Ratings88
Average rating3.7
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.
Reviews with the most likes.
Not sure what to say about this one. I'm glad I read it. Really really glad. Also a good entrance into delving deeper instead of broader for me.
Revealed a lot to me about the (and this might come across as brazen) reasons I have been well liked, socially, throughout my life...as well as the reasons and ways I work to get what I want, and often fail. All that and why I sometimes don't manage to push through certain barriers (be that because of moral or ethical reasons or because it's just not a skill that comes naturally to me).
That said, the concept of ‘play or be played' seems to ring true; and regardless of how Machiavellian I plan to be in my future years, having a framework to understand and interpret other people's behaviour and how it may affect me seems pretty crucial, especially for the industry I am moving into.
I wish I read it though and didn't consume it as an audiobook. I would have benefited from having a physical location for all of the chapters and laws that I could keep flicking back to and building a visual reference of. Think I need to do some mental filing in order to preserve the goodness.
A bit dense, and some stories that definitely could have been left out....if you want to read it, maybe read the concise version.
& remember - grain of salt. Maybe that's why I didn't find this as ‘offensive' as some people do? Or maybe I spent too much time relating it to acting..anyway..