The 48 Laws of Power (Greene, Elffers)

[TroglodyteScholar]

Law 2

Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies

Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy. They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove. In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies. If you have no enemies, find a way to make them.

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Law 17

Keep Others in Suspended Terror: Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability

Humans are creatures of habit with an insatiable need to see familiarity in other people’s actions. Your predictability gives them a sense of control. Turn the tables: Be deliberately unpredictable. Behavior that seems to have no consistency or purpose will keep them off-balance, and they will wear themselves out trying to explain your moves. Taken to an extreme, this strategy can intimidate and terrorize.

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Law 30

Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless

Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease. All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work – it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.

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Law 48

Assume Formlessness

By taking a shape, by having a visible plan, you open yourself to attack. Instead of taking a form for your enemy to grasp, keep yourself adaptable and on the move. Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.

http://www2.tech.purdue.edu/cgt/courses/cgt411/covey/48_laws_of_power.htm

Found this page with StumbleUpon and wanted to share it. Some terrifyingly frank advice in there. Basically encouraging sociopathic behavior, but if the goal is power, some of these bits are probably effective. And it's easy to see many of the rules reflected in the methods of the current administration, as well. Which law of power is your favorite, or which one disgusts you the most?

[LoZoccolo]

1. I love that book.

It's written in an amoral tone because Greene basically assumes that you are an adult and can decide for yourself how to use power; this is simply a manual for obtaining it.

There's a pretty good Wikipedia entry for his new book, The 33 Strategies of War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_33_Strategies_of_War

If you'd like to see the man himself he's on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_USBCFQzXM

He also thought that the Iraq War was a bad idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR4-waImqus

[LoZoccolo]

2. PS I had law #2 in mind when I posted this.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=3706889&mesg_id=3707041

The Republicans are very adept on provoking enemies to motivate their base.