The French minister of finance under King Louis XIV, Nicolas Fouquet, paid for that lesson with a life in prison. But when you flaunt your skills right in front of them, that’s exactly what happens. The one thing people in a position of power don’t want is to look powerless.

Here’s one surefire way how to not get promoted: When your boss comes across a problem she can’t solve on her computer, go to her, and, as you fix it, say: “Seeeeee? That’s how you do it. If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.ĭownload PDF Lesson 1: Always make superiors look smarter than you. Want to discover where Kanye gets his power? Let’s study the actual laws of the world! The 48 Laws of Power Summary Don’t force others to do what you want, seduce them instead.Confuse competitors by acting unpredictably.Always make superiors look smarter than you.Here are 3 lessons about power to help you understand it better: Most of the 48 laws draw on a specific situation from history, and even though some of them seem to contradict one another, there’s a precious lesson to be learned from every single one. 50 Cent is just one of them, with whom Greene ended up collaborating on another book. It’s especially popular with rappers and hip-hop artists, but many celebrities quote from the book and mention the laws’ influence on their life. Published in 1998 after taking a big risk, due to quitting his former job, which he hated, the book became a bestseller and has now sold over a million copies. Even though Mastery is a great book, it’s not the one that put Robert Greene on the map.

The 48 laws