1. Never outshine the master.
2. Never put too much trust in friends; learn how to use enemies.
3. Conceal your intentions.
4. Always say less than necessary.
5. So much depends on reputation—guard it with your life.
6. Court attention at all costs.
7. Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit.
8. Make other people come to you—use bait if necessary.
9. Win through your actions, never through argument.
10. Infection: Avoid the unhappy and unlucky.
11. Learn to keep people dependent on you.
12. Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim.
13. When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude.
14. Pose as a friend, work as a spy.
15. Crush your enemy totally.
16. Use absence to increase respect and honor.
17. Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability.
18. Do not build fortresses to protect yourself—isolation is dangerous.
19. Know who you're dealing with—do not offend the wrong person.
20. Do not commit to anyone.
21. Play a sucker to catch a sucker—seem dumber than your mark.
22. Use the surrender tactic: transform weakness into power.
23. Concentrate your forces.
24. Play the perfect courtier.
25. Re-create yourself.
26. Keep your hands clean.
27. Play on people's need to believe to create a cultlike following.
28. Enter action with boldness.
29. Plan all the way to the end.
30. Make your accomplishments seem effortless.
31. Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal.
32. Play to people's fantasies.
33. Discover each man's thumbscrew.
34. Be royal in your own fashion: act like a king to be treated like one.
35. Master the art of timing.
36. Disdain things you cannot have: ignoring them is the best revenge.
37. Create compelling spectacles.
38. Think as you like but behave like others.
39. Stir up waters to catch fish.
40. Despise the free lunch.
41. Avoid stepping into a great man's shoes.
42. Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.
43. Work on the hearts and minds of others.
44. Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect.
45. Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once.
46. Never appear too perfect.
47. Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, know when to stop.
48. Assume formlessness.
Robert Greene was born on May 14, 1959, into a Jewish family in Los Angeles, California. He was the youngest of the family. He studied classical studies at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin-Madison; this field covers classical Greek and Roman literature, Latin, philosophy, history, art, anthropology, mythology, and sociology. Before turning to writing and choosing full-time authorship as his main career, he tried his hand at various jobs, ranging from construction worker to translator, magazine editor, and even screenwriter for Hollywood films.
In 1995, Robert Greene was working at an art and media school in Italy. It was during this time that he met someone involved in book production. Greene gave him a book about power and how to behave, which later turned into his famous book, The 48 Laws of Power. He recalls this event in his life as a turning point that made him a writer.
Robert Greene currently lives in Los Angeles with his fiancée, filmmaker Anna Biller. He was among those who supported Barack Obama in the 2012 election. He believed that Donald Trump misunderstood the concept of power. Greene currently considers himself a student of Zen Buddhism.
The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene's first book, The 48 Laws of Power, first published in 1998, presents itself as a guide for anyone who is looking for power, observes power, or wants to protect themselves against it.
The laws are drawn from the writings of historical figures such as Niccolò Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Haile Selassie I, Carl von Clausewitz, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, and P. T. Barnum.
Each law has its own dedicated chapter, which includes "Transgression of the Law," "Observance of the Law," and/or "Reversal."
Greene says the core idea behind his first book is that power is amoral, meaning it is neither good nor bad. He states that The 48 Laws of Power intends to highlight how we perceive power and how we behave within various hierarchical institutions.
The 48 Laws of Power has sold over 1.2 million copies and has been referenced by prominent figures such as 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Quincy "QD3" Jones III, Chris Lighty, Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Michael Jackson, Courtney Love, and Will Smith.
Busta Rhymes has stated that he used The 48 Laws of Power to deal with troublesome film producers. The book has been referenced in songs by Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake, and in videos by The Kid LAROI and Central Cee. Greene has claimed that former Cuban president Fidel Castro also read the book.
The Sunday Times noted that The 48 Laws of Power has become the "bible of Hollywood backstabbing."
Although some business executives are said to use the book, finding people who openly endorse its impact is difficult due to its controversial nature.
Responding to this view, Greene says, "These laws... people might say, 'Oh, those are evil,' but they're applied daily by business people. You're always trying to push your competitors out of the way, and that can be very ruthless, and that's just reality."
Greene has also addressed accusations that his book is unethical, stating that "maybe four or five laws are overtly manipulative" and "the other 44 are not manipulative at all." He then goes on to say that people cherry-pick "the chapters that are more egregious."
In December 2024, Spotify announced that the book was the sixth top audiobook on their global platform and the fifth top audiobook in the United States.
In 2020, rapper Drake announced that he was developing a cinematic series based on the book.
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