The 48 Laws of Power

Have any of you read this? I'm looking over just the first 6 laws in the table of contents. Geez. I've heard some say that this book is great and should be read, but damn, it seems pretty fucking manipulative to me. And . . . don't trust your friends? What the fuck? Also, telling a teacher to guide people down the wrong path? The table of contents makes this book look like shit to me. Anyone here have a different opinion of it?

I've heard about this book, but I haven't had the time to read it, yet. Tripp, I understand the concepts in it are far reaching to many of us here, but be patient and read it bro. peace,lvoe and succe SS

Law 1: Never Outshine the Master
Always make those above you feel comfortable superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite--inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power. This one doesn't seem to bad on the surface, right? Let's go further.

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.

Law 3: Conceal your intentions
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your true intentions, it will be too late.This one pretty much disgusts me. I understand not revealing your attentions to your enemies, but when you're trying to teach someone the right way . . .

Law 4: Always say less than necessary
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish. This one actually has some merit.

Law 5: 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. This one I obviously understand

Law 6: Court attention at all cost
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious than the bland and timid masses. As PUA's we are basically taught to do this, however, not at "all" costs.

Law 7: Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit
Use the wisdom, knowledge, and legwork of other people to further your own cause. Not only will such assistance save you valuable time and energy, it will give you a godlike aura of efficiency and speed. In the end your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered. Never do yourself what others can do for you. Normally this is called delegating and letting others use their strengths. However, I strongly disagree with them not getting credit. That disgusts me as well.

Anyway, I"m not gonna write them all out here, but that's the idea.

Fortune, I'm not totally discarding it, but as pointed out, some of the stuff in it is pretty disgusting to me. It's obvious that these "laws" are used, but that doesn't make some any less disgusting.

Here's what I think you are gonna have to do with this one LA. Don't view this book as life guide manual, this book would lend itself more beneficial for someonelse other than you, but it's a good book for your future knowledge. You never know, when you have to bust a law, to increase the happiness of your life. Happy reading with an angry angle,lol, LA. peace,lvoe and succe SS

LOL, yeah, I do plan to read it for future knowledge.

I skimmed this book about a year or so ago, and basically equated it to Hitler's Political Process Manual. There are some concepts in here that are really good, but for the most part alot of them need to be reworked.

I agree with LA, some of this had merit and some of the laws I just think is insincere.

I owned this book for over a year and its sequal Laws of attraction. That one was mentioned in Neil's "The Game".

50 Cent was rumored to have the author travel with him as an advisor. I guess it has Merit, If I want to learn how to be shady.