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The 48 Laws of Power Paperback – September 1, 2000

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Robert Greene (Author)
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4.4 out of 5 stars 1,977 customer reviews
#1 Best Sellerin Social Philosophy
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 452 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Books; 1st edition (September 1, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0140280197
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140280197
  • Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,977 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsRead in spirit of the "Screwtape Letters"
By Buck Rogers on March 15, 2004
Format: Paperback
In one's life, you're better off following the teachings of Moses, Jesus, or Buddha to gain long-term happiness. But the sad fact is, many people live by a very different set of rules, and while most of these folks eventually self-destruct, they can inflict severe damage on our personal and professional lives in the process.
48 Rules of Power is a good primer for learning how these people think. I've spotted a number of similar books in the Business section (like "Career Warfare" and classics like the "Art of War") of my local bookseller, but none put things quite as succinctly as this one. In today's predatory work culture, with good jobs (read: jobs that let you own a home and pay all the bills month to month with a little left over) becoming harder and harder to find, you almost certainly will be the target of these techniques at some point. A friend once made an innocent and extraordinarily minor faux pas at an office Christmas party, and had a homicidal CEO attempt to destroy his future using methods as varied as slander and identity theft, all done through middle manager proxies to keep his own hands clean. You need to read books like these to know how too many people at the top think. But don't live out some of these rules in real life (e.g., crush your enemy completely) - there'll always be someone who does it better, and you will get crushed. Martha Stewart got hers, so don't think you're going to smash people and live to tell the tale. Reality simply doesn't work that way - and even if you survive professionally, the spiritual rot and personal decay will leave you an isolated, paranoid wreck. Read this book in the spirit of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, in which a master demon gives advice to a protege on how to destroy mortals. Learn how to spot people who live like this - and then stay very, very far away. Jesus said, "Be wise as serpents but innocent as doves." This book, read in the right spirit, will help you with both.
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5.0 out of 5 starsPeople...Grow Up
By Tom on July 3, 2001
Format: Paperback
I have read the many reviews that criticize the 48 Laws as "Not Practical", "Dangerous" and "Shameless". What planet are you people from. I went to night school to get a college degree, I have followed my fathers advise and worked an honest days labor. I came in early and stayed late to get the job done. I have recieved great reviews and many promises of money and promotion. All for little. I noticed my peers, who were not as dedicated as I by their own admission, careers were moving along at the same pace as mine or faster. When I had enough, I began to talk to managers that I trusted and employees who have had success in career advancement. Guess what, their comments and advice were very similiar to many of the laws in this book.
This book is very "Practical" and, while I admit, practicing many of these laws would be "Dangerous" and "Shameless" to ignore that they are present in our every day lives is delusional.
It does not matter if you want to play the game or not, you are in it. You don't have to take a sword with you but for heavens sake at lest wear some armor. This book is that armor, to understand the 48 laws allows you to see the oppertunity/danger before it is to late. NO, I WILL NOT HURT PEOPLE FOR GAIN but I will no longer be used if I can help it.
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3.0 out of 5 starsNot bad, but not all that good either
By John S. Ryan on September 4, 2001
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
This book is well-written and very nicely designed. Beyond that, it's hard to see what the fuss is about.

First of all, and on the one hand, the book isn't the torrent of Machiavellian amorality you may have been led to believe. The author does go out of his way to make it _sound_ as though he's presenting you with sophisticated, in-the-know, just-between-us-hardheaded-realists amoral guidance. But as a matter of fact almost every bit of this advice _could_ have been presented without offense to the most traditional of morality.

(For example, the law about letting other people do the work while you take the credit is made to sound worse than it really is. Sure, it admits of a "low" interpretation. But it's also, read slightly differently, a pretty apt description of what any good manager does.)

Second, and on the other hand, the advice isn't _that_ good; it's merely well-presented. How it works will depend on who follows it; as the old Chinese proverb has it, when the wrong person does the right thing, it's the wrong thing.

And that's why I have to deduct some stars from the book. For it seems to be designed to appeal precisely to the "wrong people."

Despite some sound advice, this book is aimed not at those who (like Socrates) share the power of reason with the gods, but at those who (like Ulysses) share it with the foxes. It seeks not to make you reasonable but to make you canny and cunning. And as a result, even when it advises you to do things that really do work out best for all concerned, it promotes an unhealthy sense that your best interests are at odds with nearly everyone else's. (And that the only reason for being helpful to other people is that it will advance your own cloak-and-dagger "career.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsTHE 48 LAWS OF POWER: YOUR THINKING WILL NEVER REMAIN THE SAME
By AYODEJI OLAYEMI on November 1, 2005
Format: Paperback
Read this book and your thinking will never remain the same. Drawing upon historic examples that portray man's journey through the ages as one long, unending quest to dominate his fellows, The 48 Laws of Power reads somewhat like a much expanded version of Machiavelli's The prince. Yet it carries a lot of its own originality - on many levels. One interesting, innovative feature of this book can be found in the numerous illustrations and anecdotes appearing along the page margins that the writer uses to buttress his points. Quite educative, they provided me an easy opportunity to browse through and be acquainted with fascinating classic literature from Aesop's Fables down to Sun Tzu's The Art of war.

Can we refer to the 48 Laws as success literature? Some of Robert Greene's advice seems innocent enough: Never outshine the master; win through your actions, never through argument; concentrate your forces; enter action with boldness. These are tips you would find in any self-help book that should put anyone on a stronger footing in the workplace with their boss, with colleagues, or even within the curious context of a romantic relationship.

But there is a darker, more sinister side to the 48 Laws, a side that appears to be responsible for all the notoriety that surrounds this book. There are laws which, seeming to controvert themselves in some instances, advocate underhandedness and the practice of outright evil in the pursuit of one's ambitions. Reading The 48 Laws awakens a moral conflict within us and presents two philosophies that attend the attainment of power - one inspired by goodness and the other governed by guile. But I think it all depends on the kind of success you seek.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA Must Read

It has a lot of excellent commentary and, as best I can tell, very relevant historical examples to back up each law of power. Read more

Published 23 hours ago by William Givens
5.0 out of 5 starsMust purchase ... and Keep for your personal library.

This is a great book. I would say it belongs on every shelf.

Published 1 day ago by Molocco
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

mindblowing.

Published 1 day ago by Ezra H.
5.0 out of 5 starsHorrifying, Revealing, and Shockingly Amazing

A horrifying book. Strange and oddly perverse. Hard to fathom there are people like this in the world, but this book does an amazing job of describing these people as well as their... Read more

Published 2 days ago by Timothy D. Blythe
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Book

Bought this book as a gift. Thank you so much they love it. Super fast shipping too

Published 4 days ago by sunsfan40
5.0 out of 5 starsI have bought this book 7 times to give them ...

I have bought this book 7 times to give them as gifts to my friends kids , if I had this knowledge when I was a teenager I would have been much more prepared for the REAL world we... Read more

Published 4 days ago by jeffrey Straight
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

This book is very interesting if you like to read. Great book and shipping was on time with prime

Published 7 days ago by P Perez
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

great read

Published 11 days ago by crowlady
5.0 out of 5 starsknowledge is power

Great book. The side stories are great. A lot of the examples are like wow I would never have though that but make perfect sense. Never outshine the master .

Published 17 days ago by Jims84
5.0 out of 5 starsAmazing book

Very interesting and insightful. It really helps you see the world in a different perspective.

Published 18 days ago by Joyce Stafford

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