Law 42: Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter: Trouble in a group often starts with a single individual who stirs the pot. Stop them before others succumb to their influence.

By yielding, you gain the upper hand because you lull your opponent into believing they have defeated you, even as you plot their downfall. This confuses your opponents and means they are unlikely to act aggressively against you. Law 23. Concentrate Your Forces Law 14: Are you kidding? To avoid dying as a miserable person, be a good friend. Give endlessly to these people, and you will always have a loyal army behind you. If you don’t want to pose as a friend, get others to spy for you. However, while you gather information, you open yourself up to vulnerabilities by letting other people do your work for you. It’s always better to spy and pose as a friend yourself. Law 15. Crush Your Enemy Totally Few are born bold. It’s a habit that needs to be cultivated. It must be practiced. Likewise, timidity is also a learned trait. If you find yourself acting timidly, you must root this out and replace it with acts of boldness instead. 29. Plan All the Way to the EndSome skills are born with us, some are learned. this book is an eye opening to what goes around us and how people with certain skills get what they want. Law 30: Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless: Make difficult feats seem effortless and you’ll inspire awe in others and seem powerful. By contrast, when you make too much of your efforts, your achievement will seem less impressive and you’ll lose respect. Law 47: Set goals, achieve them, and review your progress. A life of victory is not a life of excess. Kennedy, Carol (1999), The 48 Laws of Power By Robert Greene, Director Publications , retrieved January 12, 2014 I don't normally read concise editions, but this was very good. Good enough that I'd like to buy the full edition for more elaborate examples from the past.

In addition to a scapegoat, you will also need a cat’s-paw. This is someone who does your dirty work for you while obscuring your involvement. This means letting someone else be the bearer of bad news while you choose to associate yourself exclusively with the good. 27. Create a Cult-like Following by Playing on People’s Need to BelieveLaw 25: Re-Create Yourself: Create a powerful image that stands out, rather than letting others define you. Change your appearance and emotions to suit the occasion. People who seem larger than life attract admiration and power. Law 12: Wow, these start to get pretty scummy, huh. Victim? Use honesty and generosity to disarm your team members so you can trust each other. To maintain independence, you must make others need and want you. The more people rely on you, the more freedom you have. Yet, be wary to never teach those surrounding you with enough information that they can start doing things for themselves. This method is the best way to get people to do what you want without forcing them or inflicting pain on them. Once you have dependents, they are reliant on you, and you can subtly do with them as you wish. Law 12. Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm Your Victim If you must ask for help, make sure your request includes a benefit for your ally that you can exaggerate beyond proportion. When your ally sees that there is something in it for them, they are more likely to respond with enthusiasm. Self-interest is the greatest motivator for people. Once you master the art of working out what others want and using it to further your own plans, there will be no limits on what you can accomplish. Law 14. Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy