Quotes from Robert Greene

Everyone has a thumbscrew, a gap in the castle wall. Once found, it is a thumbscrew you can turn to your advantage.

The power of demonstrating your idea is that your opponents do not get defensive, and are therefore more open to persuasion. Making them literally and physically feel your meaning is infinitely more powerful than argument.

People trying to make a show of their authority are easily deceived by the surrender tactic.

Daily Law: Are there people whose work affects you in a powerful way? Analyze this and use them as models. Mastery, I: Discover Your Calling—The Life's Task

If, like Jung, you are somewhat confused and ambivalent about your direction, it can be useful to choose someone who can help you gain some clarity about what you want, someone important in the field who might not fit perfectly with your tastes.

The only solution is the following: We must learn how to quiet the anxiety we feel whenever we are confronted with anything that seems complex or chaotic. In our journey from apprenticeship to mastery we must patiently learn the various parts and skills that are required, never looking too far ahead. In moments of perceived crisis, we must develop the habit of maintaining our cool and never overreacting.

alabo, Menelao, si matas a tu esposa. / Pero, si la ves… ¡huye! / El amor y el deseo pueden cegarte. / Es la que cautiva los ojos de los hombres; / es la que desarraiga de sus cimientos las ciudades; / es la que hace arder los palacios… / ¡tan seductora es! ¡Bien la conozco, para mi desdicha; bien la conoces tú; bien la conocen todos los que por ella sucumbieron!

Primero, debes tener una presencia tan desbordante que llene la mente de tu objetivo como un close-up llena la pantalla. Debes poseer un estilo o presencia que te distinga de los demás. Sé vago e irreal, pero no distante ni ausente: no se trata de que las personas no puedan contemplarte ni recordarte. Tienen que verte en su mente cuando no estás con ellas.

All great leaders since Moses have known that a feared enemy must be crushed completely

a person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect.

Embrace Your Weirdness The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. —Coco Chanel

The person in peak-experiences feels himself, more than other times, to be the responsible, active, creating center of his activities and of his perceptions. He feels more like a prime-mover, more self-determined (rather than caused, determined, helpless, dependent, passive, weak, bossed). He feels himself to be his own boss, fully responsible, fully volitional, with more free-will than at other times, master of his fate, an agent. —Abraham Maslow

he will replace you with someone less intelligent, less attractive, less threatening

Verbal argument has one vital use in the realm of power: To distract and cover your tracks when you are practicing deception or are caught in a lie. In such cases it is to your advantage to argue with all the conviction you can muster. Draw the other person into an argument to distract them from your deceptive move.

To go along with this self-control, we must do whatever we can to cultivate a greater memory capacity—one of the most important skills in our technologically oriented environment.

When we are under attack, the temptation is to get emotional, to tell the aggressors to stop, to make threats as to what we'll do if they keep going. That puts us in a weak position: we've revealed both our fears and our plans, and words rarely deter aggressors. Sending them a message through a third party or revealing it indirectly through action is much more effective. That way you signal that you are already maneuvering against them.

We are entering a world in which we can rely less and less upon the state, the corporation, or family or friends to help and protect us. It is a globalized, harshly competitive environment. We must learn to develop ourselves.

Debes aprender a despertar la curiosidad de la gente dejándola vislumbrar algo de tu vida privada —las causas por las que luchas, la persona de la que estás enamorado (por el momento)—, algo que parezca revelar un elemento de tu personalidad. Déjala fantasear e imaginar.

Daily Law: Always stick to what makes you weird, odd, strange, different. That's your source of power. Podcast Interview. Curious with Josh Peck. December 4, 2018

Never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you, but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you destroy yourself.

We all have limitations—our energies and skills will take us only so far. Danger comes from trying to surpass our limits.

Make yourself the flame and you will rise to the top. Since life is otherwise so full of unpleasantness and pleasure so scarce, you will be as indispensable as food and drink.

People's need for validation and recognition, their need to feel important, is the best kind of weakness to exploit. First, it is almost universal; second, exploiting it is so very easy.

Do not waste precious time trying to steal a sheep or two ...