Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience. Be the master of your own image rather than letting others define it for you. Incorporate dramatic devices into your public gestures and actions-your power will be en- hanced and your character will seem larger than.
26. 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 scapegoats and cat's-paws to disguise your involvement.
27. PLAY ON PEOPLE'S NEED TO BELIEVE TO CREATE A CULTLIKE FOLLOWING
People have an overwhelming desire to believe in some thing. Become the focal point of such desire by offering them a cause, a new faith to follow. Keep your words vague but full of promise, emphasize enthusiasm over ra tionality and clear thinking. Give your new disciples rit uals to perform, ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf. In the absence of organized religion and grand causes, your new belief system will bring you untold pourr.
28. ENTER ACTION WITH BOLDNESS JUDGMENT
If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter unth boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily cor rected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.
29. PLAN ALL THE WAY TO THE END
The ending is everything. Plan all the way to it, taking into account all the possible consequences, obstacles, and twists of fortune that might reverse your hard work and give the glory to others. By planning to the end you will not be overwhelmed by circumstances and you will know when to stop. Gently guide fortune and help determine the future by thinking far ahead.
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 art, art ef fortlessly, as if you could do much more. Avoid the temp tation of revealing how hard you work-it only raises questions. Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.
31. CONTROL THE OPTIONS: GET OTHERS TO PLAY WITH THE CARDS YOU DEAL
The best deceptions are the ones that seem to give the other person a choice: Your victims feel they are in control, but are actually your puppets. Give people options that come out in your favor whichever one they choose. Force them to make choices between the lesser of two evils, both of which serve your purpose. Put them on the horns of a dilemma: They are gored wherever they turn.
32. PLAY TO PEOPLE'S FANTASIES
The truth is often avoided because it is ugly and un pleasant Never appeal to truth and mality unless you are prepared for the anger that comes from disen chantment. Life is so harsh and distressing that people who can manufacture romance or compunesup fantasy are like oases in the desert Everyone flacks to them. The is great power in tapping into the fantasies of the masses.
33. DISCOVER EACH MAN'S THUMBSCREW
Everyone has a weakness, a gap in the castle wall. That weakness is usually an insecurity, an uncontrollable emotion or need; it can also be a sinall secret pleasure. Ei- ther way, once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.
34. BE ROYAL IN YOUR OWN FASHION: ACT LIKE A KING TO BE TREATED LIKE ONE
The way you carry yourself will often determine how you are treated: In the long run, appearing vulgar or com mon will make people disrespect you. For a king respects himself and inspires the same sentiment in others. By act ing regally and confident of your powers, you make your self seem destined to wear a crown.
35. MASTER THE ART OF TIMING
Never seem to be in a hurry-hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself, and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventu ally. Become a detective of the right moment; sniff out the spirit of the times, the trends that will carry you to power Learn to stand back when the time is not yet ripe, and to strike fiercely when it has reached fruition.
36. DISDAIN THINGS YOU CANNOT HAVE: IGNORING THEM IS THE BEST REVENGE
By acknowledging a petty problem you give it existence and credibility. The more attention you pay an enemy, the stronger you make him; and a small mistake is often made worse and more visible when you try to fix it. It is sometimes best to leave things alone. If there is something you want but cannot have, show contempt for it. The less interest you real, the more superior you seem.
37. CREATE COMPELLING SPECTACLES
Striking imagery and grand symbolic gestures create the aura of power-everyone responds to them Stage specta cles for those around you, then, full of arresting visuals and radiant symbols that heighten your presence. Dax aled by appearances, no one will notice what you are really doing.
38. THINK AS YOU LIKE BUT BEHAVE LIKE OTHERS
If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them. They will find a way to punish you for making them feel inferior. It is far safer to blend in and nurture the common touch. Share your original ity only with tolerant friends and those who are sure to appreciate your uniqueness.
39. STIR UP WATER TO CATCH FISH
Anger and emotion are strategically counterproductive. You must always stay calm and objective. But if you can make your enemies angry while staying calm yourself, you gain a decided advantage. Put your enemies off-bal ance Find the chink in their vanity through which you can rattle them and you hold the strings.
40. DESPISE THE FREE LUNCH
What is offered for free is dangerous-it usually involves either a trick or a hidden obligation. What has worth is worth paying for. By paying your own way you stay clear of gratitude, guilt, and deceit. It is also often wise to pay the full price-there is no cutting corners with excel lence. Be lavish with your money and keep it circulat ing, for generosity is a sign and a magnet for power.
41. AVOID STEPPING INTO A GREAT MAN'S
What happens first always appears better and more origi nal than what comes after. If you succeed a great man or have a famous parent, you will have to accomplish dow Ne their achievements to outshine them. Do not get lost in their shadow, or stuck in a past not of your on making Establish your own name and identity by changing course. Slay the overbearing father, disparage his legacy, and gain power by shining in your own way.
42. STRIKE THE SHEPHERD AND THE SHEEP WILL SCATTER
Trouble can often be traced to a single strong individ ual-the stirrer, the arrogant underling, the poisoner of goodwill. If you allow such people room to operate, others will succumb to their influence. Do not wait for the trou bles they cause to multiply, do not try to negotiate with them-they are irredeemable. Neutralize their influence by isolating or banishing them. Strike at the source of the trouble and the sheep will scatter.
43. WORK ON THE HEART AND MINDS OF OTHERS
Coercion creates a maction that will mutually work against you. You must seduce others into wanting to move in your direction. A person you have seduced be comes your loyal paun. And the way to seduce others is to operate on their individual prychologies and anaknesses Soften up the msistant by working on their emotions, playing on what they hold dear and what they fear Ig nore the hearts and minds of others and they will grow to hate you.
44. DISARM AND INFURIATE WITH THE MIRROR EFFECT
The mirror reflects mality, but it is also the perfect tool for deception: When you mirror your enemies, doing exactly as they do, they cannot figure out your strategy. The Mir Eject mocks and humiliates them, making them over mart By holding up a mirror to their psyches, you seduce them with the illusion that you share their values, by holding up a mirror to their actions, you teach them a les son. Few can wenst the power of the Mirror Effect.
45. PREACH THE NEED FOR CHANGE, BUT NEVER REFORM TOO MUCH AT ONCE
Everyone understands the need for change in the ab stract, but on the day to day level people are creatures of habat Too much innovation is traumar and will lead to revolt. If you are new to a position of power, or an out- sider trying to build a power base, muk a show of re specting the old way of doing things. If change is necessary, make it feel like a gentle improvement on the past.
46. NEVER APPEAR TOO PERFECT
Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to oc display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and ap proachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.
47. DO NOT GO PAST THE MARK YOU AIMED FOR; IN VICTORY, LEARN WHEN TO STOP
The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfi dence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no sub stitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.
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.
Stay tuned ✨
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