48 Laws of Powers – this book reminds me a lot of the classic by Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince, due mainly to the principles and leadership strategies it propositions. The authors, Robert Greene and Joost Elffers have made themselves quite popular, i.e., notorious with this bestseller as they openly espoused quite unabashedly, strategies and schemes which to most readers would sound too aggressive and downright evil. In this highly taunted book on personal strategies to gain and exercise power, we get to see the cut-throat mindset of personas who are willing to go the extra mile to get to the top – whatever it may take. Get a load this basic principles espoused by the book: everyone wants more power; emotions, including affection or love, are detrimental to one’s success; deceit and manipulation are tools for survival and if used properly, could give one the upper hand.

Each law in the book are given titles which could through you off initially and the words literally jump off the pages. Some examples of the titles are: “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” “Get Others To Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit,” and “Conceal Your Intentions,” — very Machiavellian indeed, if I may say so myself. These topics are based on historical events and popular figures from modern and ancient Europe, Africa and Asia, and devious strategies by Machiavelli, Bismarck, Catherine the Great, Mao, Kissinger and interestingly, various con artists of our century.

Most people would refer to this book as somewhat amoral or immoral, and readers who are not inclined to compromise their moral standards and basic tenets of kindness and christian love and whatnot, may not be ready for this type of self-help book. On the other hand, those who are searching for some kind of hard-and-fast, straight-forward and no-non-sense guide book on gaining power and seeing it merely as a ruthless game, will surely applaud this a phenomenal work as a winner. The Bestseller status of this book and the rave reviews from critics are clear signs that more people are not so morally conscious when it comes to getting what you want, career or otherwise.

This one is devious, cunning and calculated, and reflects our current reality. If you’re asking how to get to the promised land of Success, then you surely could use this one as your road map, and don’t blame us if you lose your moral compass somewhere along the way and don’t ask how to go back to your old pleasant, loving and human self because this map leads you to the exact opposite street of that.

BOOK INFORMATION:

Title: 48 Laws of Power
Author: Robert Greene and Joost Elffers
ISBN: 0140280197
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

From the Publisher:

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.

“It’s The Rules for suits… . Machiavelli has a new rival. And Sun-tzu better watch his back.”  – New York magazine

“Beguiling … literate … fascinating … a wry primer for people who desperately want to be on top.” – People .

Download: 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers

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