The 48 Laws of Power by American author Robert Greene published in 1998. The book is one of the best all-time sellers, selling over 1.2 million copies in the US alone and equally popular on Amazon website.

Law 1: Never outshine the master

• Always prioritize your superiors. Don’t exhibit your talent in front of them to make them feel inferior.
• Always make your master appear brilliant than yourself. Show them respect.

Law 2: Never blindly trust your friends

• Never blindly trust your friends.
• Friends can betray you when they get a chance.
• Make ways with your old enemies.

Law 3: Conceal your intentions

• Guide competitors the wrong path, conceal your intentions in order to maintain the first competitive advantage in your work.

Law 4: Say less than necessary

• When trying to impress, don’t talk too much, maintain quality over quantity in the conversations.
• Powerful people make an impression by saying less.

Law 5: Reputation is everything

• Reputation should be maintained at all cost.
• Your good reputation can make you a winner alone.
• Destroy your enemies with your good reputation and their bad reputation.

Law 6: Don’t get lost in a crowd

• Appearance is everything, you are what you look.
• Be mysterious, outshine others with your colourful appearance.
• Be bright than the rest.

Law 7: Let others do the work for you

• Use the skills of others to do the work for you, let them do the hard work for you.
• Take credit of others hard work, you paid them.
• Be efficient in using people’s power to your advantage.

Law 8: Get in Control

• Force others to act, get in charge of things.
• Make your opponents come to you by using the power of impression, efficiency and your people.
• Take full control, best or nothing.

Law 9: Let your actions speak, not your argument

• • You can never win through argument.
  • Show them the way, be the leader.
  • Action is louder than words.

Law 10: Infection: Avoid miserable, unhappy people

• Unlucky people bring their bad fate with them, avoid them.
• Sit with winners, you become the winner .
• Associate with happy people and avoid unhappy people.
• Unhappy people are like infections, they take away your good health.
• People bring in their luck when they associate with you, keep your eyes open.

Law 11: Make them dependent on your all the time

• Make yourself highly needed.
• Let them depend on you all the time.
• Don’t teach them everything so they can do it without you.

Law 12: Use honesty and generosity to disarm your victim

• One sincere, loyal move could cover a dozen dishonest ones.
• be upfront, honest and generous.

Law 13: When you are asking for help, appeal to people’s self-interest

• Don’t remind people of past deeds.
• Tell them why you need their help and why it is in their interest as well.

Law 14: Pose as a friend but work as a spy

• Probe.
• Ask indirect, important questions.
• Act like a spy.

Law 15: Crush your enemy totally

• Don’t stop halfway, go all the way till the end in your work, business or a relationship to make your mission successful.
• Crush your enemy in body and spirit.

Law 16: Use absence to increase respect, honor

• Don’t be available all the time.
• Too much circulation makes the price go down.
• Create value by maintaining scarcity.

Law 17: Keep others in suspended terror, be unpredictable

• If you are predictable, it gives control to others.
• When used all the way to the extreme, you’ll intimidate.
• Always be unpredictable, never let your actions reveal your plans.

Law 18: Do not build fortresses to protect yourself

• Isolation cuts you off from gathering valuable information.
• Mix with people to get the 1st hand news
• Don’t overprotect yourself.

Law 19: Know who you’re dealing with

• Know that not everyone reacts the same way.
• Choose your victims and enemies carefully.
• Do not offend the wrong person.

Law 20: Don’t commit to anyone

• Never take someone’s side. Stay neutral.
• Wait and Watch.
• Maintain independence.

Law 21: Play a sucker to catch a sucker

• Don’t be stupid, but make your opponent appear clever and smarter than you, sooner or later then will show weakness.
• Making them appear smarter hides your motives as you act clever.

Law 22: Transform weakness into power

• Use the surrender tactic.
• When you’re weaker, never fight just for honor but surrender and save your life.

Law 23: Concentrate on your forces

• Intensity defeats extensity every time.
• Find a hen that’ll give your eggs for a long time.

Law 24: Play the perfect courtier

• Master the art of indirection.
• Be graceful in power assertion.

Law 25: Re-create yourself

• Revamp yourself, create an identity that commands attention.
• The first impression is the last impression.

Law 26: Keep your hands clean

• Never appear soiled by mistakes, learn and move on.
• Make others as scapegoats to disguise your involvement.

Law 27: Play on people’s needs

• People want to believe in something all the time, cash on that.
• Become the pivotal point of attraction, offer them a cause, a new faith.
• Keep your words selection vague but full of promise.

Law 28: Enter action with boldness

• Not sure?. Don’t do it!
• Timidity is dangerous.

Law 29: Plan all the way to the end

• The ending is everything, don’t give up.
• Take into account of scenario.
• Plan, you won’t be overwhelmed.
• Think far ahead.

Law 30: Make your accomplishments seem effortless

• Work smarter, not harder.
• Make your success look natural.
• Do not reveal how hard you work, make it look easy.
• Don’t Teach anyone your tricks.

Law 31: Control the opinions

• Get in charge.
• Always Voice your opinions with your actions, make them follow.
• Give options so no matter their choice, you win.

Law 32: Play to people’s fantasies

• The truth is unpleasant, better avoid it.
• There’s always great power in tapping into people’s fantasies.

Law 33: Discover each man’s thumbscrew

• Always work on finding other’s weaknesses.
• Once busted, make them work the way you want.

Law 34: Be royal

• Stay Royal with your command and actions.
• Act like a king.
• Expect and demand to be treated like a king.
• Appearing vulgar or common will make people disrespect you.

Law 35: Master the art of timing

• Don’t rush things.
• Show patience.
• Timing is the key.
• Hit when it matters the most, they say hit when the iron is hot.

Law 36: Show less interest, act superior

• Acknowledging petty problems gives them existence.
• The less interest you reveal, the more superior you seem.

Law 37: Create compelling spectacles

• Imagery and symbolic gestures create the aura of power.
• Dazzle by appearance.

Law 38: Think as you like but Behave like others

• Don’t seek attention, demand respect with your actions.
• Blend in.

Law 39: Stir up waters to catch fish

• Anger and emotion are counterproductive.
• Stay calm and objective.
• Make enemies emotional while you stay calm and collected.
• Make your enemies spin all the time, master the craft.

Law 40: Despise the free lunch

• There are no free lunches.
• Everything has a price, don’t be available all the time.
• Price yourself.

Law 41: Avoid stepping into a great man’s shoes

• Follow other great people but act in your own way.
• Create your own class.
• Gain power by shining in your own way.

Law 42: Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter

• Trouble can be traced all the way to a single individual.
• These people will always influence others.
• Identify the source of the trouble and then strike.

Law 43: Work on the hearts and minds of others

• Seduce others into wanting to move in your direction.
• Seduce others by operating on their individual psychologies, weaknesses.

Law 44: Disarm with the mirror effect

• When you mirror exactly what your enemies do, they cannot figure out your strategy.
• When humiliated, your enemy will panic.

Law 45: Preach the need for change

• Everyone wants change but too much change is at times unacceptable and uncalled for.
• Change is always good, ensure moderate quantity though.

Law 46: Never appear too perfect

• It’s dangerous to appear like you have no thoughts.
• Sometimes, it is fine to admit to small defects but doesn’t reveal much.

Law 47: Know when to stop

• Set a goal, achieve it, then stop.

Law 48: Stay Adaptable, things change

• Stay adaptable and on the move.
• Everything changes and never bet on it.

You can buy The 48 Laws of Power from Amazon.