# The 48 Laws of Power: Which one is your favorite? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 6, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714 "2017-12-06T15:56:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DkTrdGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5fc32e/32.png) [@DkTrdGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DkTrdGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/1 "2017-12-06T15:56:26Z")
My all time favorite book is The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. Here’s a list of the 48 laws: [http://www.elffers.com/low/start/index2.html](http://www.elffers.com/low/start/index2.html) My favorite is Law 33 - Discover each man’s thumbscrew. I’m obsessed with gathering intelligence on people and understanding what makes them tick. I have a bookcase full of books; half of that shelf are filled with psychology books. Lots of evolutionary psychology books. Why evo psych? Unlike many branches of psychology evo psych tends to focus on the dark side of human nature. Like the evolution of violence, racism, and effed up sexual fetishes. Many observations are not politically correct, and that’s refreshing. This field of psychology is promoted by successful business owners and my fellow cross fitters and paleo dieters. Evolutionary psychology tends to be dismissed by soy boys, feminists with teal hair and septum piercings, and other people inferior in genetic fitness. I’m also a fan of the Big Five Personality Traits. Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN). You can learn a LOT about a person if you figure out their Big Five traits. An example, I’m slightly high in openness, low in conscientiousness, high in extraversion, slightly low in agreeableness, and low in neuroticism. That means I’m an outgoing guy who’s open-minded, but not so open-minded I believe in astrology or am vulnerable to postmodernist teachings. Though I interact with a lot of people, I tend to stay out of trouble because I’m able to remain emotionally detached. My weakness is the low conscientiousness, but that can be easily remedied by redbull and brain octane oil. What makes ME tick? Money, power, and gooooood sex. Provide me with those, and I’ll be your slave! Watch some professor Jordan Peterson (the “clean your room!” guy) videos if you want to learn more about the big five. When I’m about to confront someone, I ask myself these questions. How smart and evil they are? If they’re both, I run! Are they connected to people with money, authority (lawyers and police), and/or intimidating weapons? If i’m not successful in battling them, I’ll try to charm them. Before I even talk to a person, I strongly prefer to stalk their social media profiles, know their friends, and observe them in a variety of environments. If there’s a party or bar full of strangers, I limit myself to two drinks. I need to be alert enough to observe people who are intoxicated and have their guards down. Armed with reliable information about people, puts me at significant advantage in social situations. Being able to fulfill people’s needs put them at ease, and they’re likely to return the favor. Low drama win-win dynamics. If they turn out to be difficult? I know where to strike. ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/2 "2017-12-06T16:11:10Z")
This appears to be an instruction book for how to be an ass. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/3 "2017-12-06T16:13:16Z")
Machiavelli, is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/4 "2017-12-06T16:13:27Z")
> [@DkTrdGuy](#): > > Before I even talk to a person, I strongly prefer to stalk their social media profiles, know their friends, and observe them in a variety of environments Must take you a long time to order food in a restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/5 "2017-12-06T16:14:44Z")
> [@Pabitel](#): > > This appears to be an instruction book for how to be an ass. :dubious: If so, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, if it helps you recognize the asses and protect yourself from them. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/6 "2017-12-06T16:46:57Z")
> [@DkTrdGuy](#): > > Here’s a list of the 48 laws: [Here are some more power laws.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_law#Examples) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/7 "2017-12-06T16:53:10Z")
> [@Pabitel](#): > > This appears to be an instruction book for how to be an ass. :dubious: Even the few that seem to be common sense and decency are revealed when you go to the linked page. > [@](#): > > SO MUCH DEPENDS ON REPUTATION - > GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE > Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks and thwart them before they happen. **Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.** > [@](#): > > KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN > You must seem a paragon of civility and efficiency: your hands are never soiled by mistakes and nasty deeds. Maintain such a spotless appearance **by using others as unwitting pawns and screens to disguise your involvement.** ] ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/8 "2017-12-06T17:12:01Z")
> [@DkTrdGuy](#): > > Before I even talk to a person, I strongly prefer to stalk their social media profiles, know their friends, and observe them in a variety of environments. > > If there’s a party or bar full of strangers, I limit myself to two drinks. I need to be alert enough to observe people who are intoxicated and have their guards down. Do you order your drinks online, or do you only go to bars where you’ve already stalked the social media of, known the friends of, and observed in a variety of environments the bartender? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/9 "2017-12-06T17:56:48Z")
Sounds like OP’s life ambition is to be the most objectively terrible human being he (she?) can. I predict a long and successful career in politics. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/10 "2017-12-06T18:01:46Z")
> [@DkTrdGuy](#): > > Evolutionary psychology tends to be dismissed by soy boys, feminists with teal hair and septum piercings, and other people inferior in genetic fitness. It is hard to take anybody seriously who would use this sentence. Although it is useful for identifying who they are, so I approve. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/11 "2017-12-06T18:21:51Z")
Meh. It’s a fine book. A summary of “laws” based on Greene’s reviewing all the classics - Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, etc. I know hip hop moguls embraced the book back 15-20 years ago - The New Yorker I think profiled Greene. I read it back then. ETA: here’s a link. I love their title for the profile of Greene: Fresh Prince [https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/11/06/fresh-prince-3/amp](https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/11/06/fresh-prince-3/amp) Trying to live one’s life via power laws feels exhausting and silly unless you are really dealing with heavy power decisions. Pertinent to the SDMB, my favorite is Law #1: Never Outshine the Master. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/12 "2017-12-06T18:35:25Z")
Wow, Robert Greene must be the most powerful man in the world. Who is he again? ---
**Author:** ![yellow\_sausage\_bandit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yellow_sausage_bandit/32/394_2.png) [@yellow\_sausage\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellow_sausage_bandit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/13 "2017-12-06T18:43:37Z")
I want people to FEAR me, so I walk around in all-black clothes while wearing a black fedora. Even when I leave my katanas at home, I see terrified mothers hurrying their children away from me while I stroke my goatee. It is good to be loved, it is better to be FEARED. This is my personal law of power. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/14 "2017-12-06T18:47:58Z")
_“48 Steps To Becoming A Sociopath”_ That is some fucked up shit, right there. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/15 "2017-12-06T19:17:46Z")
> [@yellow\_sausage\_bandit](#): > > I want people to FEAR me, so I walk around in all-black clothes while wearing a black fedora. Even when I leave my katanas at home, I see terrified mothers hurrying their children away from me while I stroke my goatee. It is good to be loved, it is better to be FEARED. This is my personal law of power. I heard you once flipped out and killed an entire town just because somebody opened a window. That’s REAL ULTIMATE POWER! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/16 "2017-12-06T19:22:11Z")
> [@Pabitel](#): > > This appears to be an instruction book for how to be an ass. :dubious: And judging by the OP, a good one at that! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/17 "2017-12-06T19:36:09Z")
Power is power. Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/18 "2017-12-06T19:37:30Z")
By the power of Grayskull! ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/19 "2017-12-06T19:41:59Z")
> [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](#): > > I heard you once flipped out and killed an entire town just because somebody opened a window. > > That’s REAL ULTIMATE POWER! But they also insulted his mammal. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714/20 "2017-12-06T19:42:17Z")
“Turn the lights off when you leave a room.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-48-laws-of-power-which-one-is-your-favorite/803714.md?page=2)