Never trust anyone completely and study everyone, including friends and loved ones.An understanding of people's hidden motives is the single greatest piece of knowledge you can have in acquiring power.Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others - that is too high a price to pay.Half of your mastery of power comes from what you do not do, what you do not allow yourself to get dragged into.Power is a game - this cannot be repeated too often - and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effect of their actions.Deception is a developed art of civilization and the most potent weapon in the game of power.Deception and masquerade should not be seen as ugly or immoral.Love and affection are also potentially destructive, in that they blind you to the often self-serving interests of those whom you least suspect of playing a power game.An emotional response to a situation is the single greatest barrier to power, a mistake that will cost you a lot more than any temporary satisfaction you might gain by expressing your feelings.If the game of power is inescapable, better to be an artist than a denier or a bungler.That will only render you powerless, and powerlessness will make you miserable. If the world is like a giant scheming court and we are trapped inside it, there is no use in trying to opt out of the game.Those who make a show or display of innocence are the least innocent of all.It is a form of persuasion, even a subtle form of coercion. The use of honesty is indeed a power strategy, intended to convince people of one's noble, good-hearted, selfless character.
Being perfectly honest will inevitably hurt and insult a great many people, some of whom will choose to injure you in return.Treating everyone equally means ignoring their differences, elevating the less skillful and suppressing those who excel.But if, to avoid the taint of power, you attempt to treat everyone equally and fairly, you will confront the problem that some people do certain things better than others.Niccolo Machiavelli wrote, "Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.".The following are my favorite quotes from Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power:
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