Quotes from Robert Greene

The worst fate in the world for a man who yearns fame, glory, and, of course, power is to be ignored.

To separate yourself from the mechanical and reactive types, you need to get rid of a common misconception: the essence of strategy is not to carry out a brilliant plan that proceeds in steps; it is to put yourself in situations where you have more options than the enemy does.

We imagine we're acting of our own free will, unaware of how deeply our susceptibility to the emotions of others in the group is affecting what we do and how we respond.

The Laws of Human Nature, 6: Elevate Your Perspective—The Law of Shortsightedness

Experimenting with the skills and options related to your personality and inclinations is not only the single most essential step in developing a high sense of purpose, it is perhaps the most important step in life in general.

In some people the rider is too strong, holds the reins too tightly, and is afraid to occasionally let the animal go into a gallop.

you must think of three essential steps in your apprenticeship, each one overlapping the other. These steps are: Deep Observation (The Passive Mode), Skills Acquisition (The Practice Mode), and Experimentation (The Active Mode).

those misfortunates among us who have been brought down by circumstances beyond their control deserve all the help and sympathy we can give them

Piénsalo así: hay dos tipos de fracaso. El primero resulta de no poner nunca a prueba tus ideas, por miedo o a la espera del momento adecuado. De esta clase de fracaso jamás aprenderás nada, y tu pusilanimidad te destruirá. El segundo tipo resulta de un espíritu intrépido y osado. Si tropiezas por esta razón, el daño que hagas a tu fama será muy inferior a tu aprendizaje.

Nosso nível de desejo, paciência, persistência e confiança acaba contribuindo muito mais para o sucesso que a capacidade de raciocínio. A motivação e a energia podem superar quase tudo. A monotonia e a inconstância desconectam a mente e nos tornam cada vez mais passivos.

As women come to attain more leadership positions, this less obtrusive style of authority might begin to alter our perception of some of the dominance cues so long associated with power.

In the process leading to this ultimate form of power, we can identify three distinct phases or levels. The first is the Apprenticeship; the second is the Creative-Active; the third, Mastery.

the problem about working with friends is that it confuses the boundaries and distances that working requires.

Brecht, on the other hand, who had actually worked steadfastly for the Communist cause, played the opposite game: He answered questions with ambiguous generalities that defied easy interpretation. Call it the Campanella strategy. Brecht even wore a suit—a rare event for him-and made a point of smoking a cigar during the proceedings, knowing that a key committee member had a passion for cigars. In the end he charmed the committee members, who let him go scot-free.

Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are

CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS

the source of their success (the various power players in history) could almost always be traced to one single skill or unique quality that separated them form the others.

tienen una mirada penetrante que perturba las emociones de sus objetivos, ejerciendo fuerza sin palabras ni actos. Los ojos del carismático nunca indican temor ni nervios.

There may be fewer mighty tyrants commanding the life and death over millions, but there remain thousands of petty tyrants ruling smaller realms, and enforcing their will through indirect power games, charisma, and so on. In every group, power is concentrated in the hands of one or two people, for this is one area in which human nature will never change: People will congregate around a single strong personality like planets orbiting a sun.

El poder tiene más relación con lo divino que con el mundo natural. Y la paciencia es la virtud suprema de los dioses, que disponen de todo el tiempo del mundo.

The source of (50 Cents') power is his utter fearlessness.

La gente está cada vez más aislada, y ansía experiencias colectivas. Permite que tu ferviente y contagiosa fe, en prácticamente todo, le dé algo en qué creer.

We can call this power intuition, but intuition is nothing more than a sudden and immediate seizing of what is real, without the need for words or formulas.

Two Kinds of Failure A thinker sees his own actions as experiments and questions—as attempts to find out something. Success and failure are for him answers above all. — FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, THE GAY SCIENCE