
power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.
CONTENTS xiii
LAW 33 page271
DISCOVER EACH MAN'S THUMBSCREW
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable
emotion or need; it can also be a small secret pleasure. Either way, once Jound, it is a thumbscrew you can turn
to your advantage.
LA W :H page 282
BE ROYAL IN YOUR OWN FASHION: ACT LIKE A KING TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE
The way you carry yourself will oßen determine how you are treated: In the long TUn, appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By
acting regally and confident oJ your powers, you make yourself seem destined to wear a crown.
LAW ,,5 page291
MASTER THE ART OF TIMING
Never seem to be in a hurry-hurrying betrays a lack oJ control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually. Become a detective oJ the right moment; sniff
out the spirit oJ the times, the trends that will carry you to power. Leam to stand back when the time is not yet
ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.
LAW :16 page 300
DISDAIN THINGS YOU CANNOT HAVE: IGNORING THEM IS THE BEST REVENGE
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy,
the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is oßen made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It
is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt Jor it.
The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.
LAW �7 page309
CREATE COMPELLING SPECTACLES
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura oJ power-everyone responds to them. Stage spectacles Jor those around you, then, Jull oJ arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence.
Dazzled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.
LAW �g page 317
THINK AS YOU LIKE BUT BEHAVE LIKE OTHERS
If you make a show oJ going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways,
people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to
punish you Jor making them Jeel inJerior. It is Jar saJer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your
originality only with tolerant Jriends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
LA W :39 page 325
STIR UP WATERS TO CATCH FISH
Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you
can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies
off-balance: Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.
xiv CONTENTS
LAW 40 page 333
DESPISE THE FREE LUNCH
'What is offered Jor Jree is dangerous-it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. 'What has worth
is worth paying Jor. By paying your own way you stay clear oJ gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise
to pay the Jull price--there is no cutting corners with excellence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulating, Jor generosity is a sign and a magnet Jor power
