# texts

TxText:
  (lysters open completelywhen the moon isfull;and when thecrab sees one
  itthrows apiece ofstone orseaweed into itand theIIy.§'lR'Vcannot close
  againsothat itserves thecrabformmt. Such isthe'fateofhimwho opens
  hismouth toomuch and thereby puts himselfatthemercy ofthelistener.
  I,Hmtz.2“(.ir9 [IaVina, 1452-£519
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Inthecourt ofLouis XIV, nobles and ministers would spend daysand
  nights debatingissues ofstate. Theywould confer, argue, make and break
  alliances, andargue again,until finallythecritical moment arrived: Two of
  them would bechosen torepresentthedifferent sides toLouis himself,
  who would decide what should bedone. After thesepersonswere chosen,question from
  Kissinger——[nrd
  snapped. “Damn ii.yes
  itsrimbarIcan do."
  Towhich Ki.\'SlIlg¢','f
  replied: “Fina than I
  guess I'llread itthis
  nrmr."
  KISSINGER,
  \\«'m:rF,R ls,-1/tC$0N,
  1992
  TheKing ,'1.nm'5 XIV]
  maintains themar!
  impenetrable xecrrery
  about affairs ofSalli'.
  The rninirlcrs utleml
  cmmcil nieclmgs, but
  heconfides hisplans to
  .'hem only when hehas
  reflertiz/ti atlength uprm
  them and has come to
  azlefinizc dcnsimi,
  Iwith youmightsee
  theKing. HirBXpN.'.)'“
  .\'ion isinscmIaI.wle>; I1i.\'
  e_ve5' like lhosc ofafm-.
  He never dz'scus.s'e.$
  Slate affairs except with
  hI'.s-rliinisfers in('mm-
  cil.W/mu hespeaks to
  courtiers herefers only
  totheir respective
  przerogazives ordz¢Ii.2y.
  Even themost friw.»
  lousofhirutI€n'1rl('€.s'
  has theairofheirzg the
  manozmcemenl ofan
  anurle.
  YRIM'. VlS(',()NTl.
  <>I.'m1=,n IN
  Louis xiv.
  Lot. is r«:Ri'i[A:~£r).
  1928
  LAW 4 3:3'
  Umiuziful words ofa
  sI4b]er.'I(Inoften mks
  deeper I'()()l than the
  memory zwflll ileedv . . .
  The lateEarlofEmex
  mlal Qzmerx E/izulmh
  that herco/zdilizms


TxText:
  were ascznmkrd asher
  xx:butilms: Izim
  hishmd, WhiL'h his'
  im'urrec(z'mz had 711)!
  ms! htfil butforthat
  .\'p('d(,'ll.car
  SIR WAl'I'liR RA|,FI[jH.
  1554--1618
  34 LAW 4everyonewouldarguesome more: How should the issues hephrased?
  What would appealtoLouis, what wouldannoyhim? Atwhat fime ofday
  should therepresentatives approach him, and inwhat part oftheVersailles
  palace?What expressionshould theyhave ontheir faces?
  Finally,after allthis wassettled, thefateful moment would finallyat»
  rive. The two men would approach Louis—alwaysadelicate matterwand
  when they finallyhad his ear,they would talk about the issue athand,
  spellingouttheoptionsindetail.
  Louis would listen insilence, amost enigmatic look onhisface. Fi-
  nally,when each had finished hispresentationand had asked fortheking's
  opinion,hewould look atthem both and say,“Ishall see.” Then hewould
  walkaway'
  The ministers and courtiers would never hear another word onthis
  subjectfrom theking——they would simplyseetheresult, weeks later, when
  hewould come toadecision and act. Hewould never bother toconsult
  them onthematter again.
  lnterpretation
  Louis XIV was aman ofvery few words. His most famous remark is
  "'fiat, c'estmoi”(“Iamthestate”); nothingcould bemore pithy yetmore
  eloquent.His infamous “Ishall see” was oneofseveral extremely short
  phrasesthat hewould applytoallmanner ofrequests.
  Louis was notalways thisway;asayoungman hewasknown fortalk-
  ingatlength, delightinginhis owneloquence.Hislater taciturnitywas self-
  imposed,anact, amask heused tokeep everybodybelow him off-balance.
  No one knew exactlywhere hestood, orcould predicthisreactions. No
  one could trytodeceive himbysaying what they thoughthewanted to
  hear, because no one knew what hewanted tohear. Astheytalked onand
  ontothesilent Louis, theyrevealed more and more about themselves, in-
  formation hewould later useagainstthem togreat effect.


TxText:
  Intheend, Louis's silence keptthose around him terrified and under
  histhumb. Itwas one ofthefoundations ofhispower.AsSaint—Simon
  wrote, “No one knew aswell ashehow tosellhiswords, hissmile, even his
  glances. Everythinginhim was valuable because hecreated differences,
  and hismajestywas enhanced bythesparseness ofhiswords.”
  Itisevm more damaging foraminister tosayfoalish things than todothem.
  (Ianlimzl deRm, 1613 1679
  KEYS T0 POWER
  Power isinmany waysagame ofappearances,and whenyou saylessthan
  necessary, youinevitably appear greaterand more powerfulthanyouare.
  Your silence will make other people uncomfortable. Humans aremachines
  ofinterpretationandexplanation; theyhave toknow whatyouarethink»
  ing. When youcarefullycontrol whatyoureveal, they cannot pierce your
  intentions oryour meaning.
  Your short answers and silences willputthem onthedefensive, and
  they willjump in,nervously filling thesilence with allkinds ofcomments
  that will reveal valuable information about them and their weaknesses.
  They willleave ameeting withyoufeelingasiftheyhad been robbed, and
  they willgohome andponder your every word. This extra attention to
  yourbrief comments willonly add toyour power.
  Sayinglessthannecessaryisnotforkingsand statesmen only. Inmost
  areas oflife, thelessyou say,the more profoundandmysterious you ap-
  pear.Asayoung man, theartist AndyWarhol had therevelation that itwas
  generally impossibletogetpeopletodowhatyouwanted them todoby
  talking tothem. Theywould turn against you,subvert your wishes, disobey
  yououtofsheer perversity.He once told afriend, “Ilearned thatyouactu~
  allyhave morepowerwhenyoushutup.”
  inhislater lifeWarhol employedthisstrategywith greatsuccess. His
  interviews were exercises inoracular speech:Hewouldsaysomething
  vagueandambiguous, and theinterviewer would twist incircles tryingto
  figure itout,imaginingthere wassomething profound behind hisoften
  meaningless phrases.Warhol rarelytalked about hiswork; heletothers do
  theinterpreting.Heclaimed tohave learned thistechnique from that mas-
  terofenigma Marcel Duchamp,another twentieth-centuryartist who real-
  izedearlyonthat theless hesaid about hiswork, the more peopletalked
  about it.


TxText:
  And the more they talked, the more valuable hiswork became.
  Bysayingless than necessary youcreate theappearance ofmeaning
  andpower. Also, thelessyou say,thelessriskyourunofsaying something
  foolish, even dangerous. In1825 anew czar, Nicholas 1,ascended the
  throne ofRussia. Arebellion immediately broke out, ledbyliberals de-
  mandingthat thecountrymodemize~—-that itsindustries and civil struc-
  tures catchupwith the restofEurope. Brutally crushingthisrebellion (the
  Decembrist Uprising),Nicholas Isentenced one ofitsleaders, Kondraty
  Ryleyev,todeath. Onthedayoftheexecution Ryleyevstood onthe
  lows, the noose around hisneck. Thetrapdoor opened~——~butasRyleyev
  dangled,therope broke, dashing him totheground. Atthetime, events
  likethis were considered signs ofprovidenceorheavenly will, and aman
  saved from execution thiswaywasusually pardoned. AsRyleyev gottohis
  feet, bruised and dirtied butbelievinghisneck had been saved, hecalled
  outtothecrowd, “You see, inRussia theydon't know how todoanything
  properly,not even how tomake rope!”
  Amessenger immediately went totheWinter Palace with news ofthe
  failed hanging.Vexed bythisdisappointing turnabout, Nicholas 1never-
  theless begantosign thepardon.Butthen: “Did Ryleyev sayanythingafter
  thismiracle?” the czar asked themessenger. “Sire,” themessenger replied,
  “hesaid that inRussia theydon't even know how tomake rope.”
  “Inthat case,” said theCzar, “let usprovethecontrary,” and hetore
  upthepardon.The next dayRyleyevwashanged again. This time the
  rope didnotbreak.
  Learn thelesson: Once thewords areout, youcannot take them back.
  Keepthem under control. Beparticularlycareful with sarcasm: The mo-
  LAW 4 .75
  36 LAW 4mentarysatisfactionyougainwithyour biting words will beoutweighed by
  theprice you pay.
  Im atge 1
  The Oracle atDelphi.
  When visitors consulted the
  Oracle, thepriestesswould utter
  afewenigmaticwords that seemed
  full ofmeaning andimport.No one
  disobeyed the words oftheOracle-
  they held powerover life and death.
  Authority:Never start moving your own lips and teeth before
  thesubordinates do.


TxText:
  Thelonger Ikeep quiet,the sooner others
  move their lips and teeth. Astheymove their lips and teeth, I
  canthereby understand their real intentions. ‥ .Ifthesovereign
  isnotmysterious,the ministers will findopportunitytotake
  and take. (Han-feivtzu, Chinese philosopher,third century B.C.)
  REVERSAL
  There aretimes when itisunwise tobesilent. Silence can arouse suspicion
  and even insecurity, especially inyour superiors;avague orambiguous
  comment canopen you uptointerpretations youhad notbargained for.Si-
  lence andsayingless thannecessarymust bepracticed with caution, then,
  and intheright situations. Itisoccasionally wiser toimitate thecourt jester,
  whoplays thefool butknows heissmarter than theking. Hetalks and talks
  andentertains, and noonesuspectsthat heismore thanjustafool.
  Also. words can sometimes act asakind ofsmoke screen foranyde-
  ception youmight practice. Bybending your listener's earwith talk, you
  candistract and mesmerize them; the more youtalk, infact, thelesssuspi-
  cious ofyouthey become. The verbose arenotperceivedasslyand ma-
  nipulativebut ashelpless andunsophisticated.This isthe reverse ofthe
  silent policy employed bythepowerful: Bytalking more, andmaking
  yourself appear weaker and lessintelligent than your mark, youcanprac-
  ticedeceptionwith greaterease.
  LAW
  SOMUCH DEPENDS ON
  REPUTATION—GUARD IT
  WITH YOUR LIFE
  JUDGMENT
  Reputationisthecamerstane afpowet: Tlmmgh reputw
  tion alone youcan intimidate and win; once itslips,
  however, you(mevulnerable, and will beattacked onall
  sides. Make your refiutatéonunassailable. Alwaysbe
  alert topoientialattacks and thwart them before they
  happen. Meanwhiie, leam todastmy yourenemiesby
  opminglwles intheir ownrejmtaéiorzs.Then stand
  aside and letpublic opinion hangthem.
  37
  'IIll'‥\\|\| U .'\
  at|iH.K!:\ \\(Tl! TH!
  l'lHA 1'
  Afrig/1/ful ¢-/iidmm,
  SKIN
  Tomrvh byllwwn
  [merit Inrm!
  Its/'ury an 41smful
  worfd. Incalf
  Itbyitsrightful name.
  the[7(,'.8'fi[('Il('I[,
  That Arhermzfillirzg
  2.-512!ofvim:'cIz<:¢'
  Had Iallvn onevery
  animal.
  Not allwere (Ir.-


TxText:
  art. but
  alllay near (0dying»,
  And nuns' was any
  I(7ngcr Irymg
  Tofind newfuel mflem'
  life'5_flI'('kwzng fires:
  Nufimds mciled their
  (im'zW.\','
  No more [lid wnlvm
  and f(Jxé'.\' row
  In.wurrtI1 uflmrni/e.x.i,
  /w/piers: pray,'
  /Xmidove wtmi(I' not
  mnmr: will: tinvr.
  Forlow andjoylzuzl
  /lawn rm-av.
  Tlzr Lion axxtzriverl flu»-
  Lthnir tnmy.' “Dear
  _frtcm1.\'.
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  heaven's Iiigh ('mfg
  Thur on us.xinrwr.i' wm»
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  Lethimofm who';
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  Full virrint II)the
  £Il'E'HgiIIg /l('LlV011,)'
  hoxz,
  Ami mr1_v hrmin .mIm—
  firmfor11,)all;
  ForhiSI()ry truth'
  that inriww 1
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  .s'm'r1:/i(1'.\'.
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  eyrri. 1:13' in.«'[2€cI
  Our L(H'I.s(.'l£,'!1('('. AxI
  re:ollccr.
  Toput my;:r:'rrI_v
  appetite In.s'1r><-p,
  I'vehanqzwluzlmy\'
  38
  ,LAW5OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAWI
  During China's War oftheThree Kingdoms (A.D. 207—265), thegreat gen-
  eral Chuko Liang, leading theforces oftheSimKingdom, dispatched his
  vastarmytoadistantcampwhile herested inasmall town with ahandful
  ofsoldiers. Suddenly sentinels hurried inwith thealarmingnews that an
  enemy force ofover 150,000 troopsunder Sima Yiwasapproaching.With
  onlyahundred men todefend him, Chuko Liang'ssituation washopeless.
  The enemy would finally capture thisrenowned leader.
  Without lamenting hisfate, orwastingtime tryingtofigureouthow he
  had been caught, Liang ordered histroopstotake down their flags, throw
  open thecitygates, and hide. Hehimself then took aseat onthe most visi-
  blepart ofthecity's wall, wearingaTaoist robe. Helitsome incense,
  strummed hislute, andbegantochant. Minutes later hecould seethe vast
  enemy army approaching,anendless phalanxofsoldiers. Pretendingnot
  tonotice them, hecontinued tosing andplaythelute.


TxText:
  Soon thearmystood atthetown gates, Atitshead was Sima Yi,who
  instantly recognized the man onthewall.
  Even so, ashissoldiers itched toenter theunguardedtown throughits
  open gates, Sima Yihesitated, held them back, and studied Liangonthe
  wall. Then, heordered animmediate andspeedyretreat.
  Interpretation
  Chuko Liangwascommonly known asthe“Sleeping Dragon.” His ex-
  ploitsintheWar oftheThree Kingdomswere legendary. Once aman
  claimingtobe adisaffected enemylieutenant came tohiscamp, offering
  help and information. Liang instantly recognized thesituation asasetup;
  this man was afalse deserter, and should bebeheaded. Atthelastminute,
  though,asthe ax was about tofall,Liang stopped theexecution and of-
  fered tosparetheman's lifeifheagreedtobecome adouble agent. Grate
  fulandterrified, the man agreed, andbegan supplyingfalse information to
  theenemy. Liangwon battle after battle.
  Onanother occasion Liang stole amilitaryseal and created false docu-
  mentsdispatchinghisenemy's troopstodistant locations. Once thetroops
  haddispersed, hewas able tocapture three cities, sothat hecontrolled an
  entire corridor oftheenemy's kingdom. Healso once tricked theenemy
  intobelievingone ofitsbestgeneralswas atraitor, forcing the man toes-
  cape andjoin forces with Liang. TheSleeping Dragon carefully cultivated
  hisreputationofbeing thecleverest man inChina, one who alwayshad a
  trickuphissleeve. Aspowerfulasany weapon,thisreputationstruck fear
  into hisenemy.
  Sima Yihadfought against Chuko Liang dozens oftimes and knew
  him well. When he came ontheempty city, with Liang prayingonthe
  wall, hewas stunned. The Taoist robes, thechanting,theincense——this had
  tobeagameofintimidation. The man wasobviously taunting him, daring
  him towalk into atrap. Thegamewas soobvious that for one moment it
  crossed Yi's mind that Liang actuallywasalone, and desperate.But so
  greatwas hisfear ofLiangthat hedared notriskfindingout. Such isthe
  power ofreputation.Itcanputavast armyonthedefensive, even force
  them into retreat, without asinglearrow beingfired.


TxText:
  F07; asCicerosays,even those whoargue against fame still want thebooks they
  write againstittobear their name inthetitle and hopetobecamefamousfor
  despisingit.Everythingelse issubjecttobarter: wewill letourfriendshave
  ourgoods and our livesifneed be;but acaseofsharing auvfame and
  makingsomeone else thegiftofourreputationishardlytobefound.
  ll/Ior1Io7'g74.e, 1533-1 592
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW II
  In1841 theyoungP.T.Barnum, tryingtoestablish hisreputationasAmer-
  ica's premier showman, decided topurchasetheAmerican Museum in
  Manhattan and turn itinto acollection ofcuriosities that would secure his
  fame. Theproblemwas that hehad nomoney.The museum's asking price
  was$15,000, butBarnum was able toputtogetheraproposalthatappealed
  totheinstitution's owners even thoughitreplacedcashupfront with
  dozens ofguarantees and references. The owners came toaverbal agree
  ment with Barnum, but atthe lastminute, theprincipal partner changed
  hismind, and the museum and itscollection were sold tothedirectors of
  Peale's Museum. Barnum wasinfuriated, but thepartner explainedthat
  business was business——the museum had been sold toPea1e's because
  Peale's had areputationand Barnum had none.
  Barnum immediatelydecided thatifhehad noreputationtobank on,
  hisonlyrecourse was tomin thereputation ofPeale's. Accordinglyhe
  launched aletter-writing campaigninthenewspapers, callingthe owners a
  bunch of“broken-down bank directors” who had noidea how torun amu-
  seum orentertain people.Hewarned thepublic against buying Peale's
  stock, since thebusiness's purchase ofanother museum would invariably
  spreadits resources thin. The campaignwas effective, the stock plum-
  meted, and with no more confidence inPea.le's track record and reputa-
  tion, the owners oftheAmerican Museum renegedontheir deal and sold
  thewhole thingtoBarnum.
  Ittookyears forPea.le's torecover, andtheynever forgotwhat Bar-
  num had done. Mr. Peale himself decided toattack Barnum bybuildinga
  reputationfor“highbrow entertainment,” promotinghismuseum's pro


TxText:
  gramsasmore scientific than those ofhisvulgar competitor.Mesmerism
  (hypnotism)was one ofPea.le's “scientific” attractions, and for awhile it
  drew bigcrowds and wasquitesuccessful. Tofight back, Barnum decided
  toattack Peale's reputation yetagain.
  Barnum organizedarival mesmeric performanceinwhich hehimself
  apparently putalittle girl into atrance. Once she seemed tohave fallen
  deeply under, hetried tohypnotizemembers oftheaudience~—but nomat-
  terhow hard hetried, none ofthespectatorsfellunder hisspell,andmany
  ofthem begantolaugh. Afrustrated Barnum finallyannounced that to
  provethelittle girl'strance was real, hewould cutoff one ofherfingersmany asheep
  Who'd in/ured mein
  norH.\'])4'Cl.
  And even inmytime
  been known torry
  Shepherd pie.
  I/'need he,then. I'lldie.
  YetISIISPECI
  That others also cough!
  (0own their film'.
  1119onlyfair tho! all
  should dotheir best
  Tosingle out the
  guilllesl."
  “Sire, you're toogood
  aking,"theForhcgmv;
  "Sucli scruples'are too
  delicate. lilyword,
  lbcmshc'cp, thu!
  profane mu]vulgar
  herd,
  Thafs sin? Nay. Sim
  enough /orSlltll ticrew
  Tobedr-vourerl by
  xuclz asyou;
  While oflhc .\'l7€[lllL't'(lS
  wemay my
  Thur they ¢l('.l'€IvE'il the
  worst they got,
  'l'heir.v bcmg rlzelo!
  llwl over us'[1eu5!.\' plot
  A/Iinzsy dream-
  ll('g()ll¢',Il sway."
  Thiix spake (heFox,
  andtomly L'hccr.s' rate
  high,
  While none dam! cm'!
  toocold ancyr:
  (M'l'lgerI\, Bcur'.s: Illltl
  other eminmccs'
  (1/lax'! Impanlamzlalra
  of'/'PI1ce.s'.
  Each, ofnevcr mind
  what currish lmrd.
  Was really11saint, lhey
  allagrecrl.
  Tlzm mm." MyAss, In
  my: "1dorecall
  [low once Icrmxwzrl on
  obln'y-mt-ad
  Whore hunger, grim' in
  plenty. and wtrhul,
  I/lave nozlmiln. xome


TxText:
  impofg/'ecrl,
  /l.\'.\'alli*rl me.and I
  slmverl a/ungue'3'-
  hrezzdzh wide
  Whive frurzkly Illno
  righttoAmy grass."
  LAW 5 39
  Allforthwith fellfull
  cryupon theAss:
  AWolfofsome book-
  learning teslified
  Tim! that curs: beast
  mus! suffer Iheir
  despite,
  That gullskimzerl
  author oftheir [71'te0L¢s
  plight.
  They judged himfir
  fornaught but
  gallows-bail.'
  How vile, anal/zeris
  grasstoxec1uestrzIlr'.'
  His death alone could
  wcpiale
  Acrime soheinous, as
  full well helearns.
  Tim (curt, asyoutz» of
  grcal orpoor estate,
  Willpamt you either
  white orbfllilk byturns'.
  III]?-. masr i=AnLi:s
  or LAFON'IAl\'lZ,
  J1-:AN m=LAl7()NT.A\lNF,
  1621-1695
  4!) LAW 5without hernoticing. But ashesharpenedtheknife, thelittle girl's eyes
  popped openand she ranaway,totheaudience's delight.Herepeatedthis
  and other parodiesforseveral weeks. Soon no one could take Peale's show
  seriously,and attendance wentwaydown. Within afewweeks, theshow
  closed. Over thenext fewyearsBamum established areputationforaudac-
  ityand consummate showtnanship that lasted hiswhole life. Pea1e's reputa-
  tion, ontheother hand, never recovered.
  Interpretation
  Bamum used two different tactics toruin Peale's reputation.The first was
  simple:He sowed doubts about the museum's stabilityand solvency.
  Doubt isapowerful weapon:Onceyouletitoutofthebag with insidious
  rumors, your opponentsareinahorrible dilemma. Onthe one hand they
  candenythe rumors, even provethatyouhave slandered them. But a
  layerofsuspicion will remain: Whyarethey defending themselves sodes-
  perately? Maybethe rumor has some truth toit?If,ontheother hand, they
  take thehigh road and ignore you,thedoubts, unrefuted, will be even
  stronger. Ifdone correctly, thesowing ofrumors can soinfuriate and unset-
  tleyourrivals that indefending themselves theywill make numerous mis-
  takes.


TxText:
  This istheperfect weaponforthose who have noreputationoftheir
  own towork from.
  Once Bamum didhave areputationofhisown, heused thesecond,
  gentler tactic, thefake hypnotismdemonstration: Heridiculed hisrivals'
  reputation.This too wasextremelysuccessful. Once you have asolid base
  ofrespect, ridiculing your opponentboth putshim onthedefensive and
  draws more attention toyou, enhancing yourown reputation. Outright
  slander and insult aretoostrongatthispoint; theyareugly, and may hurt
  youmore than help you.Butgentlebarbs andmockery suggest thatyou
  have astrong enoughsense ofyourown worth toenjoyagood laughat
  yourrival'sexpense. Ahumorous front canmake youout asaharmless en-
  tertainer while pokingholes inthereputationofyourrival.
  Itiseasier tocopewith abad conscience than with abadreputation.
  Friedrirh /Vietzsrhrc, 18-44—I 900
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Thepeoplearound us, even our closest friends, willalwaystosome extent
  remain mysterious andunfathomable. Their characters have secret recesses
  thattheynever reveal. The unknowableness ofother peoplecouldprove
  disturbing ifwethought about itlong enough,since itwould make itim-
  possible for usreallytojudge other people.Soweprefertoignore thisfact,
  and tojudge peopleontheirappearances,onwhat ismost visible toour
  eyes—-clothes, gestures, words, actions. Inthesocial realm, appearancesare
  thebarometer ofalmost allofourjudgments,and youmust never benus-
  ledintobelievingotherwise. One false slip,oneawkward orsudden change
  inyour appearance,canprovedisastrous.
  This isthe reason forthesupreme importance ofmakingand main-
  tainingareputationthat isofyourown creation.
  That reputation willprotect youinthedangerous game ofappear-
  ances, distractingtheprobing eyes ofothers from knowingwhatyouare
  really like, andgiving youadegree ofcontrol over how theworld judges
  you—a powerful positiontobein.Reputationhas apowerlike magic:
  With one stroke ofitswand, itcandouble your strength.Itcan also send
  people scurrying awayfromyou. Whether the exact same deedsappear
  brilliant ordreadful candepend entirelyonthereputation ofthedeer.
  Inthe ancient Chinese court oftheWeikingdomthere was aman
  named MiTzu-hsia who had areputationforsupreme civilityandgracious-
  ness. Hebecame themler's favorite. Itwas alaw inWei that “whoever


TxText:
  rides secretlyintheruler's coach shall have hisfeet cutoff,” butwhen Mi
  Tzu-hsia's mother fellill,heused theroyalcoach tovisit her,pretending
  thattheruler hadgiven himpermission. When theruler found out, hesaid,
  “How dutiful isMiTzu-hsia! Forhismother's sake heeven forgotthat he
  wascommittingacrime makinghim liable tolose hisfeet!”
  Another time the two ofthem took astroll inanorchard. MiTzu-hsia
  began eatingapeachthat hecould notfinish, and hegave theruler the
  other half toeat.The ruler remarked, “You love me somuch thatyouwould
  even forget yourown saliva taste and letme eatthe restofthepeach!”
  Later, however, envious fellow courtiers, spreadingword that MiTzu-
  hsia wasactuallydevious and arrogant, succeeded indamaging hisreputa-
  tion; theruler came toseehisactions inanewlight “This fellow once rode
  inmycoach under pretenseofmyorder,” hetold the courtiers angrily,
  “and another time hegaveme ahalf-eaten peach.”For the same actions
  that had charmed theruler when hewas thefavorite, MiTzu-hsia now had
  tosuffer thepenalties.The fate ofhisfeetdepended solelyonthestrength
  ofhisreputation.
  Inthebeginning, youmust work toestablish areputationfor one out-
  standing quality,whether generosityorhonestyorcunning.This quality
  setsyouapartandgets other peopletotalk aboutyou.You then makeyour
  reputationknown toasmany peopleaspossible (subtly, though; take care
  tobuild slowly,and with afirm foundation), and watch asitspreads like
  wildfire.
  Asolid reputationincreases your presence and exaggerates your
  strengths withoutyour havingtospend muchenergy. Itcan also create an
  aura aroundyouthat will instill respect,even fear. Inthefightinginthe
  North African desert duringWorld War II,the GermangeneralErwin
  Rommel had areputationforcunningandfordeceptive maneuveringthat
  struck terror into everyonewho faced him. Even when hisforces were de-
  pleted,and when British tanks outnumbered hisbyfive toone, entire cities
  would beevacuated atthe news ofhisapproach.
  Asthey say, your reputation inevitably precedes you,andifitinspires


TxText:
  respect,alotofyourwork isdone foryoubeforeyou arrive onthe scene,
  orutter asingle word.
  Your success seems destined byyour pasttriumphs. Much ofthe suc-
  LAW 5 41
  42 LAW 5cess ofHenry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacyrested onhisreputation for
  ironingoutdifferences; noone wanted tobe seen assounreasonable that
  Kissinger could notswayhim. Apeace treatyseemed afaitaccomplias
  soon asKissinger'sname became involved inthenegotiations.
  Make your reputation simpleand base itononesterling quality. This
  single quality—-efiiciency, say,orseductiveness-—becomes akind ofcalling
  card that announcesyour presence andplacesothers under aspell.Arepu-
  tation forhonesty will allow youtopracticeall manner ofdeception.
  Casanova used hisreputationasagreatseducer topavetheway forhisfu-
  tureconquests;women who had heard ofhispowers became immensely
  curious, and wanted todiscover forthemselves what had made him soro-
  manticallysuccessful.
  Perhaps youhavealreadystained your reputation,sothatyouarepre-
  vented from establishinganew one. Insuch cases itiswise toassociate
  with someone whose imagecounteracts your own, usingtheir goodname
  towhitewash and elevate yours. Itishard, forexample, toerase areputa-
  tion fordishonesty byyourself; but aparagonofhonestycanhelp.'Nixon
  P.T.Barnum wanted toclean upareputation forpromoting vulgar enter-
  tainment, hebroughtthesinger jennyLind over from Europe.She had a
  stellar, high—class reputation, andtheAmerican tour Bamum sponsored for
  hergreatly enhanced his own image. Similarlythegreat robber barons of
  nineteentlrcentury America were long unable toridthemselves ofarepu-
  tation forcruelty andmean-spiritedness. Onlywhenthey began collecting
  art, sothat the names ofMorgan and Frick became permanentlyassociated
  with those ofdaVinci andRembrandt, were theyable tosoften their un-
  pleasant image.
  Reputationisatreasure tobecarefully collected and hoarded.Espe-
  ciallywhenyouarefirstestablishing it,youmust protect itstrictly,antici-
  pating allattacks onit.Once itissolid, donotletyourself getangryor
  defensive attheslanderous comments ofyourenemies—that reveals inse-
  curity,notconfidence inyour reputation.Take thehigh road instead, and
  neverappear desperateinyourself—defense. Ontheother hand, anattack


TxText:
  onanother man's reputationisapotent weapon, particularlywhenyou
  have lesspowerthan hedoes. Hehasmuch more tolose insuch abattle,
  andyourownthus~far-small reputation gives him a.smalltarget when he
  tries toreturn yourfire. Bamum used such campaignstogeateffect inhis
  earlycareer. Butthis tactic must bepracticedwith skill; youmust not seem
  toengageinpetty vengeance. Ifyou donotbreak your enemy's reputation
  cleverly, youwillinadvertentlyruinyourown.
  Thomas Edison, considered theinventor who harnessed electricity,
  believed that aworkablesystemwould have tobebased ondirect cur-
  rent (DC). When theSerbian scientist Nikola Tesla appearedtohave suc-
  ceeded increatingasystembased onalternatingcurrent (AC), Edison was
  furious. Hedetermined toruin Tesla's reputation, bymaking thepublicbe-
  lieve that theACsystemwasinherently unsafe, and Tesla irresponsiblein
  promotingit.
  Tothis end hecapturedallkinds ofhouseholdpetsand electrocuted
  them todeath with anAC current. When thiswasn't enough,in1890 hegot
  New York State prisonauthorities toorganize theworld's first execution by
  electrocution, usinganAC current. ButEdison's electrocution experiments
  had allbeen with small creatures; thechargewas tooweak, and the man
  wasonlyhalf killed. Inperhapsthecountry'scruelest state-authorized exe
  cufion, theprocedure had toberepeated.Itwas anawful spectacle.
  Although, inthelong run, itisEdison's name that hassurvived, atthe
  time hiscampaign damagedhis own reputationmore than Tesla's. He
  backed off.The lesson issimple-—never gotoofarinattacks likethese, for
  thatwill draw more attention toyourown vengefulness than totheperson
  youareslandering.When yourown reputation issolid, usesubtler tactics,
  such assatire andridicule, toweakenyour opponentwhile making youout
  asacharming rogue. Themighty lion toys with the mouse that crosses his
  path—anyother reaction would mar hisfearsome reputation.
  Image:
  AMine Full of
  Diamonds and Rubies.
  Youdugforit,youfound it,
  and your wealth isnow assured.
  Guard itwithyourlife. Robbers and thieves
  willappear from allsides. Never takeyourwealth
  forgranted, andconstantlyrenew it—time


TxText:
  will diminish thejewels' luster,
  and bury them from sight.
  Authority: Therefore Ishould wish our courtier tobolsteruphisinherent
  worth with skill andcunning, and ensure that whenever hehas togowhere
  heisastranger,heispreceded byagood reputation.4 . .For thelame
  whichappearstorest ontheopinionsofmanyfosters acertain unshak-
  able belief inaman's worth which isthen easily strengthened inminds
  alreadythus disposedandprepared. [Baldassare Castiglione,1478— 1529)
  REVERSAL
  There isnopossible Reversal. Reputationiscritical; there are noexcep-
  tions tothis law.Perhaps,notcaringwhat others think ofyou, yougaina
  reputationforinsolence andarrogance,butthat can beavaluable imagein
  itself—0scar Wilde used ittogreat advantage. Since wemust live insoci-
  etyand must dependontheopinions ofothers, there isnothing tobe
  gained byneglecting your reputation. Bynotcaringhowyouareper»
  ceived, youletothers decide thisforyou.Bethe master ofyour fate, and
  alsoofyour reputation.
  LAW 5'43
  LAW
  COURT ATTENTION
  ATALL COST
  JUDGMENT
  Everythingisjudgeditsappearance,' wlmt isunseen
  counts fornothing.Never letyourself getlost inthe
  crowd, ihen, orburied inoblivicm. Stand out. Be am-
  spicuous,atallcast. Make youmzlfamagnet ofatten-
  tionbyappearing larger,more colmful,moremysterious
  than thebland and timid masses.
  PART I:SURROUND YOUR NAME WITH THE
  SENSATIONAL AND SCANDALOUS
  Draw attention toyourself bycreatinganunforgettable,even controversial
  image.Court scandal. Doanythingtomake yourselfseem largerthan life
  and shine more brightly than those aroundyou.Make nodistinction be-
  tween kinds ofattention—notoriety ofany sortwillbringyon power.Better
  tobeslandered and attacked than ignored.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAVV
  P.T.Barnum, America's premier nineteenth-century showman, started his
  career asanassistant tothe owner ofacircus, Aaron Turner. In1836 the
  circus stoppedinAnnapolis, Maryland, for aseries ofperformances. On
  themorning ofopening day,Barnum took astroll through town, wearinga
  new black suit. Peoplestarted tofollow him. Someone inthegathering
  crowd shouted outthat hewas theReverend EphraimK.Avery,infamous


TxText:
  asaman acquitted ofthecharge ofmurder butstillbelieved guilty bymost
  Americans. Theangry mob tore offBamum's suitand wasready tolynch
  him. After desperate appeals,Barnum finally convinced them tofollow
  him tothecircus, where hecould verifyhisidentity.
  Once there, oldTurner confirmed that this was allapractical joke-—he
  himself had spreadthe rumor that Barnum wasAvery.The crowd dis—
  persed,butBarnum, who hadnearlybeen killed, was not amused. He
  wanted toknow what could have induced hisboss toplay such atrick. “My
  dear Mr.Barnum,” Turner replied, “itwas allfor ourgood. Remember, all
  weneed toensure success isnotoriety.” And indeedeveryoneintown was
  talkingabout thejoke,and thecircus waspacked thatnight andevery night
  itstayedinAnnapolis.Barnum had learned alesson hewould never forget.
  Bamum's firstbigventure ofhis own was theAmerican Museum——a
  collection ofcuriosities, located inNew York. One dayabeggar ap-
  proachedBamum inthe street. Instead ofgiving himmoney,Bamum de-
  cided toemploy him. Taking him back tothe museum, hegave the man
  livebricks andtold him tomake aslow circuit ofseveral blocks. Atcertain
  pointshe was tolaydown abrick onthesidewalk, always keepingone
  brick inhand. Onthe return journeyhe was toreplaceeach brick onthe
  street with the one heheld. Meanwhile hewas toremain serious ofcounte-
  nance and toanswer noquestions. Once back atthe museum, he was to
  enter, walk around inside, then leave through theback door and make the
  same bricklayingcircuit again.
  On theman's first walk throughthestreets, several hundred people
  watched hismysterious movements. Byhis fourth circuit, onlookers
  swarmed around him, debating what hewasdoing. Everytime heentered
  the museum hewas followed bypeoplewhoboughttickets tokeepwatch»
  inghim. Many ofthem were distracted bythemuseum's collections, and
  stayedinside.


TxText:
  Bythe end ofthefirstday,thebrick man had drawn over a'll|l» \\"AS|' SVI) 'l'|l|".
  l*'ltI'\t,.'li
  Awasp named Pin Tail
  waslong inquest of
  some (Iced that would
  make himforever
  famous. Soone day he
  entered theking's
  palace and slung the
  little prince,who was in
  hell. Theprince awoke
  with loud cries. The
  king and hiscoumers
  rushed intoseewhat
  hadhappened. The
  prince wasyellingas
  thewarp stung him
  again andagain. The
  cozmiers tried tocatch
  thewarp, and each in
  turn was stung. The
  whole myalh0u.s'1zhnld
  rushed in,the news
  soon spread, and
  people flocked lothe
  palace. Thecitywas in
  anuproar, alll)m'iue.\'.\'
  Sll.S'[l€N(l(.'d. Said the
  wasptoitself before it
  expired from itsefforts.
  “Aname without/J1me
  islike/ire wilhuul
  flame. There isIwthirrg
  likeattracting notzce at
  any cost."
  INDIAN 1-ABLE
  LAW 6I45
  [Sum wlmt I'mmilwl
  uf.lgvt my(/(mm of
  rmown.
  Pu rim Am«,rIN(>.
  l-1')ZAl55(»
  'l'tH. I«)1RI'l\R'H-I'
  Awork that way Volume
  tartly ;)u'.\mImlInu
  prmcewas bound to
  seem inmime wuy
  sprevizzl. '1'/iv arlirr
  hinz.s'e[fm[g/it also /rvv
  toattract the£rIl(m!i(1I!
  vftlze court zhmugh his
  he]2m'i'o:.u: inl/?1.\'ari'.\'
  izrzig/11:31:! Smlmmi Wm
  "wall knmw: hall:for
  hisprr.x'mzuI ¢'ccenIri(i-
  masandforhisrv/Jmu~
  (ion at 11good prlirmir."
  b'emu.\'e Pope Leo X
  “fmmd pI¢'u.\m'r'In
  .\'llC/I.s'rran_+;r*, /mrrn
  hmined imlivitluu/.5'."
  /wmarlrl Sozfumu N
  krzighl, mtm'n],[ the


TxText:
  mm togr)c'ump/('(e'l_\/
  (N11oflizk miml. Van
  Ma:zci3:'r_;"m4n(1 itodd
  that the[7l'Ol1U(,'I.$ of
  ('o.v9wli.\' Kort?! '5'r*Xp<'1'z~
  nwmy inmomlz and
  foot pmnringwart'
  bz)u_;;h1 bynorablar
  permm "Iaevuu.\'c of
  their 0rl:I1'ry."yz'! Kvlvl
  waxonly adding avan'
  anon tovimx'lur experi-
  nwmtv byTirmn, Ugu
  (laCnrpi zmtl I'a/ma
  Grm-'om', wfm, &('t'r)r4l«
  mgtoBaiychini painter]
  um]: riiesr fizigcvis'
  “hr-,rrIu.s'x> ihcy wi.~:he(/
  toimitate thermrthotl
  14.3111 Iw[he.S'1lpn'Im.'
  Creator,"Vim Mumlvr
  46'
  LAW 6thousand peopleinto the museum. Afewdayslater thepolice ordered him
  tocease and desist from hiswalks——the crowds were blockingtraffic. The
  bricklaying stopped but thousands ofNew Yorkers had entered the mu-
  seum, andmany ofthose had become P.T.Barnum converts.
  Barnum would putaband ofmusicians on abalcony overlooking the
  street, beneath ahuge banner proclaimingFREE MUSIC FOR THE MILLIONS.
  What generosity,New Yorkers thought,andthey flocked tohear thefree
  concerts. ButBarnum tookpainstohire theworst musicians hecould find,
  and soon afier theband struckup,peoplewould hurrytobuytickets tothe
  museum, where theywould beoutofearshot oftheband's noise, and of
  thebooing ofthecrowd.
  One ofthefirst oddities Barnum toured around thecountry wasjoice
  Heth, awoman heclaimed was 161years old, and whom headvertised asa
  slave who had once been George Washington'snurse. After several
  months thecrowds begantodwindle, soBarnum sent ananonymous letter
  tothepapers, claimingthat Heth was aclever fraud. 'joice Heath,” he
  wrote, “isnot ahuman being but anautomaton, madeupofwhalebone,
  indie-rubber, and numberless springs.”Those who had notbothered tosee


TxText:
  herbefore were immediately curious, and those who hadalreadyseen her
  paidtoseeheragain, tofind outwhether the rumor that she was arobot
  was true.
  In1842, Barnumpurchasedthe carcass ofwhat waspurported tobea
  mermaid. This creature resembled amonkeywith thebody ofafish, but
  the head andbodywere perfectly joined—itwastrulyawonder. After
  some research Barnum discovered that the creature had been expertly put
  together injapan,where thehoax had caused quiteastir.
  Henevertheless plantedarticles innewspapersaround thecountry
  claimingthecapture ofamermaid intheFijiIslands. Healso sent thepa—
  perswoodcut prints ofpaintings showingmermaids. Bythetime heshowed
  thespecimeninhismuseum, anational debate had beensparkedover the
  existence ofthese mythicalcreatures. Afewmonths before Batnum's cam~
  paign,no one had cared oreven known about mermaids; noweveryone
  wastalkingabout them asiftheywere real. Crowds flocked inrecord num»
  bers toseetheFijiMermaid, and tohear debates onthesubject.
  Afewyears later, Barnum toured Europe with General Tom Thumb. a
  five-year—olddwarf from Connecticut whom Bamum claimed was an
  elevenvyear-old English boy, and whom hehad trained todomanyre-
  markable acts. During this tour Bamum's name attracted such attention
  thatQueen Victoria, thatparagonofsobriety, requestedaprivateaudience
  with him and histalented dwarf atBuckingham Palace. TheEnglish press
  mayhave ridiculed Bamum, butVictoria wasroyally entertained byhim,
  andrespected him ever after.
  Interpretation
  Barnum understood the fundamental truth aboutattractingattention:
  Once people's eyesare onyou, youhave aspecial legitimacy.ForBarnum,
  creatinginterest meant creatingacrowd; ashelater wrote, “Every crowd
  has asilver lining.” And crowds tend toactinconjunction. Ifone person
  stopstoseeyour beggarman laying bricks inthestreet, more will dothe
  same. They willgather like dust bunnies. Then, givenagentle push, they
  will enter yourmuseum orwatch yourshow. Tocreate acrowd you have to
  dosomething different and odd. Anykind ofcuriosity will serve thepur-


TxText:
  pose,forcrowds aremagnetically attracted bytheunusual andinexplica-
  ble.And once you have their attention, never letitgo.Ifitveers toward
  other people,itdoes soatyour expense. Barnum would ruthlesslysuck at~
  tention from hiscompetitors, knowingwhat avaluable commodity itis.
  Atthebeginning ofyourrisetothetop,then, spendallyour energyon
  attractingattention. Most important:The qualityoftheattention isirrele
  vant. Nomatter how badly hisshows were reviewed, orhow slanderously
  personalwere theattacks onhishoaxes, Barnum would never complain. If
  anewspaper critic reviled himparticularly badly, infact, hemade sure to
  invite the man toanopening and togivehim thebest seat inthehouse. He
  would even writeanonymousattacks onhis own work, justtokeep his
  name inthepapers. From Bamum's vantage, attentionwwhether negative
  orpositive——was themain ingredient ofhis success. The worst fate inthe
  world for aman whoyearns fame, glory, and, ofcourse, poweristobe
  ignored.
  Ifthecou.m'er happenstoengageinarms insome public spectacle
  such asjausting. . .hewill ensure that thehome hehas isbeautifully
  caparisoned, that hehimselfis suitably attired, with appropriate
  mentors and ingenious mines toattract theeyesqfthe onlookers
  inhisdirection assurelyastheladeswne attracts iron.
  Halzlr1.s.wn> (Irz.tl2T,grli01zr2, I478-I529
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Burningmore brightly than those aroundyouisaskill that noone isborn
  with. You have tolearn toattract attention, “assurelyasthelodestone at~
  tracts iron.” Atthestart ofyour career, youmust attachyourname andrep-
  utation toaquality,animage, that setsyouapart from other people. This
  imagecanbesomething like acharacteristic styleofdress, orapersonality
  quirkthat amuses people and gets talked about. Once theimageisestalr
  lished, you have anappearance,aplaceintheskyforyourstar.
  Itisacommon mistake toimagine that thispeculiar appearance of
  yoursshould not becontroversial, that tobeattacked issomehow bad.
  Nothing could befurther from thetruth. Toavoid beingaflash inthepan,
  andhaving your notoriety eclipsed byanother, youmust notdiscriminate


TxText:
  between differenttypes ofattention; intheend, every kind will work in
  yourfavor. Barnum, wehave seen, welcomed personalattacks and felt
  noneed todefend himself. Hedeliberately courted theimage ofbeinga
  humbug.reports(/1111 (]r7s'sa<'rr
  attracted theattention
  ofljmpumr Clmrlcs V
  bywearing ufamu.v1it'
  paper<,'()si'1un:e. In
  doingsohe wasadopt»
  mgthetactics tl.$'€(/ by
  Di:zocrr1Ie.s'. who. in
  order togain(ZC('L'.l'S' In
  Altczmmler theGreat. is
  suit! tohave appeared
  di.rgL1isc(1 asthermkt-cf
  Ht'r.':ule.x wlzm the
  monarch wasxittizzg in
  jzrdgnzciiz.
  !'H§€ <,'()UR'l' mrris'i'.
  MARTIN VVARNKE.
  l993
  LAW6.147
  LAW 6The court ofLouis XIV containedmany talented writers, artists, great
  beauties, and men and women ofimpeccable virtue, but noone was more
  talked about than thesingular Due deLauzun. The duke wasshort, almost
  dwarfish, and he waspronetothe most insolent kinds ofbehavior-—he
  sleptwith theking's mistress, andopenly insulted notonly other courtiers
  butthekinghimself. Louis, however, was sobeguiled bytheduke's eccen~
  tricities that hecould notbeat hisabsences from the court. Itwassimple:
  The strangeness oftheduke's character attracted attention. Oncepeople
  were enthralled byhim, they wanted him around atanycost.
  Societycraves larger-than-life figures, peoplewho stand above the
  general mediocrity.Never beafraid, then, ofthequalities that setyouapart
  and draw attention toyou.Court controversy,even scandal. Itisbetter to
  beattacked, even slandered, than ignored. Allprofessionsareruled bythis
  law, and allprofessionalsmust have abitoftheshowman about them.
  The greatscientist Thomas Edison knew that toraise money hehad to
  remain inthepublic eyeatanycost. Almost asimportantastheinventions
  themselves was how hepresented them tothepublicand courted attention.
  Edison would design w'sual1y dazzling experimentstodisplay hisdis~
  coveries with electricity.


TxText:
  Hewould talk offuture inventions that seemed
  fantastic atthe time-—robots, and machines that could photograph
  thought—-and that hehad nointention ofwasting hisenergy on,butthat
  made thepublictalk about him. Hedideverythinghecould tomake sure
  that hereceived more attention than hisgreat rival Nikola Tesla, who may
  actually have been more brilliant than hewasbutwhose name was farless
  known. In1915, itwas rumored that Edison and Tesla would bejoint recip-
  ients ofthatyear'sNobel Prize inphysics.Theprizewaseventually givento
  apairofEnglish physicists; only later was itdiscovered that theprizecom-
  mittee hadactually approached Edison, buthehad turned them down, re-v
  fusingtoshare theprizewith Tesla. Bythat time hisfame was more secure
  than Tesla's, and hethoughtitbetter torefuse thehonor than toallow his
  rival theattention that would have come even from sharing theprize.
  Ifyoufindyourselfinalowly positionthat offers little opportunityfor
  youtodraw attention, aneffective trick istoattack the most visible, most
  famous, most powerful person youcanfind. When Pietro Aretino, ayoung
  Roman servant boyoftheearly sixteenth century, wanted togetattention
  asawriter ofverses, hedecided topublishaseries ofsatiricalpoems rid]
  culing thepopeand hisaffection for apetelephant.The attack putAretino
  inthepublic eyeimmediately.Aslanderous attack on apersoninaposi-
  tionofpowerwould have asimilar effect. Remember, however, tousesuch
  tactics sparinglyafteryouhave thepublic's attention, when the act can
  wear thin.
  Once inthelimelight youmust constantlyrenew itbyadaptingand
  varying your method ofcourtingattention. Ifyou don't, thepublic will
  grow tired, will takeyouforgranted, andwill move ontoanewer star. The
  game requiresconstant vigilance and creativity. Pablo Picasso never al
  lowed himself tofade into thebackground;ifhis name became tooat
  tached toaparticular style,hewould deliberately upsetthepublic with a
  new series ofpaintingsthat went againstallexpectations.Better tocreate
  something uglyanddisturbing,hebelieved, than toletviewersgrowtoo fa-
  miliar with hiswork.


TxText:
  Understand: Peoplefeelsuperiortotheperson whose
  actions theycanpredict. Ifyoushow them who isincontrol byplaying
  againsttheir expectations, youboth gain their respectandlighten yourhold
  ondreir fleetingattention.
  Image:
  The Limelight. The
  actor whostepsinto this bxil»
  liant lightattains aheightened
  presence. Alleyesare onhim. There
  isroom foronlyone actor atatime in
  thelimelight'snarrow beam; dowhat-
  ever ittakes tomake yourselfitsfocus.
  Makeyour gesturessolarge,amus-
  ing,and scandalous that the
  light staysonyou while the
  other actors are left in
  the shadows.
  Authority:Beostentatious and
  be seen. . . .What isnot seen is
  asthoughitdid not exist. . . .It
  waslightthat first caused allcre-
  ation toshine forth. Displayfills
  upmany blanks, coversupdefi-
  ciencies, and gives everything
  asecond life,especially when it
  isbacked bygenuine merit.
  (Baltasar Gracién, 16014658)
  LAW 6349
  LAW 6PART II:CREATE AN AIR OFMYSTERY
  In aworld gmwing increasinglybanal aindpfamiliai; what seems enig-
  matic instantlydraws attention. Never make ittooclear whatyouare
  doingorabout todo.Donotshow allyourcanis, /inairofmystery height-
  ensyour presence; italso creates anticipation--everyone will bewatching
  youtoseewhat happensnext. Usemysterytobeguile, seduce, evenfrighten.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Beginningin1905, rumors started tospread throughout Paris ofayoung
  Oriental girlwho danced inaprivate home, wrappedinveils that shegrad-
  ually discarded. Alocal journalist who had seen herdancing reportedthat
  “awoman from theFarEast had come toEuropeladen with perfume and
  jewels,tointroduce some oftherichness oftheOriental colour andiifeinto
  thesatiated society ofEuropean cities.” Sooneveryoneknew thedam:er's
  name: Mata Han'.
  Early thatyear,inthewinter, small and select audiences would gather
  in asalon filled with Indian statues and other relics while anorchestra
  playedmusic inspired byHindu andJavanese melodies. After keepingthe
  audience waitingandwondering, Mata Hari would suddenly appear,ina
  startling costume: awhite cotton brassiere covered with India.n~type jewels;


TxText:
  jeweledbands atthewaist supportingasarong that revealed asmuch asit
  concealed; braceletsupthe arms. Then Mata Hari would dance, inastyle
  nooneinFrance had seen before, herwhole body swayingasifshe were in
  atrance. She told her excited and curious audience that her dances told
  stories from Indian mythologyandjavanese folktales. Soon the cream of
  Paris, and ambassadors from far—off lands, were competing forinvitations
  tothesalon, where itwas rumored that Mata. Hari wasactually performing
  sacred dances inthenude.
  Thepublicwanted toknow more about her. She toldjournaliststhat
  she wasactually Dutch inorigin,buthad grown upontheisland ofjava.
  Shewould also talkabout time spentinIndia, how shehad learned sacred
  Hindu dances there, and how Indian women “can shoot straight, ride
  horseback, and arecapableofdoing logarithmsand talkphilosophy.” By
  the summer of1905, although few Parisians hadactuallyseen Mata Hari
  dance, her name was oneveryone's lips.
  AsMata Hari gavemore interviews, thestory ofherorigins kept
  changing:She had grown upinIndia, hergrandmotherwas thedaughter
  ofajavanese princess,shehad lived ontheisland ofSumatra where she
  had spent hertime “horsebaxzk riding, guninhand, andrisking herlife.”
  No one knew certain about her, butjournalistsdidnotmind these
  changesinherbiography. They compared her toanIndian goddess,a
  creature from thepages ofBaudelaire—whatever their imaginationwanted
  toseeinthismysteriouswoman from theEast.
  InAugust of1905, Mata Hari performedforthefirst time inpublic.
  Crowds throngingtoseeher onopening nightcaused ariot. She had now
  become acult figure, spawning many imitations. One reviewer wrote,
  “Mata Hari personifies allthepoetry ofIndia, itsmysticism,itsvoluptuous-
  ness, itshypnotizingcharm.” Another noted, “IfIndiapossessessuch unex-
  pected treasures, then allFrenchmen will emigratetothe shores ofthe
  Ganges.”
  Soon thefame ofMata Hari and her sacred Indian dances spreadbe-
  yondParis. She was invited toBerlin, Vienna, Milan. Over the next few


TxText:
  yearssheperformed throughout Europe,mixed with thehighestsocial cir-
  cles, and earned anincome that gave her anindependence rarely enjoyed
  byawoman oftheperiod. Then, near theend ofWorld WarI,she was ar-
  rested inFrance, tried, convicted, andfinally executed asaGermanspy.
  Only during thetrial didthetruth come out: Mata Hari was notfromjava
  orIndia, had notgrown upintheOrient, did not have adropofEastern
  blood inherbody.Her real name wasMargaretha Zelle, and she came
  from thestolid northern province ofFriesland, Holland.
  Interpretation
  When Margaretha Zelle arrived inParis, in1904, she had half afranc in
  herpocket.She was one ofthethousands ofbeautifulyoung girls who
  flocked toParisevery year, taking work asartists' models, nightclub
  dancers, orvaudeville performersattheFolies Bergére.After afewyears
  theywould inevitably bereplaced byyounger girls,and would often end
  uponthestreets, turningtoprostitution,orelsereturningtothetown they
  came from, older and chastened.
  Zelle hadhigher ambitions. She had nodance experience and had
  never performedinthetheater, but asayoung girlshehad traveled with
  herfamilyand had witnessed local dances inJava and Sumatra. Zelle
  clearly understood that what wasimportantinher act was notthedance it-
  self, oreven her face orfigure, butherabilitytocreate anairofmystery
  about herself. The mysteryshecreated laynotjustinherdancing,orher
  costumes, orthestories shewould tell, orherendless liesabout herorigins;
  itlayinanatmosphere enveloping everythingshedid. There wasnothing
  youcouldsayfor sure about her——she wasalways changing, alwayssur-
  prisingheraudience with new costumes, new dances, new stories. This air
  ofmysteryleftthepublic always wantingtoknow more, always wondering
  about her next move. Mata Hari was nomore beautiful thanmanyofthe
  otheryoung girls who came toParis, and she was not aparticularly good
  dancer. Whatseparatedherfrom the mass, what attracted and held the
  public'sattention and made her famous andwealthy,was hermystery.
  Peopleareenthralled bymystery;because itinvites constant interpreta-


TxText:
  tion, theynever tireofit.The mysteriouscannot begrasped.And what
  cannot beseized and consumed creates power.
  LAW 6f51
  52 LAW 6KEYS TOPOWER
  Inthepast,theworld was filled with theterrifyingand unknowable—
  diseases, disasters, capricious despots,themysteryofdeath itself. What we
  could not understand wereimaginedasmythsand spirits. Over the cen-
  turies, though,wehave managed, throughscience and reason, toillumi-
  nate thedarkness; what wasmysteriousandforbiddinghasgrownfamiliar
  and comfortable. Yetthislight has aprice:inaworld that isever more
  banal, that has had itsmysteryandmyth squeezedoutofit,wesecretly
  crave enigmas, peopleorthingsthat cannot beinstantly interpreted,
  seized, and consumed.
  That isthepower ofthemysterious:Itinvites layers ofinterpretation,
  excites ourimagination,seduces usintobelievingthat itconceals some-
  thingmarvelous. The world hasbecome sofamiliar and itsinhabitants so
  predictablethat whatwraps itself inmysterywill almost alwaysdraw the
  limelighttoitand make uswatch it.
  Donotimagine that tocreate anairofmystery youhave tobegrand
  andawe~inspirlng. Mysterythat iswoven intoyour day-to-day demeanor,
  and issubtle, hasthat much morepowertofascinate and attract attention.
  Remember: Most peopleareupfront,can beread like anopen book, take
  little care tocontrol their words orimage,and arehopelessly predictable.
  Bysimply holding back, keeping silent, occasionally uttering arnbiguous
  phrases, deliberately appearing inconsistent, andactingodd intliesubtlest
  ofways, youwill emanate anaura ofmystery.Thepeople around youwill
  then magnifythat aurabyconstantly dyingtointerpret you.
  Both artists and con artists understand thevital link between being
  mysteriousand attractinginterest. Count Victor Lustig,the aristocrat of
  swindlers, playedthegametoperfection.He wasalways doing thingsthat
  were different, orseemed tomake no sense. Hewould showupatthebest
  hotels inalimo driven byajapanese chauffeur; no one had ever seen a
  Japanese chauffeur before, sothis seemed exotic and strange. Lustig would
  dress inthemostexpensive clothing,butalwayswith something—a medal,
  aflower, anarrnband—out ofplace,atleast inconventional terms. This


TxText:
  was seen not astasteless but asodd andintriguing.Inhotels hewould be
  seen receiving telegramsatallhours, one afier theother, broughttohimby
  hisJapanese chauffeur—telegramshewould tearupwith utter noncha-
  lance. (Infacttheywere fakes, completely blank.) Hewould sitalone inthe
  dining room, readingalargeandimpressive-looking book, smilingatpeo-
  pleyetremainingaloof. Vlfithin afewdays, ofcourse, the entire hotel
  would beabuzz with interest inthisstrangeman.
  All this attention allowed Lustigtolure suckers inwith ease. They
  would beg forhisconfidence and hiscompany. Everyonewanted tobe
  seen with thismysteriousaristocrat. And inthepresence ofthisdistracting
  enigma, they wouldn't even notice thattheywere beingrobbed blind.
  Anairofmysterycan make themediocreappear intelligentandpro-
  found. Itmade Mata Hari, awoman ofaverage appearanceand intelli-
  gence,seem like agoddess,and herdancing divinely inspired. Anairof
  mystery about anartist makes hisorherartwork immediatelymore intrigu-
  ing,atrick Marcel Duchamp playedtogreat effect. Itisallvery easyto
  clo—-say little about your work, tease andtitillate withalluring,even contra~
  dictory comments, then stand back andletothers trytomake sense ofitall.
  Mysterious people putothers inakind ofinferior position—-that oftry-
  ing tofigurethem out. Todegreesthattheycancontrol, theyalso elicit the
  fearsurrounding anythinguncertain orunknown. Allgreatleaders know
  that anaura ofmysterydraws attention tothem and creates anintimidating
  presence.Mao Tse-rung, forexample, cleverly cultivated anenigmatic
  image;hehad noworries about seeming inconsistent orcontradicting him~
  self-—fl1e verycontradictoriness ofhisactions and words meant that hea.l~
  wayshad the upperhand. Noone, not even his own wife, ever feltthey
  understood him, and hetherefore seemed larger than life.This also meant
  that thepublic paidconstant attention tohim, ever anxious towitness his
  next move.
  Ifyoursocial position prevents youfrom completely wrapping your
  actions inmystery, youmust atleast learn tomake yourself less obvious.
  Everynow andthen, actinaway that does notmesh with other people's


TxText:
  perception ofyou. Thisway youkeep those around youonthedefensive,
  elicitingthekind ofattention that makesyoupowerful. Done right, theore
  ation ofenigma.can also draw thekind ofattention that strikes terror into
  your enemy.
  During theSecond Punic War (219402 13.0.), thegreat Carthaginian
  general Hannibal waswreaking havoc inhismarch onRome. Hannibal
  wasknown forhiscleverness andduplicity.
  Under hisleadership Carthage's army, though smaller than those of
  theRomans, had constantly outmaneuvered them. On one occasion,
  though, Hann1'bal's scouts made ahorrible blunder, leadinghistroopsinto
  amarshy terrain with the sea attheir back. The Roman army blocked the
  mountainpassesthat ledinland, and itsgeneral, Fabius, was ecstatic-at
  last hehad Hannibal trapped. Postinghisbest sentries onthepasses,he
  worked on aplantodestroy Hannibal's forces. But inthemiddle ofthe
  night,thesentries looked down tosee amysterious sight: Ahuge proces-
  sion oflightswasheading upthemountain. Thousands and thousands of
  lights. Ifthis wasHannibal's army, ithadsuddenly grownahundredfold.
  The sentries argued heatedlyabout what this could mean: Reinforce-
  ments from the sea?Troopsthat had been hidden inthearea? Ghosts? No
  explanationmade sense.
  Asthey watched, fires broke outallover themountain, and ahorrible
  noise drified uptothem from below, like theblowing ofamillion horns.
  Demons, they thought.The sentries, thebravest and most sensible inthe
  Romanarmy,fledtheir postsinapanic.
  Bythenext day,Hannibal hadescapedfrom themarshland. What was
  histrick? Had hereally conjured updemons? Actuallywhat hehad done
  wasorder bundles oftwigstobefastened tothehorns ofthethousands of
  oxen that traveled with histroopsasbeasts ofburden. Thetwigswere then
  LAW6353
  lit,giving theimpressionofthetorches ofavast army heading upthe
  mountain. When theflames burned down totheoxen's skin, they stam-
  pededinalldirections, bellowing like mad andsettingfires allover the
  mountainside. Thekeytothis device's success was not thetorches, the


TxText:
  fires, orthenoises inthemselves, however, butthefact that Hannibal had
  created apuzzlethatcaptivated thesentries' attention andgraduallyterri-
  fied them. From themountaintop there was nowaytoexplainthis bizarre
  sight. Ifthesentries could have explained itthey would have stayed attheir
  posts.
  Ifyoufindyourself trapped, cornered, and onthedefensive insome
  situation, tryasimple experiment: Dosomething that cannot beeasilyex-
  plainedorinterpreted. Choose asimple action, butcarryitoutinaway
  that unsettles your opponent,awaywithmany possible interpretations,
  making yourintentions obscure. Don't just beunpredictable (although this
  tactic too canbesuccessful—see Law 17);likeHannibal, create ascene that
  cannot beread. There will seem tobenomethod toyour madness, no
  rhymeorreason, nosingle explanation. Ifyou dothisright, youwill in-
  spire fear andtremblingand thesentries will abandon theirposts. Call it
  the“feignedmadness ofHamlet” tactic, forHamlet uses ittogreat effect in
  Shakespeare's play, frightening hisstepfather Claudius through the mys-
  tery ofhisbehavior. The mysterious makesyourforces seem larger, your
  powermore terrifying.
  Image: The Dance of
  the \/'cils~-—-thcz veils
  envelopthe dancer.
  What they reveal
  causes excitement,
  What they conceal
  heightens interest. The
  essence ofmystery.
  Authority:Ifyoudonotdeclare yourself immediately, youarouse
  expectation… .Mix alittle mystery with everything, and thevery
  mysterystirsupveneration. And whenyouexplain,benot too ex-
  plicit‥ . .Inthis manner youimitate theDivine waywhenyou
  cause men towonder and watch. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
  .9') LAW 6
  REV F.RSAL
  Inthebeginningofyourrise tothetop, youmust attract attention atall
  cost, but asyourisehigher youmust constantly adapt.Never wear thepub-
  licoutwith the same tactic. Anairofmystery works wonders forthose who
  need todevelopanaura ofpowerandgetthemselves noticed, butitmust
  seem measured and under control. Mata Hari went toofarwith herfabri-
  cations; althoughtheaccusation that she was aspywas false, atthetime it
  was areasonable presumptionbecause allher liesmade her seem suspi-
  cious and nefarious. Donotletyourairofmystery beslowly transformed


TxText:
  into areputationfordeceit. The mystery youcreate must seem agame,
  playfulandunthreatening. Recognizewhen itgoes toofar,andpull back.
  There are times when the need forattention must bedeferred, and
  when scandal andnotorietyarethelastthings youwant tocreate. The at-
  tention you attract must never offend orchallengethereputationofthose
  above you—not,atany rate, iftheyare secure. You will seem notonly pal-
  trybutdesperate bycomparison.There isanarttoknowing when todraw
  notice and when towithdraw.
  Lola Montez was one ofthegreat practitioners ofthe artofattracting
  attention. Shemanaged torise from amiddle—class Irish backgroundto
  beingthelover ofFranz Liszt and then themistress andpoliticaladviser of
  King LudwigofBavaria. Inherlateryears, though, she lost her sense of
  proportion.
  InLondon in1850 there was tobe aperformance ofShakespeare's
  Macbeth featuringthegreatestactor ofthetime, Charles johnKean. Every-
  oneofconsequenceinEnglish societywas tobethere; itwas rumored that
  even Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were tomake apublic appearance.
  The custom oftheperioddemanded thateveryonebeseated before the
  queenanived. Sotheaudience gotthere alittle early,and when thequeen
  entered herroyal box, theyobserved theconvention ofstanding upand
  applaudingher. Theroyal couple waited, then bowed. Everyonesatdown
  and thelightswere dimmed. Then, suddenly,alleyesturned toaboxop-
  posite QueenVictoria's: Awoman appearedfrom theshadows, takingher
  seat later than thequeen.ItwasLola Montez. She wore adiamond tiara on
  herdark hair and along furcoat over her shoulders. People whisperedin
  amazement astheermine cloak wasdroppedtoreveal alow-neckedgown
  ofcrimson velvet. Byturningtheir heads, theaudience could seethat the
  royal couple deliberatelyavoided lookingatLola's box. Theyfollowed
  Victoria's example,and forthe rest oftheevening Lola Montez was ig-
  nored. After that eveningno one infashionable societydared tobe seen
  with her. Allhermagnetic powerswere reversed. People would flee her
  sight. Her future inEnglandwas finished.
  Neverappear overly greedyforattention, then, foritsignals insecurity,
  andinsecuritydrivespower away.


TxText:
  Understand that there aretimes when it
  isnotinyourinterest tobethecenter ofattention. When inthepresenceof
  akingorqueen, forinstance, ortheequivalent thereof, bow and retreat to
  theshadows; nevercompete.
  LAW 6I
  55
  56LAW
  GET OTHERS TO DO THE
  WORK FOR YOU, BUT,
  ALWAYS TAKE THE CREDIT
  JUDGMENT
  Use thewisdom, knowledge, and legwork ofother people
  tofurther yourown cause. Notonlywill such assistance
  saveyouvaluable time andenergy, itwillgive youa
  godlikeaura ofqfficiency andspeed. Intheend your
  helpers will beforgottenandyou will beremembeml.
  Never doyourselfwhat others can doforyou.
  TRANSGRESSION AND OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  In1883 ayoungSerbian scientist named Nikola Tesla wasworking forthe
  European division oftheContinental Edison Company.He was abrilliant
  inventor, and Charles Batchelor, aplant managerand apersonal friend of
  Thomas Edison, persuadedhim heshould seek hisfortune inAmerica, giv-
  inghim aletter ofintroduction toEdison himself. Sobeganalifeofwoe
  andtribulation that lasted until Tesla's death.
  When Tesla met Edison inNew York, thefamous inventor hired him
  onthespot. Tesla worked eighteen-hour days, finding waystoimprovethe
  primitiveEdison dynarnos. Finallyheoffered toredesign them completely.
  ToEdison this seemed amonumental task that could lastyears without
  paying off,buthetoldTesla, “'I'here's fiftythousand dollars initforyou-—xf
  youcandoit.”Tesla labored dayandnightontheprojectand afteronlya
  yearheproducedagreatly improvedversion ofthedynamo, complete
  with automatic controls. Hewent toEdison tobreak thegoodnews and re-
  ceive his$50,000. Edison waspleased with theimprovement,forwhich he
  and hiscompany would take credit, butwhen itcame tothe issue ofthe
  moneyhetold theyoung Serb, “Tesla, you don't understand ourAmerican
  lmmori,” andoffered asmall raise instead.
  Tesla's obsession was tocreate analternating-current system (AC) of
  electricity. Edison believed inthedirect—current system (DC), and notonly
  refused tosupportTesla's research butlater didallhecould tosabotage
  him. Tesla turned tothegreat Pittsburgh magnate George Westinghouse,


TxText:
  who had started his own electricity company. Westinghouse completely
  funded Tesla': research and offered him agenerous royalty agreementon
  future profits. The ACsystemTesla developedisstillthestandard today-—
  butafter patentswere filed inhisname, other scientists came forward to
  take credit fortheinvention, claimingthattheyhad laid thegroundwork
  forhim. His name was lostintheshuffle, and the publiccame toassociate
  theinvention with Westinghousehimself.
  Ayear later, Westinghousewas caughtin amkeover bid from
  _].Pierpont Morgan, who made him rescind thegenerous royaltycontract
  hehadsigned with Tesla. Westinghouse explainedtothescientist that his
  company would not survive ifithad topayhim hisfullroyalties;heper-
  suaded Tesla toacceptabuyout ofhispatentsfor$216,000-—a large sum,
  nodoubt, butfarlessthan the$12million theywere worth atthetime. The
  financiers had divested Tesla oftheriches, thepatents, andessentiallythe
  credit forthegreatest invention ofhiscareer.
  The name ofGuglielmo Marconi isforever linked with theinvention
  ofradio. Butfewknow that inproducinghisinvention-——he broadcast asig-
  nal across theEnglish Channel in1899--Marconi made useofapatent
  Tesla had filed in1897, and that hiswork dependedonTesla'.-i research.
  Once againTesla received nomoneyand nocredit. Tesla invented anin-
  duction motor aswell astheACpower system,and heisthereal“father of
  radio.” Yet none ofthese discoveries bear his name. As anold man, he
  lived inpoverty.THE T()RT()lSE. 'l'Hl-I
  l7I.F.l"llA\$T AND Till'.
  l[|l'P()l'U'l'A\'|l B
  One day literorloise
  met theelephant. who
  trumpeted, "Our ofmy
  way, youwmkling—
  Imight step onyou!”
  The tortoise was not
  afraid andstayed
  where hewas, sothe
  elephant stepped on
  him, butcould not
  crush him. “Do not
  boast, Mr.Elephant,1
  am asstrongasyou
  are.'"said thetortoise,
  bu!theelephant just
  laughed. Sothetortoise
  asked him :0come
  tohishillthe nexi
  morning.


TxText:
  The next day,before
  sunrise, thetortoise ran
  down thehill to(he
  river, where hemet the
  hippopotamus, who
  waxjust onhisway
  back into the water
  after hisrtoclurmzl
  _feading. “Mr Hippo!
  Shall wehave arug~of-
  war? IboxI'm as
  strongasyou are!”
  said [hetortoise. The
  hippopotamus laughed
  atthisridiculous idea,
  butagreed. The tortoise
  producedalong rope
  and told /hehippo to
  hold itinhismouth
  until thetortoise
  shouted “Hey!”
  Then theturlaiie run
  back upthehill where
  hefound theelephant,
  who wasgetting impa-
  tient. Hegave the
  clcpham Ihearher end
  oftherape andsaid,
  “When Isay 'Hey!'
  pull, andyou'llsee
  which afus isthe
  strongest." Then heran
  halfway back down the
  LAW 7-57
  hill, tonplai'1'wlivrfl hp
  muldn 'Ibesmrv. am]
  .s'hmm'd. “lI(,'_v./"T/14*
  clephunl and [he
  /xip[mpv!urrm.\' pulled
  mizlpullezl. hut rm/'llwr
  um/(I Iimlge I/14'
  urlw/——Ilu'y were of
  e-qua! xrrmgrli. '1'/zev
  bath ngrwrl that rim
  t0rI0i.s'H wax asxtrmzg:
  axI/zr'_\'wen'.
  Never (Inwhat orlwri'
  am (Inforyou. The tur-
  rm'\'e letnllirrs dothe
  work forhim while he
  go![ire 4redil.
  Z.-sxRr.i\N mm E:
  inbesure, ifIhrlumler
  reiivs oni/i('.st'citrz'Iy of
  litec:irria_ce, utilizes lite
  legsIaftlteSl.\'/I()75('.§',
  and trinkets Wang Lirmg
  hold 15??!' rrms; than he
  will nottin'l1iII1A'('lf
  andwillfirzd ifvu.s'_vto
  overtake .sw:'ft rIlZtl)l(!l.s'.
  .'Vnw .w1p[1<2.s'ing hr'
  di.icura'€d 1/“!ml V1111-
  rage n_/'the carriage,
  gzn-1: upthe us' It!legs'
  nftheImrscs mm' the
  ,s'k1ilo_fl:Vurt,g- Liang,
  und ulzg/1101110nm
  afterIllt,'zmimals; then


TxText:
  even llmugiz hislegs'
  wart: (ISquit'/casLou
  C1153'. hewould M.-at he
  intime Inovcrlu/LU the
  animals'. Infact, l]'g:onrl
  Izrznvux and .s'tIUng
  vzlrriagmare taken mm
  rm-, then now Immi-
  mcn um! Imrtrlwrmmn
  will begum] vnouglzIo
  z'zm'l: Ilwuizimulx.
  l'lAI\~l'[~l«|'7l7,
  ('nIr\|,s|. vn1J,<>s0I'm,R,
  11111:!) ('I.N'l'lV)[V' n.('.
  58 LAW 7In1917, during hislater impoverished years, Tesla was told hewas to
  receive theEdison Medal oftheAmerican Institute ofElectrical Engineers.
  Heturned themedal down. “You propose,” hesaid, “tohonor mewith a
  medal which Icould pinupon mycoat and strut for avain hour before the
  members ofyourInstitute. You would decoratemybodyand continue to
  letstarve, forfailure tosupply recognition, mymind and itscreative prod
  ucts, which have suppliedthefoundationuponwhich themajor portionof
  yourInstitute exists.”
  Interpretation
  Many harbor theillusion that science, dealingwith facts asitdoes, isbe
  yondthepettyrivalries that trouble therestoftheworld. Nikola Tesla was
  one ofthose. Hebelieved science hadnothingtodowith politics,and
  claimed not tocare forfame and riches. Ashegrew older, though,this ru-
  ined hisscientific work. Not associated withanyparticular discovery, he
  could attract noinvestors tohismanyideas. While hepondered greatin-
  ventions forthefuture, others stole thepatentshehadalready developed
  andgotthegloryforthemselves.
  Hewanted todoeverythingonhisown, butmerelyexhausted and im-
  poverished himselfin theprocess.
  Edison was Tesla's polar opposite.Hewasn't actually much ofascien~
  tificthinker orinventor; heonce said that hehad noneed tobeamathe-
  matician because hecould alwayshire one. That was Fdisoifs main
  method. He wasreallyabusinessman andpublicist, spottingthetrends and
  theopportunitiesthat were outthere, thenhiringthebest inthefield todo
  thework forhim. Ifhehad tohewould steal from hiscompetitors.Yethis
  name ismuch better known than Tesla's, and isassociated with more in-
  ventions.


TxText:
  The lesson istwofold: First, thecredit for aninvention orcreation isas
  important, ifnot more important,than theinvention itself. You must secure
  thecredit foryourselfandkeep others from stealing itaway,orfrompiggy—
  backingonyourhard work. Toaccomplishthisyoumust alwaysbevigilant
  andruthless, keeping your creation quiet untilyoucanbesure there are no
  vultures circling overhead. Second, learn totake advantage ofotherpeo-
  ple's work toFurther yourown cause. Time ispreciousand life isshort. If
  youtrytodoitallonyour own, yourunyourself ragged,waste energy, and
  burn yourselfout.Itisfarbetter toconserve your forces, pounceonthe
  work others have done, and find awaytomake ityourown.
  Everybodysteals incommerce andindustry.
  I'mastolen alotmyself
  ButIknow how tosteal.
  'l'horn/Ls' I1'//lisrm, I847' I931
  KEYS TOPOWER
  The world ofpowerhas fluedynamicsofthejungle: There arethose who
  livebyhuntingandkilling, and there arealso vast numbers ofcreatures
  (hyenas, vultures) who live oil"thehunting ofothers. These latter, less
  imaginative typesareoften incapable ofdoingthework that isessential for
  thecreation ofpower. Theyunderstand early on,though,thatiftheywait
  long enough, theycanalways find another animal todothework forthem.
  Donotbenaive: Atthisvery moment, while youareslaving awayonsome
  project,there arevultures circling above tryingtofigureout awaytosur-
  vive and even thrive offyour creativity. Itisuseless tocomplainabout this,
  ortowear yourself ragged with bitterness, asTesla did. Better toprotect
  yourselfandjointhegame. Once you have established apower base, be-
  come avulture yourself,and saveyourselfalotoftime andenergy.
  Ofthetwopoles ofthisgame,one canbeillustrated bytheexample of
  theexplorer Vasco Nunez deBalboa. Balboa had anobsessionw-the dis-
  covery ofElDorado, alegendary cityofvast riches.
  Earlyinthesixteenth century, after countless hardshipsand brushes
  with death, hefound evidence ofagreatandwealthy empiretothesouth
  ofMexico, inpresent—dayPeru. Byconqueringthisempire,theIncan, and
  seizingisgold,hewould make himself thenext Cortes. Theproblemwas
  that even ashemade thisdiscovery, word ofitspread amonghundreds of
  other conquistadors. Hedidnotunderstand thathalf thegamewaskeeping


TxText:
  itquiet,andcarefiilly watchingthose around him. Afew years after hedis-
  covered thelocation oftheIncan empire,asoldier inhis ownarmy,Fran-
  cisco Pizarro, helpedtogethim beheaded fortreason. Pizarro went onto
  take what Balboa had spentsomany years tryingtofind.
  The other poleisthat oftheartist Peter Paul Rubens, who, late inhis
  career, found himself deluged with requestsforpaintings.Hecreated asys-
  tem: Inhislargestudio heemployeddozens ofoutstanding painters,one
  specializinginrobes, another inbackgrounds,and soon.Hecreated avast
  productionline inwhich alarge number ofcanvases would beworked on
  atthe same time. When animportantclient visited thestudio, Rubens
  would shoo hishired paintersoutfortheday. While theclient watched
  from abalcony,Rubens would work atanincrediblepace,with unbeliev-
  ableenergy. The client would leave inawe ofthisprodigious man, who
  could paintsomany masterpiecesinsoshort atime.
  This isthe essence oftheLaw: Loam togetothers todothework for
  youwhileyou take thecredit, andyou appeartobeofgodlike strengthand
  power. Ifyouthink itimportant todoallthework yourself, you will never
  getfar,and you will suffer thefateoftheBalboas and Teslas oftheworld.
  Find people with theskills andcreativity youlack. Either hire them, while
  putting yourown name ontopoftheirs, orfind awaytotake their work
  and make ityourown. Their creativitythus becomesyours,and youseem
  ageniustotheworld.
  There isanother application ofthislawthat does notrequire thepara-
  sitic useofyour contemporaries' labor: Use thepast,avast storehouse offill \ll.l\l) lll'\
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  LAW 7 59
  60' LAW 7knowledgeand wisdom. Isaac Newton called this“standingontheshoul-
  ders ofgiants.”Hemeant that inmakinghisdiscoveries hehadbuilt onthe
  achievements ofothers. Agreat partofhis aura ofgenius,heknew, was at-
  tributable tohisshrewd abilitytomake themost oftheinsights ofancient,
  medieval, and Renaissance scientists. Shakespeare borrowed plots,charac-
  terizations, and even dialoguefrom Plutarch, amongother writers, forhe
  knew thatnobody surpassedPlutarch inthewritingofsubtle psychology
  andwitty quotes. Howmanylater writers have intheir turn borrowed
  from-~plagz'anlzed——Shakespeare?
  Weallknow how fewoftoday's politicianswrite their own speeches.
  Their own words would notwin them asingle vote; their eloquenceand
  wit, whatever there isofit,theyowe toaspeechwriter. Other people
  dothework, they take thecredit. Theupside ofthis isthat itisa.kind
  ofpowerthat isavailable toeveryone.Learn tousetheknowledge ofthe
  pastandyouwilllook like agenius,even when youarereally justaclever
  borrower,
  Writers who have delved into human nature, ancient masters ofstrat-
  egy,historians ofhuman stupidityandfolly, kingsandqueens who have
  leamed thehardway how tohandle theburdens ofpower—-their knowl-
  edgeisgathering dust, waiting foryoutocome and stand ontheir shoul-
  ders. Their wit can beyour wit,their skill canbeyour skill, andtheywill
  never come around totellpeople howunoriginal youreallyare. You can
  slogthrough life,makingendless mistakes, wastingtime andenergy trying
  todothings from yourown experience.Oryoucan usethearmies ofthe
  past.AsBismarck once said, “Foolssaythattheylearn byexperience. I
  prefertoprofit byothers' experience.”


TxText:
  Image: The Vulture. Ofallthe creatures in
  thejungle,he has itthe easiest. The
  hard work ofothers becomes hiswork;
  their failure tosurvive becomes his
  nourishment. Keepaneyeon
  theVulture—while youare
  hard atwork, heiscir-
  cling above. Donot
  fight him,join
  him.
  Authority:There ismuch tobeknown, lifeisshort, and life isnotlife
  without knowledge. Itistherefore anexcellent device toacquire
  knowledge from everybody. Thus, bythe sweat of2mother's brow, you
  win thereputation ofbeinganoracle. (Baltasar Gracién, 1601-1658)
  REVERSAL
  There aretimes when takingthecredit forwork that others have done is
  notthewise course: Ifyour powerisnotfirmly enough established, you
  will seem tobepushing peopleoutofthelimelight.Tobe a.brilliant ex-
  ploiter oftalent your position must beunshakable, oryouwill beaccused
  ofdeception.
  Be sure you know when letting other peopleshare thecredit serves
  your purpose.Itisespecially importanttonotbegreedywhenyouhave a
  master aboveyou. President Richard Nixon's historic visit tothePeople's
  Republic ofChina wasoriginallyhisidea, butitmightnever have come off
  butforthedeftdiploma/cy ofHenry Kissinger. Nor would ithave been as
  successful without Kissinger'sskills. Stilh when the time came totake
  credit, Kissinger adroitlyletNixon take thelion's share. Knowing that the
  truth would come outlater, hewas careful not tojeopardizehisstandingin
  theshort term byhogging thelimelight. Kissinger playedthegameex~
  partly: Hetook credit forthework ofthose below him while graciously
  giving credit forhis own labors tothose above. That isthewaytoplay
  thegame.
  LAW 7Q0:
  LAW
  MAKE OTHER PEOPLE
  COME TO YOU—
  USE BAIT IFNECESSARY
  JUDG MENT
  1/Wzenyouforcetheotherpersontoact,youmethe onein
  control. Itisalwaysbetter tomakeyour opponentcome to
  you, abandoninghis ownplansinthepmcess.Lure him
  wit];fabulous gm'ns——thenattack. Youhold theamls.
  OBSERVANCl:' OFTHE LAW
  AttheCongress ofVienna in1814, themajor powers ofEurope gatheredto
  carveuptheremains ofNapoleon's fallen Empire.Thecitywasfullofgai-


TxText:
  etyand theballs were the most splendidinmemory. Hoveringover the
  proceedings, however, was theshadow ofNapoleonhimself. Instead of
  being executed orexiled faraway,hehad been sent totheisland ofElba,
  notfarfrom the coast ofItaly.
  Even imprisonedon anisland, aman asbold and creative as
  Napoleon Bonapartemadeeveryonenervous. The Austrians plottedtokill
  him onElba, butdecided itwas toorisky. Alexander I,Rnssia's tempera»
  mental czar, heightenedtheanxiety bythrowinga[itduringthecongress
  when apartofPoland was denied him: “Beware, Ishall loose the mon-
  ster!" hethreatened. Everyoneknew hemeant Napoleon. Ofallthestates
  men gatheredinVienna, only Talleyrand, Napoleon's former foreign
  minister, seemed calm and unconcerned. Itwas asifheknew something
  theothers didnot.
  Meanwhile, ontheisland ofElba, Napoleon's life was amockery ofhis
  previous glory.AsElba's “king,”hehad been allowed toform acourt-—
  there was acook, awardrobe mistress, anofficial pianist,and a.handful of
  courtiers. Allthis wasdesigned tohumiliate Napoleon, and itseemed to
  work.
  That winter, however, there occurred a.series ofevents sostrange and
  dramatic theymighthave been scriptedinaplay.Elba was surrounded by
  British ships,their cannons covering allpossibleexitpoints. Yetsomehow,
  inbroad daylighton26February 1815, aship with nine hundred men on
  board picked upNapoleon andputtoseaTheEnglish gavechase butthe
  ship got away. This almost impossible escapeastonished thepublic
  throughout Europe,and terrified thestatesmen attheCongress ofVienna.
  Althoughitwould have been safer toleave Europe, Napoleonnotonly
  chose toreturn toFrance, heraised theodds bymarchingonParis with a
  tinyarmy,inhopes ofrecapturingthethrone. Hisstrategy worked——people
  ofallclasses threw themselves athisfeet. Anarmyunder Marshal Neysped
  from Paris toarrest him, butwhen thesoldiers saw their beloved former
  leader, they changedsides. Napoleonwas declared emperor again. Volun-
  teers swelled theranks ofhisnewarmy.Delirium sweptthecountry. InParis,
  crowds went wild. Theking who hadreplaced Napoleonfled thecountry.
  Forthenext hundred days, Napoleonruled France.


TxText:
  Soon, however, the
  giddinesssubsided. France wasbankrupt,itsresources nearly exhausted,
  andthere waslittle Napoleon could doabout this. AttheBattle ofWaterloo,
  injuneofthatyear,hewasfinally defeated forgood.This time hisenemies
  hadlearned their lesson: Theyexiled him tothebarren island ofSaint I-Ie~
  lena, offthe west coast ofAfrica. There hehad nomore hope ofescape.
  Interpretation
  Only yearslater did the facts ofNapoleon'sdramatic escape from Elba
  come tolight. Before hedecided toattempt thisbold move, visitors tohis
  court hadtoldhim that hewas more popularinFrance than ever, and that
  LAW 8 63
  M LAW 8thecountrywould embrace him again.One ofthese visitors was Austria's
  General Keller, who convinced Napoleonthatifheescaped,theEuropean
  powers, England included, would welcome him back into power. Napoleon
  wastippedoffthat theEnglish would lethim go,and indeed hisescapeoc-
  curred inthemiddle oftheafternoon, infullview ofEnglish spyglasses.
  What Napoleon didnotknow was that there was aman behind itall,
  pullingthestrings,and that this man was hisformer minister, Talleyrand.
  And Talleyrandwasdoingallthis not tobringback theglory days but to
  crush Napoleononce andforall.Considering theemperor'sambition un-
  settlingtoEurope's stability,hehad turned against himlong ago. When
  Napoleonwas exiled toElba, Talleyrandhadprotested. Napoleonshould
  besent fartheraway, heargued,orEuropewould never have peace. But
  noone Listened.
  Instead ofpushinghisopinion, Talleyrandbided histime. Working
  quietly,heeventuallywon over Castlereaghand Metternich, theforeign
  ministers ofEngland and Austria.
  Togetherthese men baited Napoleonintoescaping.Even Koller's visit,
  towhisperthepromise ofgloryintheexile's ear, waspart oftheplan.Like
  amaster cardplayer, Talleyrand figured everythingoutinadvance. He
  knew Napoleonwould fallinto thetraphehad setHealso foresaw that
  Napoleonwould lead thecountryinto awar, which, givenFrance's wea.k~
  ened condition, could onlylast afew months. One diplomatinVienna,
  who understood thatTalleyrandwas behind itall,said, “He has setthe
  house ablaze inorder tosave itfrom theplague.”


TxText:
  When Ihavz laid baitfordeer,
  Idon? shout atthejirstdoethat comes tosniff,
  butwait until thewhole herd hasgatheredround.
  Otto mm Bismarck, IR]5-I898
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Howmanytimes hasthis scenario playeditself outinhistory:Anaggres~
  sive leader initiates aseries ofbold moves that begin bybringinghim
  muchpower. Slowly, however, hispowerreaches apeak,and soonevery-
  thingturns against him. His numerous enemies band together; tryingto
  maintain hispower,heexhausts himself goinginthis direction and that,
  andinevitablyhecollapses.The reason forthispatternisthat theaggres-
  sivepersonisrarely infullcontrol. Hecannot see more than acoupleof
  moves ahead, cannot seetheconsequences ofthisbold move orthat one.
  Because heisconstantly beingforced toreact tothe moves ofhis ever-
  growinghost ofenemies, and totheunforeseen consequences ofhis own
  rash actions, hisaggressive energyisturned againsthim.
  Intherealm ofpower, youmust askyourself,what isthepoint ofchas-
  inghere and there, tryingtosolve problemsand defeat myenemies, ifI
  never feel incontrol? WhyamIalways havingtoreact toevents instead of
  directingthem? The answer issimple:Your idea ofpoweriswrong. You
  have mistaken aggressive action foreffective action. And most often the
  most effective action istostayback, keep calm, andletothers befrustrated
  bythetrips youlayforthem, playingforlong-term powerrather than
  quick victory.
  Remember: The essence ofpoweristheabilitytokeeptheinitiative,
  togetothers toreact toyour moves, tokeep your opponentand those
  around youonthedefensive. Whenyoumake other peoplecome toyou,
  yousuddenlybecome the onecontrollingthesituation. And the one who
  hascontrol haspower.Two thingsmust happentoplace youinthisposi-
  tion: Youyourselfmust learn tomasteryour emotions, and never tobein-
  fluenced byanger; meanwhile, however, youmust playonpeople'snatural
  tendencytoreact angrilywhen pushedand baited. Inthelong run, the
  abilitytomake others come toyou isaweaponfarmore powerfulthanany
  toolofaggression.
  Studyhow Talleyrand,the master ofthe art,performedthis delicate
  trick. First, heovercame the urgetotrytoconvince hisfellow statesmen
  thatthey needed tobanish Napoleonfaraway.Itisonlynatural towant to
  persuade people bypleading your case, imposing your will with words. But


TxText:
  thisoften turns against you.Few ofTalleyrand's contemporariesbelieved
  Napoleonwas still athreat, sothatifhehadspentalotofenergy tryingto
  convince them, hewould onlyhave made himself look foolish. Instead, he
  held histongueand hisemotions incheck. Most importantofall,helaid
  Napoleonasweet and irresistible trap.Heknew theman's weakness, his
  impetuosity,hisneed forglory and thelove ofthe masses, and heplayed
  allthis toperfection.When Napoleonwent forthebait, there was nodan-
  gerthat hemight succeed and turn thetables onTalleyrand,who better
  thananyoneknew France's depletedstate. And even hadNapoleonbeen
  able toovercome these difficulties, thelikelihood ofhis success would have
  been greaterwere heable tochoose histime andplace ofaction. Bysetting
  theproper trap, Talleyrandtook thetime andplaceinto hisown hands.
  Allofushave onlysomuchenergy,and there isamoment when our
  energiesare attheirpeak.'Whenyoumake theotherpersoncome toyou,
  hewears himself out,wastinghisenergyonthetrip.Intheyear 1905, Rus-
  siaancljapanwere atwar. TheJapanesehadonly recently beguntomod
  emize theirwarships,sothat the Russians had astronger navy, butby
  spreadingfalse information theJapanesemarshal TogoHeihachiro baited
  theRussians intoleavingtheir docks intheBaltic Sea,makingthem believe
  theycould wipe outtheJapanesefleet inone swift attack. The Russian fleet
  could notreachjapan bythequickest route——throughtheStrait ofGibral—
  tarand then the Suez Canal into theIndian Ocean"-because these were
  controlled bytheBritish, andjapanwas anallyofGreat Britain. They had
  togoaround theCape ofGood Hope,atthesouthern tipofAfrica, adding
  over more than sixthousand miles tothevoyage.Once thefleetpassedthe
  Cape,theJapanese spreadanother false story: Theywere sailing tolaunch
  acounterattack. SotheRussians made theentire journeytojapanonconr
  batalert. Bythetimethey arrived, their seamen were tense, exhausted, and
  overworked, while theJapanesehad been waitingattheir ease. Despite the
  LAW 8 65
  66 LAW 8odds and their lack ofexperienceinmodem naval warfare, theJapanese
  crushed theRussians.
  One added benefit ofmakingtheopponentcome toyou,asthe_]a.pa—
  nese discovered with theRussians, isthat itforces him tooperateinyour
  territory.


TxText:
  Beingonhostile ground will make him nervous and often hewill
  rush hisactions and make mistakes. Fornegotiationsormeetings, itisal-
  wayswise tolure others into your territory,ortheterritory ofyourchoice.
  You have your bearings, while theyseenothing familiar and aresubtly
  placedonthedefensive.
  Manipulationisadangerous game.Once someone suspectsheis
  being manipulated,itbecomes harder and harder tocontrol him. But
  when you makeyour opponentcome toyou, youcreate theillusion that he
  iscontrollingthesituation. Hedoes notfeel thestringsthatpullhirmjustas
  Napoleon imaginedthat hehimself was the master ofhisdaring escapeand
  return topower.
  Everything dependsonthe sweetness ofyourbait. Ifyour trapisat»
  tractive enough,theturbulence ofyourenemies' emotions and desires will
  blind them toreality.Thegreedier they become, the more theycan heled
  around.
  The great nineteenth-centuryrobber baron Daniel Drew was amaster
  atplayingthe stock market. When hewanted aparticularstock tobe
  boughtorsold, driving prices upordown, herarely resorted tothedirect
  approach. One ofhistricks was tohurry throughanexclusive club near
  Wall Street, obviouslyonhiswaytothestock exchange,and topullouthis
  customaryred bandanna towipehisperspiringbrow. Aslipofpaper
  would fallfrom this bandanna that hewould pretend not tonotice. The
  club's members were always tryingtoforesee Drew's moves, andthey
  wouldpounceonthepaper, which invariablyseemed tocontain aninside
  upon astock. Word would spread,and members would buyorsell the
  stock indroves, playing perfectlyinto Drew's hands.
  Ifyoucangetother peopletodigtheir owngraves, whysweatyour-
  self? Pickpocketswork this toperfection.Thekeytopickingapocketis
  knowing which pocketcontains thewallet. Experienced pickpocketsoften
  plytheir trade intrain stations and other places where there isa.clearly
  marked signreadingBEWARE OFPICKPOCKE'l'S. Passersby seeingthesignin-
  variablyfeelfortheir wallet tomake sure itisstillthere. Forthewatching
  pickpockets, this islikeshootingfish inabarrel. Pickpocketshave even
  been known toplacetheir own BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS signstoensure
  their success.
  V/Vhenyouaremaking peoplecome toyou, itissometimes better tolet
  them know youareforcing their hand. Yougive updeceptionforovert ma-
  nipulation.


TxText:
  Thepsychologicalramifications areprofound: Thepersonwho
  makes others come tohimappears powerful,and demands respect.
  Filippo Brunelleschi, thegreatRenaissance artist andarchitect, was a
  great practitionerofthe artofmakingothers come tohim asasign ofhis
  power.On one occasion hehad been engagedtorepairthedome ofthe
  Santa Maria delFiore cathedral inFlorence. The commission wasimpor-
  lam and prestigious.But when thecityofficials hired asecond man,
  Lorenzo Ghibem', towork with B1-unelleschi, thegreat artist brooded inse~
  cret. Heknew that Ghiberti had gottenthejobthrough hisconnections,
  and that hewould donone ofthework andgethalf thecredit. Atacritical
  moment oftheconstruction, then, Brunelleschi suddenly developedamys-
  terious illness. Hehad tostop work, butpointedout tocity officials that
  theyhadhired Ghiberti, who should have been able tocontinue thework
  onhis own. Soon itbecame clear that Ghiberti was useless and theofiicials
  came begging toBrunelleschi. Heignored them, insisting that Ghiberti
  should finish theproject, until finally theyrealized theproblem: Theyfired
  Ghiberti.
  Bysome miracle, Bnmelleschi recovered within days.Hedidnothave
  tothrow atantrum ormake afool ofhimself; hesimply practiced theartof
  “makingothers come toyou.”
  Ifon one occasion you make itapoint ofdignitythat others must
  come toyou and you succeed, theywill continue todosoeven after you
  stoptrying.
  Image: The Honcyed
  Bear Trap.The bear hunter
  does not chase hisprey;abear
  that knows itishunted isnearly
  impossibletocatch and isfero-
  Ciuus ifcornered. Instead, the
  hunter lays trapsbaited with
  honey.He does not exhaust
  himself and risk his life in
  pursuit.Hebaits, then waits.
  Authority: Good warriors make others
  come tothem, and donotgotoothers. This
  istheprinciple ofemptiness and fullness
  ofothers and self. Whenyou induceoppo-
  nents tocome toyou, then their force is
  always empty;aslongasyoudo not
  gotothem. your force isalways full.Attack
  ingemptinesswith fullness islikethrowing
  stones oneggs. (


TxText:
  Zhang Yu. eleventh
  centurycommentator on TheArt0/'W11]
  LAW 8 67
  68 LAW 8REVERSAL
  Althoughitisgenerallythewiser policytomake others exhaust themselves
  chasing you, there areoppositecases where strildng suddenlyandaggres-
  sivelyattheenemysodemoralizes him that hisenergiessink. Instead of
  makingothers come toyou, you gotothem, force theissue, take thelead.
  Fast attack can be an awesome weapon, foritforces theotherpersonto
  react without thetime tothink orplan. With notime tothink, peoplemake
  errors ofjudgment,and arethrown onthedefensive. This tactic istheob-
  verse ofwaiting andbaiting,butitserves the same function: You make
  your enemy respondonyourterms.
  Men like Cesare BorgiaandNapoleonused theelement ofspeedtoin-
  timidate ancl control. Arapidand unforeseen move isterrifyingand de-
  moralizing.You must chooseyourtactics dependingonthe situation. If
  you have time onyour side, and know thatyouandyourenemies are at
  least atequal strength,then depletetheir strength bymakingthem come to
  you. Iftime isagainst you—-yourenemies areweaker, andwaiting willonly
  give them thechance torecover—-give them nosuch chance. Strike quickly
  andtheyhave nowhere togo.Astheboxer JoeLouis putit,“He can run,
  buthecan't hide.”
  LA'W
  WIN THROUGH YOUR
  ACTIONS, NEVER
  THROUGH ARGUMENT
  JUDGMENT
  Any momentary triumph you think you have gained
  through argumentisreallyaPyrrhic victory:The 'resmt~
  ment andillwillyaustirupisstrongerand lasts longer
  thananymomentum' change ofopiuion. Itismuch more
  powerfultoget others toagree with youthrough your
  actions, without sayingaword. Demonstrate, donot
  explicate.
  69
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  70 LAW 51'['RAl\'S(.')RF.SSlON OFTHE LAW
  In 131 1313., theRoman consul Publius Crassus Dives Mucianus, laying
  siege totheGreek town ofPergamus, found himself inneed ofabattering
  ram toforce throughthetown's walls. Hehad seen acouple ofhefty ship's
  masts inashipyardinAthens afewdays before, and heordered that the


TxText:
  larger ofthese besent tohimimmediately.Themilitary engineerinAthens
  who received theorder felt certain that the consul reallywanted the
  smaller ofthe masts. Heargued endlessly with thesoldiers who delivered
  therequest:The smaller mast, hetoldthem, was much better suited tothe
  task. And indeed itwould beeasier totransport.
  The soldiers warned theengineerthat their master was not aman to
  argue with, butheinsisted that thesmaller mast would betheonlyone that
  would work with amachine that hewasconstructingtogowith it.Hedrew
  diagram after diagram, and went sofar astosaythat hewas theexpertand
  they had noclue whattheywere talking about. The soldiers knew their
  leader and atlastconvinced theengineer that itwould bebetter toswallow
  hisexpertiseandobey.
  After they left,though,theengineer thought about itsome more. What
  was thepoint,heasked himself, inobeyinganorder thatwould lead tofail-
  ure? And sohesent thesmaller mast, confident that theconsul would see
  how much more effective itwas and reward himjustly.
  When thesmaller mast arrived, Mucianus asked hissoldiers for anex-
  planation. They described tohim how theengineerhadargued endlessly
  forthesmaller mast, buthadfinally promisedtosend thelargerone. Mu-
  cianus went into arage. Hecould not concentrate onthesiege,orconsider
  theimportanceofbreachingthewalls before thetown received reinforce»
  merits. Allhecould think about was theimpudent engineer, whom heor-
  dered tobebroughttohimimmediately.
  Arrivingafewdays later, theengineer gladly explainedtotheconsul,
  one more time, the reasons forthesmaller mast Hewent onand on,using
  the same argumentshehad made with thesoldiers. Hesaid itwas wise to
  listen toexpertsinthese matters, andiftheattack wasonly tried with the
  batteringram hehad sent, theconsul would notregret itMucianus lethim
  finish, then had him strippednaked before thesoldiers andfloggedand
  scourged with rods until hedied.
  Interpretation
  Theengineer,whose name hasnotbeen recorded byhistory,hadspenthis
  lifedesigningmasts andpillars,and wasrespectedasthefinest engineerin
  acitythathad excelled inthescience.


TxText:
  Heknew that hewasright.Asmaller
  ram would allow more speedandcarrymore force. Largerisnot necessar-
  ilybetter. Of course theconsul would seehislogic,and would eventually
  understand that science isneutral and reason superior. How could the con-
  sulpossibly persistinhisignorance iftheengineer showed him detailed di-
  agrams andexplainedthetheories behind hisadvice?
  The military engineerwas thequintessence oftheArguer,attype
  found everywhere amongus.TheArguer does notunderstand that words
  arenever neutral, and thatbyarguingwith asuperiorheimpugnstheintel
  ligence ofone more powerfulthan he.Healso has noawareness oftheper-
  sonheisdealingwith. Since each man believes that heisright, and words
  willrarelyconvince him otherwise, thearguer's reasoning falls ondeaf
  ears. When cornered, heonly argues more, digginghis own grave. Once
  hehasmade theother person feel insecure and inferior inhisbeliefs, the
  eloquence ofSocrates could not save thesituation.
  Itisnotsimplyaquestion ofavoidinganargument with those who
  stand above you.Weallbelieve we are masters intherealm ofopinions
  andreasoning.You must becareful, then: Learn todemonstrate the cor-
  rectness ofyour ideas indirectly.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  In1502, inFlorence, Italy,an enormous block ofmarble stood inthe
  worksdepartmentofthechurch ofSanta Maria delFiore. Ithad once been
  amagnificent pieceofraw stone, but anunskillful sculptorhadmistakenly
  bored aholethroughitwhere there should have been afigure's legs, gen-
  erally mutilatingit.Piero Soderini, Florence'smayor,hadcontemplated
  tryingtosave theblock bycommissioning Leonardo daVinci towork on
  it,orsome other master, buthadgiven up, since everyone agreedthat the
  stone had been ruined. So,despitethemoneythat had been wasted onit,it
  gathered dust inthedark halls ofthechurch.
  This was where things stood until some Florentine friends ofthegreat
  Michelangelodecided towrite totheartist, thenlivinginRome. Healone,
  they said, could dosomething with themarble, which was stillmagnificent
  rawmaterial. Michelangelotraveled toFlorence, examined thestone, and


TxText:
  came totheconclusion that hecould infact carve afinefigure from it,by
  adaptingtheposetotheway therock had been mutilated. Soderini argued
  that this was awaste oftime——nobodycould salvagesuch adisasterwbut
  hefinally agreedtoletthe artist work onit.Michelangelo decided he
  would depicta.young David, slinginhand.
  Weeks later, asMichelangelowasputtingthefinal touches onthe
  statue, Soderini entered thestudio. Fancying himself itbitofaconnoisseur,
  he.-studied thehuge work, and toldMichelangelothat while hethoughtit
  wasmagnificent, the nose, hejudged,was toobig.Michelangelorealized
  thatSoderini wasstandingin2place right under thegiant figureand did
  nothave theproper perspective. Without aword, hegesturedforSoderini
  tofollow himupthescaffolding. Reachingthe nose, hepicked uphis
  aswell asabitofmarble dust thatlayontheplanks. With Sodetini
  justafewfeet below him onthescaffolding. Michelangelostarted totap
  lightlywith thechisel, letting thebitsofdust hehadgathered inhishand to
  falllittlebylittle. Heactually didnothing tochangethe nose, butgave
  every appearance ofworkingonit.After afew minutes ofthischarade he
  stood aside: “Look atitnow.” “Ilike itbetter,” replied Soderini, “you've
  made itcome alive.”¢lu;;_\'. Iinl);:[e'rr'(é' lhzy
  man [/19 one izlirzrlred
  gold _vi1>L'r'$ and srtili.
  “Le! me(«wk o:f:cr1]2('
  dogs for tenda_v.\'.“ The
  humslrmn(1__1;!e¢'¢1', and
  for lbw !1('Xl rmzlavx zin-
  vizx'ier mrrtl forrlw
  z'2m.x'!.s' wilh grmiII![('l2~
  iiarr, _:;ru(Jmi/1gIhc/21
  well lllIl1_f€l'diIlj,' them
  lxanrlrn/1ze'I\'. ByJim('ltd
  of:/zeInn(lays rhcy
  were ratingoutoflzir
  hrlntl.
  On theeleventh (lay lhv
  vizzrr war called before
  1/11'Sultan, thechurgm
  were rcpmzted. and the
  sultan wutcliecl asthe
  vizier was tied upand
  thrown tolhffdugr Ye!
  win»: the 1703.313 saw
  him, tltrzrrsmuptohim
  with it-agging 11152.»: I¥1c_Y
  rzihbferl ¢I]_'f2/clfomtlclv at
  hisrlrazzldens and
  [vegan playirrgz mi]: 121'";
  The sultan mid the


TxText:
  other wit/1e.«:r1',s* were
  amazed, and flu'rulmn
  asked 111::vizier why Jhe
  dog: had spare/1 in';
  life. The vizier replica'.
  "I/zawz lvukvd after
  I/1('.\'€ (logy fur tendnyi:
  T/w mlmn has .\1'€Il llw
  rm:/It_for lu'm.rz'//T I
  have [naked ziftcr you
  forthirty ymzrx. and
  Whit! istheresult,' Iam
  mmlermwrl to(heath on
  [hf.rm*r1_1(I/I ufzIc'L'l(.wI»
  lions' bruu_(;hr bymy
  cm>mit*x"Thu sulnm
  h1u.vlu'rI with rlaatnn
  He notonly ]l'(lI'(.l()ll(f(l
  theI/"ier butgave him
  afins'Si'!z)fr'l'n[l14'.s' and
  imndnl (war Inhim the
  mm who had .s'I(1mim'r:d
  irisregzzirairbte. The noble
  vizier setIfwuz ]l"t'1' and
  mnnmmu' [0mm: them
  wish kirxdzicxsz
  IHE §l'n'n ER1:_\E:
  THE BOOK U!' .~\!<r\m(
  Vvl3DU'v'l AM) (v\:lLl:.
  HI)K'H-J,NJil 1'1-,\'mi(v
  LAW 9'71
  'l'llK '5r'§H§K\ Ul'AM KSIS
  \-'Vhrn Aprzer had been
  dcpmred intheway I
  have described, /inmrm
  mine tothethrone. He
  Lrelorxgerl tothedi.xrm:t
  ofSui: and was 41
  nativr ofthe town
  called Siuph Atfirst
  thelfgypzianswem
  inclined tobecontemp-
  tuour, and did not
  think much ofhim
  hccuuse ofhishumble
  andlmdirtinguislzed
  origin,' butlater onhe
  cleverly brought them
  toheel. wizhout having
  I'('(:t)urSc' soharsh
  rrzeaxures.
  Amongst hisz'zmrmwr-
  able treamrer. hehm! 1!
  gold foothath, Whi('h he
  and hisguests used on
  m,-:,'a.s'i()rz towmh their
  feettn.This hr'broke
  up,and with the mate-
  rial had astatus' nuzrlze


TxText:
  tooneofthegods.
  \v]z1ch hethen re:upin
  what hethought the
  most suimble spot in
  thecil'_v. The Egywiarzr
  ('uIz.9'lantl]? cmnmg
  upon the statue. Irzatm'
  itwithprofototdrever-
  Price, and assoon as
  Amu.s't'.s' heard offhe
  effect(Ihad upon them,
  heCaller! atmeeting and
  rcvealml thefun that
  thedeeply rwetrcul
  .rmtu,e was 07:01' afool-
  bulh. which zlwy
  washer! their few and
  pixxezl and vamitcd in.
  Hewmr ontosay that
  /its own care was much
  thesami', inthat once
  hehad been onlyan
  nnlinury person and
  was now their l<:'ng;.vo
  tlml jets! asIhey Izod
  come torevere Hm
  IftlI1.S'f:)rmZ£§f0€)!b£l(l1,
  so[hay hmi boiler pay
  72 LAW 9Interpretation
  Michelangelo knew thatbychangingtheshape ofthe nose hemightruin
  theentire sculpture.YetSoderini was apatronwhopridedhimself onhis
  aesthetic judgment.Tooffend such aman byarguingwould notonly gain
  Michelangelo nothing, itwould put future commissions injeopardy.
  Michelangelowas too clever toargue. His solution was tochange
  Soden'm"s perspective (literally bringing him closer tothenose) without
  making him realize that this was the cause ofhismisperception.
  Fortunately forposterity, Michelangelo found awaytokeeptheper
  faction ofthe statue intact while atthe same time makingSoderini believe
  hehadimprovedit.Such isthedouble power ofwinning throughactions
  rather than argument: No one isoffended, andyour pointisproven.
  KEYS T0 POWER
  Intherealm ofpower youmust learn tojudge yourmoves bytheir long»
  term effects onother people.Theproblemintryingtoproveapointor
  gaina.victory through argumentisthat intheend youcan never becertain
  how itaffects thepeople you're arguingwith: They may appeartoagree
  withyoupolitely,butinside they mayresent you. Orperhaps something
  you saidinadvertentlyeven offended thern—-words have that insidious
  ability tobeinterpreted according totheother person's mood and insecuri-
  ties.


TxText:
  Even thebest argumenthas nosolid foundation, for wehave allcome
  todistrust theslipperynature ofwords. And days after agreeingwith some
  one, weofien revert toouroldopinionoutofsheer habit.
  Understand this: Words are adime adozen. Everyone knows that in
  theheat ofanargument,wewill allsayanythingtosupportour cause. We
  willquotetheBible, refer tounverifiable statistics. Who canbepersuaded
  bybags ofairlike that? Action and demonstration aremuch morepower-
  fulandmeaningful. Theyarethere, before oureyes,for ustosee-——“Yes,
  now thestatue's nose does lookjustright.” There are nooffensive words,
  nopossibilityofmisinterpretation. No one canarguewith ademonstrated
  proof. AsBaltasar Graciim remarks, “The midi isgenerally seen, rarely
  heard.”
  SirChristopherWren wasEngland's version oftheRenaissance man.
  Hehad mastered the sciences ofmathematics, astronomy, physics,and
  physiology.Yetduring hisextremely long career asEngland'smost Cele'
  brated architect he was often toldbyhispatronstomake impractical
  changes inhisdesigns.Never once did heargueoroffend. Hehad other
  ways ofprovinghispoint.
  In1688 Wren designedamagnificenttown hall forthecityofWest-
  minster. Themayor, however. was notsatisfied; infact hewas nervous. He
  told Wren hewas afraid thesecond [floor was not secure, and thatitcould
  allcome crashingdown onhisoffice onthefirst floor. Hedemanded that
  Wren add two stone columns forextra support. Wren, the consummate en-
  gineer, knew that these columns would serve nopurpose, and that the
  mayor'sfears were baseless. Butbuild them hedid, and themayorwas
  grateful. Itwasonly yearslater that workmen on ahighscaffold saw that
  thecolumns stopped justshort oftheceiling.
  Theywere dummies. Butboth men gotwhat they wanted: Themayor
  could relax, and Wren knew posteritywould understand that hisoriginal
  dedgn worked and thecolumns wereunnecessary.
  Thepowerofdemonstrating your idea isthatyour opponentsdonot
  getdefensive, and aretherefore more opentopersuasion. Making them lit-
  erally andphysicallyfeelyour meaningisinfinitelymore powerfulthan are
  gument.
  Aheclder once interruptedNikita. Khrushchev inthemiddle ofa
  speech inwhich hewasdenouncing thecrimes ofStalin. “


TxText:
  You were acol-
  league ofStalirfs,” the heekler yelled, “why didn't you stop him then?”
  Khrushschev apparentlycould not seetheheckler and barked out, “VVho
  said that?” Nohand wentup.No one moved amuscle. After afew seconds
  oftense silence, Khrushchev finally said inaquiet voice, “Nowyouknow
  whyIdidn't stophim.” Instead ofjustarguing that anyone facing Stalin
  wasafraid, knowing that theslightest signofrebellion would mean certain
  death, hehad made them feelwhat itwas like toface Stalin———had made
  them feel theparanoia, thefear ofspeaking up,theterror ofconfronting
  theleader, inthis case Khrushchev. The demonstration was visceral and no
  more argumentwasnecessary.
  The most powerful persuasion goes beyondaction intosymbol. The
  power ofasymbol——a flag,amythic story,amonument tosome emotional
  event--is thateveryoneunderstandsyouwithout anything beingsaid. In
  1975, when Henry Kissingerwasengagedinsome frusti-ating negotiations
  with theIsraelis over the return ofpartoftheSinai desert thatthey had
  seized inthe 1967 war, hesuddenlybroke off atense meeting and decided
  todosome sightseeing.Hepaidavisit totheruins oftheancient fortress
  ofMasada, known toallIsraelis astheplace where seven hundred Jewish
  warriors committed mass suicide inA.I). 73rather than give intothe
  Roman troops besiegingthem. The Israelisinstantlyunderstood the mes-
  sageofKissingefsvisit: He wasindirectly accusing them ofcourtingmass
  suicide. Althoughthe visit did notbyitself change their minds, itmade
  them think farmore seriouslythan any direct warning would have.Syrn~
  bolslike this one carry great emotional significance.
  When aimingforpower,ortryingtoconserve it,alwayslook forthe
  indirect route. And also choose yourbattles carefully.Ifitdoes not matter
  inthelongrunwhether theother person agreeswithyou-«or iftime and
  their ownexperience will make them understand whatyoumean——then it
  isbest not even tobother with ademonstration. Save your energyand
  walkaway.honor and respect to
  him, too.Inrhis way


TxText:
  theEgyptianswere
  jwrsuatled toaccept
  him astheir master.
  ms; HISTORIES,
  HERODOTIJS.
  FIFTH CENHIRY B13.
  GOD .-\\T) A\i§R.i\I|i\,\1
  The Mtlxl High God
  hurlpromised Jim: He
  would nottake Abra-
  ham itsoul ltnlexs the
  man wanted to(lieand
  asked Him todo so.
  When Abrahum is'life
  wasdrawing toaClare,
  and God determined (0
  .reL'2,e him. He rem' an
  angel intheguise ofa
  dccrepizold man who
  was' almost entirely
  inmpru:im1e(I. The old
  man Slapped outside
  Ahralzw/1': door and
  .m2'clIoIz1'r1z. “Oh Ahrae
  (mm, 1would like
  szmierlzzngtoear."
  Abmlmm was mrzazezl
  tohear him saythis,
  “Die."exclaimed Abra-
  ham. ''1!wtmlzi be
  lwtlrtrfnr you than to
  goonliving inthat
  condition."
  Almzlmm always kept
  food ready athishome
  forpzzssing guests. So
  hegaveElmold man a
  bowl containing [>mIlz
  and men; with Iyrwd
  cmmbs. Theold mun
  satdown toem.II1:
  swullrm-'rad [(1])(N'i(II1sly.
  with great effort. and
  [lll[.'(€ when hetook
  sarm? food itdr0p])('([
  from hisIumri. scatter-
  ingonthegmrmd. “Uh
  Abraham,"hemiiil.
  LAW 9 73
  “help meIn«at."Afirm
  ham 100/\' tlua,/'rmzl in
  hishand andlifwd iito
  me 171:! man '5'lips. Bu!
  iislid (lawn lzixl'7i'm'd
  and over hischesl.
  “Winn i.\'your age, 010'
  man?“I?$'k(7(l Abraizmn.
  The old man
  rnemumwi 41number a/'
  vmrx sIi;,>/111)' grmwr
  than Abraham Ix'uld
  am'. T/mt Ah/uluzm
  vxc/ninu=,d.' “()lz I.or1i
  Our God, mkr mp mm;
  Youbefore Ireach this
  manis' age'and rink mm
  the xcznw cmzdirion as
  heisinnow."No
  warwr had AImzfmnz
  rpokm thrrstr words'
  than Gull tank ;7(2.\'.\'m—
  xiurznfhissoul.
  'me xml'rI‥1-, Rmr:


TxText:
  nu: Im<)1<m—'ARMm-
  \MS|)()€\i AND mm 1-1.
  '(wk's'H'.M'1! I'rN'nnI\'
  74 LAW 9Image:The See-
  saw.Upand down
  and upand down
  gothe arguers,
  gettingnowhere
  fast. Get offthe
  seesaw and show
  them yourmean
  ingwithout kick
  ingorpushing.
  Leave them atthe
  topand letgravity
  bringthem gently
  totheground.
  Authority:Never argue.Insociety nothingmust bedis
  cussed; give onlyresults. (Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881)
  REVERSAL
  Verbal argumenthas one vital useintherealm ofpower:Todistract and
  cover your tracks whenyouarepracticing deceptionorarecaughtinalie.
  Insuch cases itistoyour advantage toarguewith allthe convictionyou
  can muster. Draw theotherpersoninto anargument todistract them fmm
  your deceptivemove. When caughtinalie,the more emotional and cer-
  tain you appear,thelesslikely itseems thatyouarelying.
  This techniquehas saved thehide ofmanyacon artist. Once Count
  Victor Lustig,swindle:parexcellence, had sold dozens ofsuckers around
  thecountryaphony box with which heclaimed tobeable tocopy money.
  Discoveringtheir mistake, thesuckers generallychose nottogothepolice,
  rather than risk theembarrassment ofpublicity.But one Sherifi Richards,
  ofRernsen County, Oklahoma, was notthekind ofman toaccept being
  conned outof$10,000, and onemorninghetracked Lustigdown toahotel
  inChicago.
  Lustig heard aknock onthedoor. When heopenedithewaslooking
  down thebarrel ofagun. “What seems tobetheproblem?” hecalmly
  asked. “You sonofabitch,” yelled thesheriff, “I'm goingtokillyou.You
  conned mewith that damn box ofyours!” Lustig feigned confusion. “You
  mean it'snotworking?”heasked. “You know it'snotworking,” repliedthe
  sheriff. “But that's impossible,”saidLustig.“There's nowayitcouldn't be
  working. Didyou operateitproperly?”“Ididexactlywhatyoutold meto
  do,” said thesheriff. “No, you must have done something wrong,” said
  Lustig.The argumentwent incircles. The barrel ofthegunwasgentlylow-
  cred.
  Lustig next went tophasetwointheargumenttactic: Hepoured out a
  whole bunch oftechnical gobbledygookabout theborfis operation,com-


TxText:
  pletely beguiling thesheriff, who now appearedless sure ofhimself and ar-
  gued lessforcefully. “Look,” saidLusfig, “I'llgive you your moneyback
  rightnow. I'llalso give youwritten instruclions onhow towork the ma-
  chine andI'll come out toOklahoma tomake sure it'sworking properly.
  There's noway youcan lose onthat.” The sheriff reluctantly agreed.To
  satisfyhimtotally, Lustig took out ahundred one-hundred—dollar bills and
  gave them tohim, telling him torelax and have afunweekend inChicago.
  Calmer and alittle confused, thesheriff finally left Over thenext fewdays
  Lustigchecked thepaper every morning.Hefinally found what he was
  looking for:Ashort arficle reportingSheriff Richa.rcls's arrest, trial, and
  conviction forpassingcounterfeit notes. Lustig had won theargument; the
  sheriff never bothered him again.
  LAWS) ;7‥
  LAW
  10
  INFECTH3N:AVOID7UIE
  LHVPLAPPY'A$€D UTQLLHCKH7
  ]UDGMENT
  You can diefromsomeone else's mimy—emotizmalstates
  are asinfectionsasdiseases. I/bumayjiael youmehelp
  ingthedrowningman butyouare071532precipitating
  yourown disaster Theunfortunatesometimes draw mis-
  fortuneonthemselves; theywill also draw itonyou.As-
  sociate with thehappy andfmtvmateinstead.
  TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  Born inLimerick, Ireland, in1813, Marie Gilbert came toParis inthe
  18405 tomake her fortune asadancer andperformer. Takingthe name
  Lola Montez (her mother was ofdistant Spanish descent), sheclaimed to
  beaflamenco dancer from Spain. By1845 her career waslanguishing,and
  tosurvive shebecame acourtesa.n—-quicldyone ofthe more successful in
  Paris.
  Onlyone man could salvageLola's dancingcareer: Alexandre Du-
  jaxier,owner ofthenewspaperwith thelargestcirculation inFrance, and
  also thenewspaper'sdrama critic. She decided towoo andconquerhim.
  Investigating hishabits, shediscovered that hewent riding every morning.
  Anexcellent horsewoman herself, sherode out onemorning and “acciden~
  tally”raninto him. Soon theywere riding together every day.


TxText:
  Afew weeks
  later Lola moved into hisapartment.
  For awhile the two were happy together. WithDuja.rier's help,Lola
  begantorevive herdancingcareer. Despitetherisk tohissocial standing,
  Dujariertold friends hewouldmarryher inthespring. (Lola had never
  toldhim that shehadelopedatagenineteen with anEnglishman, and was
  stilllegally married.) Although Dujarierwasdeeplyinlove, hislifestarted
  toslide downhill.
  Hisfortunes inbusiness changedandinfluential friends begantoavoid
  him. One night Dujarierwas invited toaparty,attended bysome ofthe
  wealthiestyoungmen inParis. Lola wanted togotoobuthewould not
  allow it.Theyhad their firstquarrel,andDujarier attended theparty by
  himself. There, hopelessly drunk, beinsulted aninfluential drama critic,
  jean-BaptisteRosemond deBeauvallon, perhapsbecause ofsomethingthe
  critic had said about Lola. Thefollowing morning Beauvallon challenged
  him toaduel. Beauvallon was one ofthebestpistolshots inFrance. Du-
  jarier tried toapologize,but theduel took place,and he was shot and
  killed. Thus ended thelifeofone ofthe most promising youngmen of
  Parissociety. Devastated, Lola leftParis.
  In1846 Lola. Montez found herself inMunich, where shedecided to
  woo andconquer King Ludwig ofBavaria. The best way toLudwig, she
  discovered, wasthroughhisaide-de-camp,Count Otto Von Rechberg,a
  man with afondness forpretty girls. One daywhen the count was break-
  fastirigatanoutdoor cafe, Lola rode byonherhorse, was“accidentally”
  thrown from thesaddle, and landed atRechberg'sfeet. The count rushed
  tohelpherand was enchanted. Hepromisedtointroduce her toLudwig.
  Rechberg arrangedanaudience with thekingforLola, butwhen she
  arrived intheanteroom, shecould hear theking sayinghewas toobusyto
  meet afavorseeking stranger.Lola pushedaside the sentries and entered
  hisroomanyway. Intheprocess, thefront ofher dress somehow gottorn
  (perhaps byher,perhaps byoneofthesentries), and totheastonishment of
  all,most especiallytheking,herbare breasts were brazenly exposed.Lola
  wasgrantedheraudience with Ludwig. Fifty—fivehours later shemade her


TxText:
  debut ontheBavarian stage; thereviews were terrible, butthatdidnotstop
  Ludwig from arrangingmore performances.'lllI. \l'l.'\\l) 'IIIl-,
  iI.\\\l'\\ll l:
  AI1utf<mmlilr«'If
  azrriczl by(I('row Inthe
  topofu tall('41H1[)tlIlll(',
  andbyfrzl/mg Into a
  crevice sum evdrd in
  escapingItsdrvad fall'.
  Itthen lmrnilglzi the
  wall to.shelter' it.by
  appealinginitbythe
  grace of(lad, and
  /7f(ll.i'lI2g1I.t height. aml
  thel)€t,ll4!_\;' um! noble
  luneofirr bells. “/ilai,"
  itwent on, “usllmw
  nothem able todrop
  lnvieatli thegreen
  lmznchcs ofmyold
  Father and tolieinthe
  fallow earth cnve'r'('d by
  hitfallen lt'tll7£',.S, ([0
  you.atleast, not abm1—
  Jon mrr. When Ifound
  mysr>Ifln thehunk of
  thecruel (row Imade 41
  wow. rim! 1]ll:'S('d]]L'(l I
  would end mylifein :2
  little hole."
  A!there wzrrzls, the
  wall, movwl Wllh
  tomprlrsirm,was
  rwztcnl torlmlrrr the
  nut inthespot wluzre it
  hadfallm. Within (1
  slmn time, Ill? nutburst
  open:11.3'mom :'c'a(:Izc.rl
  Inbetween thenew .
  ofthe .xl(me.\' and began
  1:)push them apart; its
  ShU0[.\' p]'€.S'.\'t'(l up
  lowurd the .$I\y.'l'lIt'_\-'
  won rose above the
  hit/[I/l'.II'£,', and asthe
  Iwiiiml rows grrw
  rhirkrr they beganto
  thrust thewalls apart
  andforce theancient
  .s'tmn7.r from their 0111
  gzlaaar. Tlzcoz lltr'will,
  toolate and invain.
  l)(!W[lll('Ll (/14: rzzurc of
  [Ar(l£'.$'I)'HL'll(IIl, and in
  short lime itfell inmin.
  LEONARDO DAVim l.
  145] lSl9
  LAW 10 T7
  Inluv mm limo Smmn
  Yllrrirlultr wax ugrim
  1/0110!' Irwtmnb¢-:- that
  IIzupjrz-:ze>11 Iomay: 1211!:
  onedayatI/1:'12mm' of
  1!


TxText:
  rich Mu'('()I7)'l4II![Ili!'('[
  Ilvtold his/mriynz
  when cIi.»<'u.r.mu,v wuvs
  tocure him that am»
  mi-um mu' mjlrnvi/Ir'
  m'<'u.\iml.\' for me to
  eujnv /onmmpmzy.' He
  could then fix'hiscgvrw
  (:1:tin!fr4*.vi1:1<*.s'.r afmy
  rmnaimlatlcv and his
  Iliutiglm. onme over-
  ,/iuwing <'lm*rf'uIIut\:r
  rmzi vi],/or o_/"my ymtrxg
  man/marl: layfillingall
  his' .m:.s'm' with the
  flower nfm ymuh his
  m/ulilion might
  im/)rm>42 lI('_!i>rgu1In
  add that I7liIE(' znighi
  gt'! lV(]YS€.
  Mu,\1'.\;r.:~u«:.
  1533 1392
  Mmzy rhin;,:.saresaid If)
  heinjk'L'!lrm.s', .S/m'pi-
  m'S.\' can hem(];'¢tt'm4.s.
  mu!yawningus'well. In
  Ilzrjqe-xru/c untrvgy.
  when tin:mmnyix
  agfluiml mu! .\']mws an
  im'IimIIim1 I0rmli, (In
  no)miml in1.114'l'('fl)'(.
  MtIl<(' aslum' of
  cumplolt' w1hnru3.r.s', and
  myenemy wil/ bemkm
  bymm and will I?('('I7Int'
  mlu.w¢l. You iIlfl't.'1 than
  spirit. You nutinfer'!
  mm: with Hcr:mfrz'r'.
  rIr£(I1/~'./ikt'.\[3ir('I. with
  Imwzlrxm, or ('W311
  Iwukrw.s:r.
  :\il()l)K oil~1\'l?R)Vi]>.
  l'<'liY'\\«1¢)'l'(l Misum.
  xvH-,\lI.Iv.'\r'lIt 4')«mm:
  78 LAW 10Ludwig was, inhis own words, “bewitched” byLola. He started
  toappear inpublic with her onhisarm, and then hebought and furnished
  anapartmentforher onone ofMunich's most fashionable boulevards. Al»
  thoughhehad been known asamiser, and was notgiven toflights of
  fancy, hestarted toshower Lola with and towritepoetryforher. Now
  hisfavored mistress, shecatapultedtofame andfortune overnight.


TxText:
  Lolabegantolose her sense ofproportion.Onedaywhen she was out
  riding,anelderlyman rode ahead ofher, abittooslowlyforherliking.
  Unable topass him, shebegantoslash him with herriding crop.On an-
  other occasion shetook herdog, unleashed, outfor astroll. Thedogat»
  tacked apasserby,butinstead ofhelpingthe mengetthedog away,she
  whippedhim with theleash. Incidents likethisinfuriated thestolid citizens
  ofBavaria, butLudwig stood byLola and even had hernaturalized asa
  Bavarian citizen. Thekings entouragetried towake him tothedangers of
  theaffair, butthose who criticized Lola were summarilyfired.
  While Bavarians who had loved their kingnow outwardlydisre—
  spected him, Lola was made acountess, had anewpalace built forherself,
  andbegantodabble inpolitics, advising Ludwigonpolicy.She was the
  most powerfulforce inthekingdom. Her influence intheking's cabinet
  continued togrow,and shetreated theother ministers with disdain. As a
  result, riots broke outthroughout therealm. Aonce peaceful land was vir~
  rually inthegrip ofcivil war, and students everywherewere chanting,
  “Raus mitLola!”
  ByFebruary of1848, Ludwigwasfinally unable towithstand thepres-
  sure. With great sadness heordered Lola. toleave Bavaria immediately.
  Sheleft,but notuntil she waspaidoff.Forthenext five weeks theBevan'-
  ans' wrath wasturned against their formerlybeloved king. InMarch ofthat
  yearhewas forced toabdicate.
  Lola Montez moved toEngland.More than anything sheneeded re-
  spectability,anddespite beingmarried (she stillhad notarrangedadivorce
  from theEnglishmanshe had wed years before), she sethersightson
  George Trafford Heald,apromising young army olficer who was the sonof
  aninfluential hamster. Although hewas tenyears youngerthan Lola, and
  could have chosen awifeamongtheprettiestand wealthiestyoung girlsof
  English society,Heald fellunder herspell. Theywere married in1849.
  Soon arrested onthecharge ofbigamy,sheskipped bail, and she and
  Heald made theirwaytoSpain. They quarreled horriblyand onone occa-
  sion Lola slashed him with a.knife.


TxText:
  Finally,shedrove himaway. Returning
  toEngland,hefound hehad losthispositioninthearmy.Ostracized from
  English society,hemoved toPortugal,where helived inpoverty.After a
  fewmonths hisshort lifeended inaboating accident.
  Afewyearslater the man who publishedLola Montez's autobiogra-
  phy went bankrupt
  In1853 Lola moved toCalifornia, where shemet and married aman
  named PatHull. Their relationshipwas asstormyasalltheothers, and she
  leftHull foranother man. Hetook todrink and fellinto adeep depression
  that lasted until hedied, four years later, still arelatively youngman.
  Attheageofforty—one, Lola gave awayher clothes andfineryand
  turned toGod. She toured America, lecturingonreligious topics,dressed
  inwhite andwearingahalolike whiteheadgear. Shedied twoyears later, in
  1861.
  Interpretation
  Lola Montez attracted men with herwiles, butherpowerover them went
  beyond thesexual. Itwasthrough theforce ofhercharacter that shekept
  herlovers enthralled. Men were sucked into themaelstrom shechurned up
  around her.Theyfeltconfused, upset,butthestrength oftheemotions she
  stirred also made them feel more alive.
  Asisoften the case with infection, theproblems would onlyarise over
  time. Lola's inherent instabilitywould begintogetunder herlovers' skin.
  They would find themselves drawn into herproblems,buttheir emotional
  attachment toherwould make them want tohelpher. This was thecrucial
  point oftheclisease--for Lola Montez could notbehelped.Herproblems
  were toodeep.Once thelover identified with them, hewas lost. Hewould
  findhimself embroiled inquarrels.The infection would spread tohisfam-
  ilyandfriends, or,inthe case ofLudwig,toanentire nation. Theonlyso
  lution would betocutheroff, orsuller aneventual collapse.
  Theinfecting-character typeisnotrestricted towomen; ithasnothing
  todowith gender.Itstems from aninward instabilitythat radiates outward,
  drawingdisasteruponitself. There isalmost adesire todestroyand unset
  tle.You could spendalifetime studyingthepathology ofinfecting charac-
  ters, butdon't waste your time—just learn thelesson. When you suspect


TxText:
  youareinthepresenceofaninfector, don'targue, don't trytohelp,don't
  passthepersonontoyour friends, oryouwillbecome enmeshed. Flee the
  ix1fector'spresenceorsuffer theconsequences.
  Yami Cassius has alean andhungrylook. Hethinks toomuch. ‥ .
  Idonotknow the manIshould avoid sosoon asthat spareCassius, . . r
  Such men ashehenever atheart isease while:theybehold agreater
  than themselves, and thereforearethey verydangmusv
  Julius Caesar. William .5'/mlms/Morn, I564-I616
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Those misfortunates amonguswho have been brought down bycircum-
  stances beyondtheir control deserve allthehelpandsympathywe can
  give them. Butthere areothers who arenotborn tomisfortune orunhappi~
  ness, butwho draw itupon themselves bytheir destructive actions and un-
  settling effect onothers. Itwould beagreat thingifwecould raise them up,
  change their patterns,but more often than notitistheir patternsthat end
  upgetting inside andchangingus.The reason issiinple-humansare ex-
  tremely susceptibletothemoods, emotions, and even theways ofthinking
  ofthose with whom they spendtheir time.
  Theincurably unhappyand unstable have aparticularly stronginfect»Regard nofr:<;(i.xl1 man
  as('n!tun»'ri, ilzusrgh you
  may raiam nglfin/I
  man aswi.s'e;rJm1
  (,'.S'lt'[,'IIl noignorant
  abA'Iuint'r a/my anrelirr.
  Do not rmzsorr with
  fools. on/mcially those
  who m/zsidorlII(,II11~
  rclw-s wixu. And benot
  s'e1_f-xaIi.sfi('(t with your
  own igrmmrzce. L6!
  vnur llI7é'rt'l)IlV.VL' In'
  only with men ofguod
  nt/11t!e:f0r itInbysuch
  tI.\'.\'0('IIl[l()Vl that nwn
  themselves' atmm to
  goon' rzymzc. Duyou
  not observe how
  wsarne-oil itrm'rrg£e(l
  wirlr ru.a'c.r orr'E0lc'f.\'
  and how. when ithas
  been for .t'()I)I£' little in


TxText:
  associarimr with msm'
  orrztslrrrs, itCfflllif? to
  [Ifsesame-oi] (am! is
  called ailr;gfrm'z'.roroil
  ofw'r1i'e1.v?
  AMIRRUR FOR Hum r-:8,
  KAI l(A'Hs hm
  lSK/'\NDAR.
  r~.r.i-vrwrn ('l,N'l um
  LAW 10 79
  50 LAW 10mgpower because their characters and emotions are sointense. They often
  presentthemselves asvictims, making itdifficult, atfirst, toseetheir mis-
  eries asself-inflicted. Before yourealize thereal nature oftheir problems
  you have been infected bythem.
  Understand this: Inthegame ofpower,thepeople you associate with
  arecritical. The riskofassociatingwith infeclors isthat youwill waste valu
  able time and energy trying tofreeyourself. Throughakind ofguiltbyas-
  sociation, youwill also suffer intheeyes ofothers. Never underestimate the
  dangers ofinfection.
  There aremanykinds ofinfector tobeaware of,but oneofthe most
  insidious isthesufferer from chronic dissatisfaction. Cassius, theRoman
  conspirator against Julius Caesar, had thediscontent that comes from deep
  envy.Hesimplycould notendure thepresence ofanyone ofgreatertalent.
  Probablybecause Caesar sensed the man's interminable soumess, he
  passedhimupfortheposition offirstpraetorship,and gave thepositionto
  Brutus instead. Cassius brooded andbroorled, hishatred forCaesar be
  coming pathological. Brutus himself, a.devoted republican, disliked Cae-
  sar's dictatorship;had hehad thepatiencetowait, hewould have become
  thefirst man inRome after Ca.esar's death, and could have undone theevil
  that theleader hadwrought. But Cassius infected him with hisown rancor,
  bendinghis eardailywith tales ofCaesafs evil. Hefinallywon Brutus over
  totheconspiracy.Itwas thebeginningofagreat tragedy. Howmanymis-
  fortunes could have been avoided had Brutus learned tofear thepower of
  infection.
  There isonlyone solution toinfection: quarantine.Butbythetime
  yourecognizetheproblem itisoften toolate. ALola Montez oveiwhelms
  you with herforceful personality. Cassius intrigues youwith hisconfiding
  nature and thedepthofhisfeelings.


TxText:
  How canyouprotect yourself against
  such insidious viruses? The answer lies injudging peopleonthe effects
  theyhave ontheworld and not onthe reasons they give fortheir prob-
  Image: AVirus. Unseen, it
  lems. Infectors can berecognized bythemisfortune theydraw onthem-
  enters your poreswithout
  selves, their turbulentpast, their long lineofbroken'relationships,their un«
  warning, spreading silentlyand
  stable careers, and thevery force oftheir character, whichsweeps you up
  slowly. Beforeyouare aware of
  and makesyouloseyourreason. Beforewarned bythese signs ofaninfec-
  theinfection, itisdeepinsideyou.
  tor; learn toseethediscontent intheireye.Most important ofall,donot
  take pity.Do not enmesh yourself intryingtohelp.The infector will re
  main unchanged, butyouwill beunhinged.
  The other side ofinfection isequally valid, andperhapsmore readily
  understood: There arepeople who attract happinesstothemselves bytheir
  good cheer, natural buoyancy,andintelligence. Theyare asource ofplea:
  sure, andyoumust associate with them toshare intheprospeiity theydraw
  uponthemselves.
  This appliestomore than goodcheer and success: Allpositive quali~
  ties caninfect us.Talley:-andhadmany strangeandintimidating traits, but
  most agreedthat hesurpassedallFrenchmen ingmciousness, aristocratic
  charm, and wit. Indeed hecame from one oftheoldest noble families in
  thecountry,anddespitehisbelief indemocracyand theFrench Republic,
  heretained hiscourtlymanners. Hiscontemporary Napoleonwasinmany
  ways theopposite~—~a peasant from Corsica, tacitum andungracious,even
  violent.
  There was no oneNapoleon admired more than Talleyrand. He en-
  vied hisminister'swaywith people,hiswit and hisabilitytocharm
  women, and asbest hecould, hekept Talleyrand around him, hopingto
  soakuptheculture helacked. There isnodoubt thatNapoleon changedas
  hisrule continued. Many oftherough edgeswere smoothed byhis con-
  stant association with Talleyrand‥
  Use thepositiveside ofthisemotional osmosis toadvantage. If,for ex-
  ample, youaremiserly bynature, you will nevergobeyondacertain limit;
  only generous souls attain greatness. Associate with the generous, then,


TxText:
  andthey will infectyou, opening upeverything that istight and restricted
  inyou.Ifyouaregloomy, gravitatetothecheerful. Ifyouarepronetoiso
  lation, force yourselfto befriend thegregarious.Never associate with those
  who share your defects——~they will reinforce everythingthat holds you
  back. Onlycreate associations with positiveaflinities. Make this arule of
  lifeand youwill benefit more than from allthetherapyintheworld.
  Authority: Recognizethe fortu~
  nate sothatyou may choose
  theircompany,and the 1mfortu—
  nate sothatyou may avoid
  them. Misfortune isusuallythe
  crime offolly, andamong those
  who suffer from itthere isno
  maladymore contagious: Never
  open your door tothe least of
  misfortunes, for,ifyoudo,many
  others willfollow initstrain. …
  Donot dieofanother's misery.
  [Baltasar Grecian, 1601-1658)
  REVERSAL
  This lawadmits ofnoreversal. Itsapplicationisuniversal. There isnothing
  tobegained byassociating with those who infectyou with their misery;
  there isonly powerandgood fortune tobeobtained byassociating with
  thefortunate. Ignorethislaw atyour peril.
  LAW 10:81
  LAW
  11
  LEARN TO KEEP PEOPLE
  DEPENDENT ON YOU
  _]UDGMI:'.NT
  Tomaintainyour independence you must alwaysbe
  needed and wanted. The moreyouarerelied on,the more
  fieedom you have. Make people dependonyoufortheir
  happinessandjimspenlyandyouhave nothing tofear.
  Never teach them enoughsothat theycan dowithout yau.
  TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  Sometime intheMiddle Ages,amercenarysoldier (acondottiere), whose
  name has notbeen recorded, saved thetown ofSiena from aforeign ag~
  gressor.How could thegood citizens ofSiena reward him? Noamount of
  moneyorhonor could possibly compareinvalue tothepreservation ofa
  city's liberty.The citizens thought ofmaking themercenary thelord ofthe
  city, but even that,they decided, wasn'trecompense enough. Atlast oneof
  them stood before theassemblycalled todebate this matter and said, “Let
  uskillhim and then worship him asourpatronsaint.” And sothey did.
  The Count ofCarmagnolawas one ofthebravest and most successful
  ofallthecondottieri.


TxText:
  In1442, late inhislife, hewas intheemploy ofthecity
  ofVenice, which was inthemidst ofalongwarwith Florence. The count
  wassuddenlyrecalled toVenice. Afavorite ofthepeople, hewas received
  there with allkinds ofhonor andsplendor. That evening he was todine
  with thedoge himself, inthedoge's palace.On thewayinto thepalace,
  however, henoticed that theguardwasleading him inadifferent direction
  from usual. Crossing the famous Bridge ofSighs,hesuddenlyrealized
  where theywere taking him—to thedungeon.He was convicted on a
  trurnped~up chargeand the next dayinthe Piazza San Marco, before a
  horrified crowd who could notunderstand how hisfate hadchangeds
  drastically,hewas beheaded.'
  interpretation
  Many ofthegreat tomlottieri ofRenaissance Italysuffered the same fate as
  thepatron saint ofSiena and theCount ofCarrnagnolaz Theywon battle
  after battle fortheir employers onlytofind themselves banished, impris-
  oned, orexecuted. Theproblemwas notingratitude; itwas that there were
  somanyother candottieri asable and valiant astheywere. Theywere re-
  placeable. Nothingwas lostbykilling them. Meanwhile, theolderamong
  them had grown powerful themselves, and wanted more and moremoney
  fortheir services. How much better, then, todoaway with them andhire a
  younger, cheaper mercenary.That was thefate oftheCount ofCarma-
  gnola,who had started toactimpudentlyandindependently.Hehad taken
  hispowerforgranted without makingsure that hewastruly indispensable.
  Such isthefate(toalessviolent degree,onehopes) ofthose who do
  notmake others dependentonthem. Sooner orlater someone comes along
  who candothejobaswell astheycan-—someoneyounger, fresher, less ex-
  pensive,lessthreatening.
  Betheonlyonewho candowhatyoudo,and make thefateofthose who
  hireyousoentwined withyoursthattheycannot possibly getridofyou.
  Otherwise youwillsomedaybeforced tocross yourownBridge ofSighs.
  ()BSliRVANCF. OFTHE LAVV
  When Otto von Bismarck became adeputy inthePrussian parliamentin
  1847, he wasthirty~two years oldand without anallyorfriend. LookingllH'l“t?IHiR>i<
  Two Imrw.» were rurr]—
  [rig two /omlx. The /'rum


TxText:
  Ham' mm! we'll, /ml
  I/15' rear Iinrvu wm
  lazy. The' mm lwgun In
  pi/t' Ilw rmr Ilnrwlx
  load onIlzrglrnm
  Hm',\'<*: W/Mn (hvv /(ml
  rI'arn'fl*rt'<*(/ ll4/”, INF
  rmr Iio1'sr>_/mzmt1'!
  MW going, and hrmu!
  tothe[rum I[nr\r':
  “'l])1lum1 xwmm' Tin'
  PTIUIY' V0!'/7_\",I/I(' NH'I'('
  you lmw to.\I1t?2'1:“
  W/Imz they 1'L'(l('/IF!' /In'
  m\'z1r/1. moowwr xnirl.
  "Wiw .\/um/:/ IIuzldm
  Iwn /)Ul'.\('.\ w/mu I
  ('ll/'IV u/I rm(my? I/md
  harm' gin' I/l(' um' all
  Ilwfmulzrwuun', uml
  rmrlwr/zmul nil/u»
  mixer; :11[um Ixlmll
  haw I/If']1irlr."Am/ so
  /24'III(/
  1Ami x.
  Li«¢>Tmsmy.
  l32X—l9lU
  LAW 11 'Z?
  ilil t.~Vl' IHM \M\l.l\'l",l)
  RXlll\l\l.|.l~'
  Then theWoman
  llmglwrl and setthe(m
  abowl oflllewurm
  wlure rmlk um] saizl, “0
  Cut. you am asclever
  ataman. but remem-
  berthat your lmrguin
  was amtImulr with me
  film: orthe'Dog. and 1'
  (lo Mm'know wins! they
  will dowhen they wine
  harm:"“Wl2aI i.\that to
  rrwI"'.\'uirl myCar.“lfl
  haw myplmw in[he
  ('ave byt/In'/ire and my
  warm wlzilv milk three
  mmax 11day, Idonot
  mm what theMan or
  theDogcando."
  . ,./Ilml /rum thatday
  totl1l.\, liersr Bzelmal.
  threw proper Mm out
  uffivc willalways
  throw I/aingx maCu:
  wlwnevw Ilwynine!
  lam. and allproper
  l)og.r will ('ham him up
  atree, But theCu:
  kvepx lulv .u'<l¢>ofmy
  bargainmu, I/0willkill
  mire, and hewill be


TxText:
  Irina' toIlulrlm when he
  itinthe lmu.<,1'. fastas
  lungnx(Hwy donotpull
  liix(ail toohard. Bu!
  Wl1('Il hehasdone that.
  am! hetmrm times. and
  when the mmm gets up
  1121.'! mentglll mm:-.9, lzre
  l.\'the('InIhm walk: by
  iz£7n.s'£'lfi am! allp!ru'e.y
  arealike tohim, Tlzm
  hegoes" out I!)theWet
  Wild W'm1r1.s' orupthe
  Wcl Wild 'I'n'es oron
  the Wet Wild Roofs,
  wuvira,i' luixwild mil
  rmrlwalking byhis
  will! (one.
  ms; soMonies.
  RL'l]\'v\RD KIPLINU,
  l86S— l936
  54 LAW 11around him, hedecided that theside toallyhimself with was notthepar
  liament's liberals orconservatives, not anyparticular minister, and cer-
  tainly notthepeople.Itwas with theking,Frederick William IV.This was
  anodd choice tosaytheleast, forFrederick was atalowpoint ofhispower.
  Aweak, indecisive man, heconsistently gaveintotheliberals inpa1:lia~
  merit; infact hewasspineless,and stood formuch that Bismarck disliked,
  personallyandpolitically.YetBismarck courted Frederick nightandday.
  When other deputiesattacked thekingforhismany inept moves, onlyBis-
  marck stood byhim.
  Finally, itallpaidoff:In1851 Bismarck was made aminister inthe
  king's cabinet. Now hewent towork. Time andagain heforced theking's
  hand, getting him tobuildupthemilitary,tostanduptotheliberals, todo
  exactlyasBismarck wished. Heworked onFrederick's insecurityabout his
  manliness, challenginghim tobefirm and torule with pride.And he
  slowly restored theking's powers until themonarchywas once againthe
  most powerfulforce inPrussia.
  When Frederick died, in1861, hisbrother William assumed the
  throne. William disliked Bismarck intenselyand had nointention ofkeep
  inghim around. But healso inherited the same situation hisbrother had:
  enemies galore,who wanted tonibble hispower away. Heactuallyconsid-
  ered abdicating, feelinghelacked thestrengthtodeal with thisdangerous
  andprecarious position.


TxText:
  But Bismarck insinuated himself once again.He
  stood bythe newking, gave himstrength,andurged him into firm andde
  cisive action. Theking grew dependentonBismarck's strong-armtactics to
  keephisenemies atbay, anddespitehisantipathytoward theman, hesoon
  made him hisprimeminister. The twoquarreledoften overpolicy———
  Bismarck was much more conservative——but theking understood his own
  dependency.Whenever theprimeminister threatened toresign,theking
  gaveintohim, time after time. Itwasinfact Bismarck who setstate policy.
  Years later, Bismarck's actions asPn1ssia's prime minister ledthevari
  ous German states tobeunited into one country. Now Bismarck finagled
  theking intolettinghimself becrownedemperor ofGermany.Yetitwas
  really Bismarck who had reached theheights ofpower.Asrigl1t—handman
  totheemperor,and asimperial chancellor zmdknighted prince,hepulled
  allthelevers.
  lnterpretalion
  Most youngand ambitious politicians lookingout onthepolitical landscape
  of18405 Germanywould have tried tobuild apowerbase among those
  with themostpower.Bismarck saw different. Joiningforces with thepow-
  erful can befoolish: They will swallow you up,justasthe(logeofVenice
  swalloweduptheCount ofCarmagnola.No onewill come todependon
  youiftheyarealready strong.Ifyouareambitious, itismuch wiser toseek
  outweak rulers ormasters with whom youcan create arelationship of do
  pendency.You become their strength,their intelligence, their spine.What
  power you hold! Ifthey gotridofyouthewhole edifice would collapse.
  Necessityrules theworld. People rarelyactunless compelledto.Ifyou
  create noneed foryourself,then youwill bedoneawaywith atfirst oppor-
  tunity. If,ontheother hand, youunderstand theLaws ofPower and make
  others dependonyoufortheir welfare, ifyoucan counteract their weak»
  ness withyourown “iron andblood,” inBisrn-arck's phrase,then you will
  survive yourmasters asBismarck did, You will have allthebenefits of
  powerwithout thethorns that come from beingamaster.
  Thus awiseprince will think ofwaystokeephiscitizens ofevery sort
  and undereverycircumstance dependentonthestate and onhim;


TxText:
  and than theywillalwaysbetrustworthy.
  Nitculé ll/l(tt'hi(tzIellz'., 1469-152 7
  KEYS TOPOWER
  The ultimatepoweristhepowertogetpeopletodoasyouwish. When you
  can dothiswithout having toforce peopleorhurt them, when theywill»
  ingly grant youwhatyoudesire, then your powerisuntouchable. The best
  way toachieve thispositionistocreate a.relationship ofdependence.The
  master requires your services; heisweak, orunable tofunction without
  you; youhave enmeshed yourselfinhiswork sodeeplythatdoing away
  withyouwould bring him great difficulty,oratleast would mean valuable
  time lostintraininganother toreplace you.Once such arelationshipises-
  tablishedyouhave theupper hand, theleveragetomake the master do as
  youwish. Itistheclassic case ofthe man behind thethrone, the servant of
  theking who actuallycontrols theking. Bismarck didnothave tobullyei-
  ther Frederick orWilliam intodoing hisbidding.Hesimplymade itclear
  that unless hegotwhat hewanted hewould walkaway, leaving thekingto
  twist inthewind. Both kingssoon danced toBismarck's tune.
  Donot be one ofthemanywhomistakenlybelieve that theultimate
  form ofpowerisindependence.Power involves arelationshipbetween
  people; youwillalwaysneed others asallies, pawns,oreven asweak mas
  terswho serve asyourfront. Thecompletely independentman would live
  inacabin inthewoods«—~he would have thefreedom tocome andgoashe
  pleased,buthewould have nopower.The bestyoucanhopefor isthat
  others willgrowsodependentonyouthatyouenjoyakind ofreverse in-
  dependence: Their need foryou frees you.
  Louis XI(1423-1483), thegreat Spider King ofFrance, had aweak-
  ness forastrology.Hekeptacourt astrologer whom headmired, until one
  daythe manpredictedthat alady ofthe court would diewithin eight days.
  When theprophecycame true, Louis wasterrified, thinking that either the
  man had murdered the woman toprovehisaccuracyorthat he was so
  versed inhisscience that hispowersthreatened Louis himself. Ineither
  case hehad tobekilled.
  One eveningLouis summoned theastrologertohisroom, highinthe
  castle. Before the man arrived, thekingtold hisservants that when hegaveHI). I-.!.'\| I'|tl.|. \\l)
  Illll.\l\li
  /tnexzmvugar1/ _vozm,r,v


TxText:
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  l'AI'tl.FS.
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  1703-1764
  LAW 11 85
  86 LAW 1lthesignal theywere topick theastrologer up,carryhim tothewindow,
  andhurl him totheground, hundreds offeet below.
  The astrologersoon arrived, but before giving thesignal,Louis de-
  cided toaskhim one lastquestion:“You claim tounderstand astrologyand
  toknow thefate ofothers, sotell mewhatyourfatewill beand howlong
  youhave tolive.”
  “Ishall diejustthree days before Your Majesty,"theastrologer replied.
  Thekings signalwas never given. The man's life wasspared.TheSpider
  Kingnotonly protectedhisastrologerfor aslongashewasalive, helav-
  ished him with giftsand hadhim tended bythefinest court doctors.
  Theastrologersurvived Louis byseveralyears, disproving hispower
  ofprophecybutprovinghismastery ofpower.


TxText:
  This isthemodel: Make others dependentonyou. Togetridofyou
  might spell disaster, even death, and yourmaster dares nottemptfateby
  findingout. There aremany waystoobtain such aposition.Foremost
  among them istopossessatalent and creative skill thatsimplycannot be
  replaced.
  DuringtheRenaissance, themajorobstacle toapajnteflssuccess was
  findingtheright patron. Michelangelo didthisbetter thananyone else: His
  patronwasPope juliusH.Butheand thepope quarreledover thebuilding
  ofthepope'smarble 'comb, andMichelangeloleftRome indisgust Tothe
  amazement ofthose inthepope's circle, notonlydidthepopenotfirehim,
  hesoughthim outand inhis own haughty way begged theartist tostay.
  Michelangelo,heknew, could find another patron,buthecould never find
  another Michelangelo.
  You donothave tohave thetalent of3.Michelangelo; you dohave to
  have askill that setsyouapart from thecrowd. You should create asitua-
  tion inwhichyoucanalways latch ontoanother master orpatron butyour
  master cannot easilyfind another servant with your particulartalent. And
  if,inreality, youarenotactually indispensable, youmust find awayto
  make itlook asifyouare.Having theappearance ofspecialized knowledge
  and skill gives youleewayinyour abilitytodeceive those above you into
  thinking theycannot dowithoutyou.Real dependenceonyourmaster's
  part, however, leaves him more vulnerable toyouthan thefaked variety,
  anditisalwayswithinyour powertomake yourskillindispensable.
  This iswhat ismeant bytheintertwiningoffates: Like creeping ivy,
  youhave wrapped yourselfaround the source ofpower,sothat itwould
  cause greattrauma tocutyou away. Andyoudonotnecessarilyhave toen-
  twine yourselfaround themaster; another person willdo, aslongasheor
  she too isindispensableinthechain.
  One dayHarry Colin, president ofColumbia Pictures, was visited in
  hisoffice byagloomy group ofhisexecutives. Itwas 1951, when thewitch-
  hunc againstCommunists inHollywood,carried onbytheUS. Congress's
  House Un-American Activities Committee, was atitsheight. The execu-
  tives hadbad news: One oftheir employees,thescreenwriterjolm Howard
  Lawson, had been singled out asaCommunist. Theyhad togetridofhim
  night awayorsuffer thewrath ofthecommittee.
  HarryCohn was nobleeding—heart liberal; infact, hehadalwaysbeen
  adiehard Republican.


TxText:
  Hisfavorite politicianwas Benito Mussolini, whom hehad once vis-
  ited, and whose framed photo hungonhiswall. Ifthere was someone he
  hated Cohn would callhim a“Communist bastard.” But totheexecutives'
  amazement Cohn told them hewould notfireLawson. Hedidnotkeepthe
  screenwriter onbecause he was agoodWriter—there weremany good
  writers inHollywood.Hekepthim because ofachain ofdependence:
  Lawson wasHumphrey Bogart'swriter andBogartwas Columbia's star.If
  Cohn messed with Lawson hewould ruin animmensely profitablerela-
  tionship.That was worth more than theterrible publicity brought tohim
  byhisdefiance ofthecommittee.
  Henry Kissinger managedtosurvive themany bloodlettingsthat went
  onintheNixon White House notbecause hewas thebestdiplomatNixon
  could find—there were other finenegotiators»--andnot because the two
  men gotalongsowell: They did not. Nor didtheyshare their beliefs and
  politics. Kissingersurvived because heentrenched himself in somany
  areas ofthepolitical structure that todoaway with him would lead to
  chaos. Michelangelds powerwas intensive, dependingononeskill, hisabil-
  ityasanartist; Kissinger'swas extensive. Hegothimself involved inso
  many aspectsanddepartments oftheadministration that hisinvolvement
  became acard inhishand. Italso made himmanyallies. Ifyoucan
  arrangesuch apositionforyourself, getting rid ofyoubecomes
  dangerous—allsorts ofinterdependencies will unravel. Still, theintensive
  form ofpower providesmore freedom than theextensive, because those
  who have itdependon noparticular master, orparticular position of
  power,fortheir security.
  Tomake others dependentonyou,one route totake isthe secret-
  intelligencetactic. Byknowing other people's secrets, byholding informa-
  tionthatthey wouldn't want broadcast, you sealyour fatewith theirs. You
  areuntouchable. Ministers ofsecret police have held thisposition through»
  outtheages: Theycan make orbreak aking, or, asinthe caseof Edgar
  Hoover, apresident.But therole issofullofinsecurities andparanoiathat
  thepoweritprovides almost cancels itself out. You cannot rest atease, and
  what goodispower ifitbrings younopeace?


TxText:
  One lastwarning:Donotimagine thatyourmaster's dependenceon
  youwill make him loveyou. Infact, hemayresent and fearyou. But, as
  Machiavelli said, itisbetter tobefeared than loved. Fear youcancontrol;
  love, never. Dependingonanemotion assubtle andchangeableaslove or
  friendship willonlymake youinsecure. Better tohave others dependon
  you outoffear oftheconsequencesoflosing you than outoflove ofyour
  company.
  LAW II187
  885Image:Vines with ManyThorns. Below, the rootsgrow deep
  and wide. Above, thevines push through bushes, entwine themselves
  LAW 11around trees andpolesand window ledges. Togetridofthem
  would cost such toilandblood, itiseasier toletthem climb.
  Authority:Makepeople dependon
  you. More istobegainedfrom -
  suchdependencethancourtesy.He
  who has slaked histhirst, immedi-
  ately turns hisback onthewell,
  nolonger needingit.When depen~
  dence disappears,sodoes civifity
  anddecency,and thenrespect.
  The first lesson which experience
  should teachyouistokeep hope
  alive but never satisfied, keeping
  even aroyal patronever inneed of
  you. (Baltasar Gracién, 16014658)
  REVERSAL
  The weakness ofmaking others dependonyouisthat youareinsome
  measure dependentonthem. Buttryingtomove beyondthatpointmeans
  getting ridofthose above you—itmeans standing alone, dependingonno
  one. Such isthemonopolistic drive ofa_].P.MorganorajohnD.Rocke-
  feller———to drive outallcompetition,tobeincompletecontrol. Ifyoucan
  corner themarket, somuch thebetter.
  Nosuchindependencecomes without aprice.You areforced toisolate
  yourself. Monopoliesoften turn inward anddestroythemselves from thein-
  ternalpressure. Theyalso stiruppowerful resentment, making their ene-
  mies bond together tofightthem. The drive forcomplete control isoften
  ruinous and fruitless. Interdependenceremains thelaw, independencea
  rare and often fatal exception.Better toplace yourselfin a.position ofmu-
  tualdependence, then, and tofollow thiscritical lawrather than look forits
  reversal. Youwill nothave theunbearable pressure ofbeingontop, and the
  master aboveyouwill inessence beyour slave, forkewill dependonyou.
  12
  USE SELECTIVE HONESTY
  AND GENEROSITY TO
  DISARM YOUR VICTIM
  JUDGMENT


TxText:
  One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of
  dishonest ones,Open-hearted gestures ofhonesty and
  generosity bringdown theguard 97”even tkemost suspi-
  cious people.Once yourselective honesty ojaensahole in
  ikeir mmm; youcan deceive and manipulatethem at
  will. Atimely g~zfi——-a Wojanho1:se——zm'll serve the same
  purpose.
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  900
  LAW12OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Sometime in1926, atall,dapperlydressed man paidavisit toAlCapone,
  themost feared gangster ofhistime.Speakingwith anelegant Continental
  accent, the man introduced himself asCount Victor Lustig.Hepromised
  thatifCapone gave him $50,000 hecould double it.Caponehad more
  than enough funds tocover the“investment,” buthewasn't inthehabit of
  entrusting largesums tototal strangers.Helooked the count over: Same-
  thingabout the man was different-—-his classy style,hismanna-r—and so
  Caponedecided toplay along.Hecounted out[hebills personallyand
  handed them toLustig. “Okay, Count,” saidCapone.“Double itinsixty
  dayslikeyousaid.” Lustig leftwith themoney, putitinasafe—depositbox
  inChicago,then headed toNew York, where hehad several othermoney-
  makingschemes inprogress.
  The$50,000 remained inthebank box untouched. Lustigmade noef-
  fort todouble it.Two months later heretumed toChicago, took themoney
  from thebox, andpaid Capone another visit. Helooked atthegangstefs
  stony~faced bodyguards,smiled apologetically,andsaid, “Pleaseaccept my
  profound regrets,Mr.Capone. I'msorrytoreportthat theplan failed . . .I
  failed.”
  Capone slowlystoodup.Heglowered atLustig, debating which part
  oftheriver tothrow him in.But the count reached into hiscoat pocket,
  withdrew the$50,000, andplaced itonthedesk. “Here, sir,isyour money,
  tothe penny. Again, my sincere apologies. This ismost embarrassing.
  Things didn't work outthewayIthought theywould. Iwould have loved
  tohave doubledyour moneyforyouand formyself»-—Lord knows Ineed
  it--but theplanjustdidn't materialize.”
  Capone sagged back into hischair, confused. “Iknow you'reacon
  man, Count,” saidCapone.“Iknew itthemoment youwalked inhere. I


TxText:
  expected either onehundred thousand dollars ornothing.Butthis . ‥get-
  ting mymoneyback . . .well.” “Again myapologies, MLCapone,”said
  Lustig,ashepicked uphishatandbegan toleave. “MyGod! You're hon-
  est!” yelled Capone. “Ifyou'reonthespot,here's five tohelp youalong.”
  He counted out five one—thousand~dollar bills out ofthe$50,000. The
  count seemed stunned, bowed deeply, mumbled histhanks, andleft, tak-
  ingthemoney.
  The $5,000 was what Lustig had been after allalong.
  Interpretation
  Count Victor Lustig,aman who spoke several languages andpridedhim-
  self onhisrefinement andculture, was oneofthegreatcon arfists ofmod-
  ern times. He was known forhisaudacity,hisfearlessness, and, most
  important,hisknowledge ofhuman psychology.Hecould sizeupaman in
  minutes, discovering hisweaknesses, and hehad radar forsuckers. Lustig
  knew that most men buildupdefenses against crooks and other trouble-
  makers. The conartists jobistobringthose defenses down.
  One sure way todothis isthroughanactofapparent sincerityand
  honesty. Who will distrust aperson literally caught inthe actofbeinghon-
  est?Lustigused selective honesty many times, butwith Capone hewent a
  stepfurther. Nonormal con man would have dared such acon; hewould
  have chosen hissuckers fortheir meekness, forthatlook about them that
  saysthey will take their medicine without complaint. Con Capone andyou
  would spendthe rest ofyourlife(whatever remained ofit)afraid. But
  Lustig understood that aman likeCapone spendshisliferrfistrusting oth-
  ers.No one around him ishonest orgenerous,andbeingsomuch inthe
  company ofwolves isexhausting,even depressing. Aman likeCapone
  yearnstobetherecipient ofanhonest orgenerous gesture,tofeelthat not
  everyonehas anangleorisout torobhim.
  Lusiig'sactofselective honestydisarmed Caponebecause itwas so
  unexpected.Acon artist loves conflictingemotions like these, since the
  person caught upinthem issoeasily distracted and deceived.
  Donotshyawayfrom practicingthislaw ontheCaponesoftheworld.
  With awell-timed gesture ofhonestyorgenerosity, youwillhave themost
  brutal andcynicalbeast inthekingdom eatingoutofyourhand.


TxText:
  Everythingturnsgray when Idon 'thave atleast onemark anthehorizon.
  Lifethen seemsemptyanddepressing. Icannot understand honest mm.
  Theylead desperate lives,fullofbaredom.
  (mm: '.1110: Lu.«u,«;, ISO!) :94?
  KEYS 'l'(.) P()\/\"l:lR
  The essence ofdeceptionisdistraction. Distractingthepeople you want to
  deceive gives you thetime andspacetodosomething theywon': notice.
  Anactofkindness, generosity,orhonestyisoften themost powerful form
  ofdistraction because itdisanns other people's suspicions. Ittums them
  intochildren, eagerly lapping upanykind ofa.ft'ectiona.te gesture.
  Inancient China this was called “giving beforeyou take”--the giving
  makes ithard fortheotherpersontonotice thetaldng.Itisadevice with
  infinite practicaluses. Brazenly taking somethingfrom someone isdanger-
  ous, even forthepowerful.The victim willplot revenge. Itisalsodanger-
  oussimplytoaskforwhat you need, nomatter how politely:Unless the
  otherpersonsees some gain forthemselves, they maycome toresent your
  neediness. Learn togive before you take. Itsoftens theground, takes the
  bite outofafuturerequest,orsimplycreates adistraction. And thegiving
  cantakemanyforms: anactual gift,atgenerous act, akind favor, an“l1on~
  est”admission-—whatever ittakes.
  Selective honestyisbestemployedonyourfirst encounter with some
  one. We areallcreatures ofhabit, and ourfirstimpressions last alongtime.
  Ifsomeone believes youarehonest atthe start ofyour relationship ittakes
  alottoconvince them otherwise. This gives youroom tomaneuver.
  jay Gould, like AlCapone,was aman who distrustedeveryone.
  Bythe time he was thirty—three he was alreadyamultimillionaire,
  mostly through deception andstrong-arming. Inthelate 1860s, Gould in-
  vested heavilyintheErie Railroad, then discovered that themarket had
  L/SW12 91
  92,LAW l2been flooded with avast amount ofphonystock certificates forthe com»
  party.Hestood tolose afortune and tosuffer alotofembarrassment.
  Inthemidst ofthiscrisis, aman named Lordjohn Gordon- Gordon of-
  fered tohelp. Gordon—Gordon, aScottish lord, hadapparentlymade a
  small fortune investinginrailroads.
  Byhiringsome handwriting experts'Gordon—Gordon was able to


TxText:
  provetoGould that theculpritsforthephonystock certificates were actu-
  allyseveral topexecutives with theErie Railroad itself. Gould wasgrateful.
  Gordon«Gordon then proposedthat heand Gould joinforces tobuy upa
  controllinginterest inErie. Gould agreed.For awhile the ventureap-
  pearedtoprosper.The two men were now good friends, andeverytime
  Gordon—Gordon came toGould askingformoneytobuymore stock,
  Gould gaveittohim. In1873, however, Gordon-Gordon suddenly
  dumpedallofhisstock, makingafortune butdrastically loweringthevalue
  ofGould's own holdings. Then hedisappearedfrom sight.
  Upon investigation, Gould found outthat Gordon-Gordon's real name
  wasjohn Crowningsfield, and that hewas thebastard sonofamerchant
  Seaman and aLondon barmaid. There had beenmanyclues before then
  that Goi-donvGordon was acon man, buthisinitial actofhonestyand sup
  porthad soblinded Gould that ittook thelossofmillions forhim tosee
  throughthescheme.
  Asingleactofhonesty isoften notenough.What isrequired isarepu-
  tation forhonesty, built on a.series ofacts-—but these canbequiteinconse-
  quential.Once thisreputation isestablished,aswith firstimpressions, itis
  hard toshake.~
  Inancient China, Duke WuofChéng decided itwas time totake over
  theincreasingly powerful kingdom ofHo.Tellingno one ofhisplan,he
  married hisdaughtertoHu's ruler. Hethen called aoouncil and asked his
  ministers, “Iamconsideringamilitary campaign.Whichcountryshould
  weinvade?” Ashehadexpected,oneofhisministers replied,“H11 should
  beinvaded.” The duke seemedangry,andsaid, “Hu isasister state now.
  Whydoyou suggest invadingher?” Hehad theminister executed forhis
  impoliticremark. The ruler ofHuheard about this, andconsideringother
  tokens ofWu's honesty andthemarriagewith hisdaughter, hetook nopre-
  cautions todefend himself from Chéng. Afew weeks later, Chéngforces
  swept through Huand took thecountry,never torelinquish it.
  Honestyisone ofthebest waystodisarm thewary,butitisnotthe
  onlyone.Any kind ofnoble, apparentlyselfless actwill serve. Perhapsthe
  best such act,though,isoneofgenerosity.Fewpeoplecan resist agift,even
  from themost hardenedenemy,which iswhyitisoften theperfect wayto
  disarm people.


TxText:
  Agiftbrings outthechild inus,instantly loweringour dc»
  lenses. Althoughweoften view other people'sactions inthemost cynical
  light,werarelyseetheMachiavellian element ofagift, which quiteoften
  hides ulterior motives. Agiftistheperfect objectinwhich tohide adecep—
  live move.
  Over three thousand years agotheancient Greeks traveled across the
  seatorecapturethebeautiful Helen, stolenawayfrom them byParis, and
  todestroyParis's city, Troy.The siegelasted tenyears, manyheroes died,
  yetneither side had come close tovictory.Oneday,theprophetCalchas
  assembled theGreeks.
  “Stop battering awayatthese walls!” hetold them. “You must find
  some otherway,some ruse. We cannot take
  Troy byforce alone. We must find some cunning
  stratagem.” The cun— ning Greek leader
  Odysseusthen cameupwith theidea ofbuilding
  agiantwooden horse, hidingsoldiers inside it,
  then offering ittothe Trojansas agift.
  Neoptolemus,son of Achilles, wasdisgusted
  with this idea; itwas unmanly. Better for
  thousands todie onthe battlefield than togain
  victorysodeceitfully. But thesoldiers, faced
  with achoice between another ten years of
  manliness, honor, and death, onthe one hand
  and aquick victoryon theother, chose the
  horse, which waspromptlybuilt. The trick was successful andTroyfell.
  Onegiftdid more fortheGreek cause than tenyears offighting.
  Selective kindness should also bepart ofyourarsenal ofdeception.For
  yearstheancient Romans hadbesiegedthecityoftheFaliscans, alwaysun~
  successfully.One day, however, when theRoman generalCamillus was
  encampedoutside thecity,hesuddenlysaw aman leadingsome children
  toward him. The man was aFaliscan teacher, and thechildren, itturned
  out, were the sons anddaughtersofthenoblest and wealthiest citizens of
  thetown. Onthepretense oftakingthese children outfor awalk, hehad
  ledthem straight totheRomans, offering them ashostagesinhopes ofin-
  gratiatinghimself with Camillus, thecity's enemy.
  Camillus did not take thechildren hostage.Hestrippedtheteadier,
  tied hishands behind hisback, gaveeach child arod, and letthem whip
  him allthewayback tothecity.


TxText:
  The gesturehad animmediate effect on
  theFaliscans. Had Camillus used thechildren ashostages,some inthecity
  would have voted tosurrender. And even ifthe Faliscans hadgoneon
  fighting,their resistance would have been halfhearted. Camillus's refusal to
  takeadvantage ofthesituation broke down theFaliscans' resistance, and
  theysurrendered. Thegeneralhad calculated correctly. And inanycase he
  had hadnothing tolose: Heknew that thehostage ploywould not have
  ended thewar, atleast notright away. Byturningthesituation around, he
  earned hisenemy'strust andrespecg disarmingthem. Selective kindness
  will often break down even the most stubborn foe:Aiming right forthe
  heart, itcorrodes thewill tofight back.
  Remember: Byplayingonpeople's emotions, calculated acts ofkind-
  ness can turn aCaponeinto agulliblechild. Aswithanyemotionalap-
  proach,thetactic must bepracticed with caution: Ifpeopleseethrough it,
  their disappointed feelingsofgratitudeand warmth will become the most
  violent hatred and distrust Unlessyoucan make thegestureseem sincere
  andheartfelt, donotplay with fire.Image:The
  Trojan Horse.
  Your guileis
  hidden inside
  amagnificent
  giftthatproves
  irresistible to
  your opponent.
  The wallsopen.
  Once inside,
  wreak havoc.
  LAW 12193
  94 LAW 12Authority: When Duke Hsien
  ofChin was about toraid Yii,
  hepresentedtothem ajade
  and ateam ofhorses. When
  Earl Chih was about toraid
  Cl1'ou~yu,hepresentedto
  them grandchariots. Hence
  thesaying:“Whenyouare
  about totake. youshould
  give." (Han-feivtzn, Chinese
  philosopher,third century B.C.]
  REVERSAL
  Whenyouhave ahistoryofdeceit behindyou,noamount ofhonesty, gen-
  erosity,orkindness will foolpeople.Infactitwillonlycall attention toit-
  self. Once peoplehave come toseeyouasdeceitful, toacthonest allofa
  sudden issimply suspicious.Inthese cases itisbetter toplaytherogue.
  Count Lustig, pullingthebiggestcan ofhiscareer, was about tosell
  theEiffel Tower toanunsuspectingindusixialist who believed thegovern-
  ment wasauctioning itoffforscrapmetal. The industrialist wasprepared
  tohand over ahugesum ofmoneytoLustig,who hadsuccessfully imper-
  sonated agovernment official.


TxText:
  Atthelastminute, however, themark was
  suspicious. Something about Lustigbothered him. Atthemeetinginwhich
  hewas tohand over themoney, Lustig sensed hissudden distrust.
  Leaningover totheindustrialist, Lustig explained,inalowwhisper,
  how low hissalary was, how difficult hisfinances were, onand on.After a
  few minutes ofthis, theindustlialist realized thatLustigwasasking for a
  bribe. For thefirst time herelaxed. Now heknew hecould trust Lustig:
  Since allgovernment officials were dishonest, Lustig had tobereal. The
  man forked over themoney. Byacting dishonest, Lustigseemed thereal
  McCoy.Inthis case selective honesty would have had theoppositeeffect.
  AstheFrench diplomat Talleyrand grew older, hisreputationasamas-
  terliarand deceiver spread.AttheCongress ofVienna (1814-1815), he
  would spinfabulous stories and make impossibleremarlm topeoplewho
  knew hehad tobelying.Hisdishonestyhad nopurpose excepttocloak
  the moments when hereallywasdeceivingthem. One day,forexample,
  among friends, Talleyrandsaid withapparent sincerity, “Inbusiness one
  oughttoshow one's hand.” No one who heard him could believe their
  ears: Aman who never once inhislifehad shown hiscards wastelling
  other peopletoshow theirs. Tactics like this made itimpossibletodistin-
  guish Talleyi-and'srealdecepfionsfrom hisfake ones. Byembracing his
  reputationfordishonesty,hepreserved hisabilitytodeceive.
  Nothingintherealm ofpowerissetinstone. Overt deceptivenesswill
  sometimes coveryour tracks, even making you admired forthehonesty of
  your dishonesty.
  13
  WHEN ASKING FOR HELP,
  APPEAL TO PEOPLE'S
  SELF-INTEREST,
  NEVER TOTHEIR MERCY
  OR GRATITUDE
  JUDGMENT
  Ifyou need tocum toanallyfor help,donotbother tore-
  mind himofyour pastassistzmm and goaddeeds. He
  willfindawaytoyou. Instead, uncover some-
  thing inyour request,arrinyourailiance with him, that
  willlzenqit him, and emphasize itoutofallprnportian.
  Hz:willmspond enthusiasticallywhen he seessmnetkéng
  tobegainedfor himself
  '95
  Illl' |'l',/\."~'A,'\'| »\'\l)
  'I'l||'.A|'|'l -Tl[l]l'l
  Apeasant had inhis
  gardenanapple-tree.
  which bore nofruit, but
  only served asaperch


TxText:
  for (hesparrows' and
  grasshoppers. He
  rc.wlvc'd toourildown,
  and, taking his axin
  lmml, made ahold
  stmkre atitsroots. The
  grasslxappzm and spar-
  rows emreated him not
  I!)cutdown the tree
  that .\'h€l(('I'(,'d them, but
  tospare it,and they
  would sing (0him and
  ltghlen hislabors. He
  paidnonrrmlzrm I0
  their request, bu!gave
  the tree Llsecond and [1
  third blow with his ax.
  When hereached I/1e
  hollow Uflhe true, he
  foundahivefullof
  honey. Having tasted
  thehoneym11xb, he
  threw down his ax,am],
  looking onthe tree as
  sacred, took greatcare
  ofit.
  .S'clf—tn1ere.s'r alone
  ntoves sorne men.
  I—'Am,r:s,
  Air. P.
  sixru CEl\'TURY 13<:.
  96
  3LAW 13TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  Intheearlyfourteenth century,ayoungman named Castruccio Castracani
  rose from therank ofcommon soldier tobecome lord ofthegreat cityof
  Lucca, Italy.One ofthe most powerfulfamilies inthecity, thePoggios,
  had been instrumental inhisclimb (which succeeded through treachery
  andbloodshed), butafter hecame topower, theycame tofeel hehad for»
  gotten them. Hisambition outweighed anygratitudehefelt. In1325, while
  Castruccio wasaway fighting Lucca's main rival, Florence, thePoggios
  conspiredwith other noble families inthecitytoridthemselves ofthis
  troublesome and ambitious prince.
  Mountinganinsurrection, theplottersattacked andmurdered thegov-
  ernor whom Castruccio had leftbehind torule thecity.Riots broke out,
  and theCastmccio supportersand thePoggio supporterswere poisedtodo
  battle, Attheheight ofthetension, however, Stefano diPoggio,theoldest
  member ofthefamily, intervened, and made both sides laydown their
  arms.
  Apeaceful man, Stefano had nottaken partintheconspiracy.Hehad
  told hisfamilyitwould end inauseless bloodbath. Now heinsisted he
  should intercede onthefamily'sbehalf andpersuadeCastruccio tolisten to
  their complaintsandsatisfytheir demands. Stefano was theoldest and wis-


TxText:
  estmember oftheclan, and hisfamily agreedtoputtheir trust inhisdiplcw
  macyrather than intheirweapons.
  When news oftherebellion reached Castruccio, hehurried back to
  Lucca. Bythe time hearrived, however, thefighting had ceased, through
  Stefa.no's agency,and he wassurprised bythecity's calm andpeace.Ste-
  fano diPoggiohadimaginedthat Castruccio would begratefultohim for
  hispartinquellingtherebellion, sohepaid theprinceavisit. Heexplained
  how hehadbrought peace,then beggedforCastruccio'smercy.Hesaid
  that therebels inhisfamilywere young andimpetuous, hungryforpower
  yetinexperienced;herecalled hisfamily's past generositytoCastzuccio.
  Forallthese reasons, hesaid, thegreat prince should pardonthePoggios
  and listen totheir complaints. This, hesaid, was theonly justthingtodo,
  since thefamilyhadwillinglylaid down their arms and had always sup-
  portedhim.
  Castmccio listened patiently.Heseemed nottheslightest bitangryor
  resentful. Instead, hetold Stefano torest assured thatjusticewould prevail,
  and heasked him tobringhisentire familytothepalacetotalk over their
  grievancesand come toanagreement.Astheytook leave ofoneanother,
  Castruccio said hethanked God forthechance hehad been given toshow
  hisclemencyand kindness. That eveningtheentire Poggio familycame to
  thepalace.Castruccio immediatelyhad them imprisonedand afewdays
  later allwere executed, including Stefano.
  Interpretation
  Stefano diPoggioistheembodiment ofallthose who believe that thejus-
  ticeandnobilityoftheir cause willprevail, Certainly appealstojusticeand
  gratitudehave occasionallysucceeded inthepast,but more often than not
  they have had direconsequences, especiallyindealings with theCastruc
  ciosoftheworld. Stefano knew that theprince had risen topower through
  treachery and ruthlessness. This was aman, after all,who hadputaclose
  anddevoted friend todeath. When Castruccio wastold that ithad been a
  terrible wrongtokillsuch anoldfriend, herepliedthat hehad executed
  not anoldfriend but anewenemy.
  Aman likeCastruccio knows only force and self—interest. When the re-
  bellion began,toend itandplace oneself athismercywas the most dan—
  gerous possiblemove. Even once Stefano diPoggiohad made that fatal


TxText:
  mistake, however, hestill hadoptions:Hecould have offeredmoneyto
  Castruccio, could have made promises forthefuture, could have pointed
  outwhat thePoggioscould stillcontribute toCastruccio's power-their in-
  fluence with the most influential families ofRome, forexample, and the
  great marriage theycould have brokered.
  Instead Stefano brought upthepast,and debts that carried noobliga-
  tion. Notonlyisaman notobligedtobegrateful, gratitude isoften aterri-
  bleburden that hegladly discards. And inthis case Castruccio ridhimself
  ofhisobligationstothePoggios byeliminating thePoggios.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  In4-33 B.C.,just before thePeloponnesian War, theisland ofCorcyra (later
  called Corfu) and theGreek city~state ofCorinth stood onthebrink ofcon-
  flict. Both partiessent ambassadors toAthens totrytowin over theAtheni~
  anstotheir side. The stakes were high,since whoever had Athens onhis
  side was sure towin. And whoever won the war would certainly givethe
  defeated side nomercy.
  Corcyra spoke first. Itsambassador began byadmittingthat theisland
  had never helped Athens before, and infact had allied itself with Athens's
  enemies. There were notiesoffriendshiporgratitude between Corcyra
  and Athens. Yes, theambassador achnitted, hehad come toAthens now
  outoffear and concern forCorcyra's safety.Theonly thinghecould offer
  was analliance ofmutual interests. Corcyra had anavy only surpassedin
  size andstrength byAthens's own; analliance between the two states
  would create aformidable force, onethat could intimidate therival state of
  Sparta. That, unfortunately,was allOorcyrahad tooffer.
  The representativefrom Corinth then gaveabrilliant, passionate
  speech,insharpcontrast tothedry, colorless approach oftheCorcyran.
  Hetalked ofeverything Corinth had done forAthens inthepast.Heasked
  how itwould look toAthens's other allies ifthecityputanagreement with
  aformer enemyover one with apresent friend, one that had served


TxText:
  Athens's interest loyally: Perhaps those allies would break their agreements
  with Athens iftheysaw that their loyaltywas not valued. Hereferred to
  Hellenic law, and theneed torepayCorinth forallitsgooddeeds. Hefi-
  nallywent ontolistthemanyservices Corinth hadperformedforAthens,
  andtheimportance ofshowing gratitudetoone's friends.
  After thespeech, theAthenians debated the issue inanassembly.OnMost men are sothor-
  oughly xubjeciive that
  nothing reallyintermls
  zhem bu! 1hmn.reIw.v.
  T/zr,-y always think of
  their own casn atman
  as(war anyremark is
  made, and their whole
  auenukm iserzgrmxscd
  and abvorbed bythe
  Inerest clmnre rr:fr:r-
  mure toanything which
  uffct/s them personally,
  beitnever sorcrnoze.
  /\R1'liUR
  S(:xmm«'r~:uALrr-.12.
  l7XX—l8tI(l
  LAW I3 97
  ')5': LAW 13thesecond round, theyvoted overwhelminglytoallywith Corcyraand
  dropCorinth.
  Interpretation
  History hasremembered theAthenians nobly, buttheywere thepreemi-
  nent realists ofclassical Greece. With them, alltherhetoric, allthe emo-
  tionalappealsintheworld, could notmatch agood pragmatic argument,
  especiallyone that added totheirpower.
  What theCorinthian ambassador did not realize was that hisrefer-
  ences toCorinth's past generositytoAthens only irritated theAthenians,
  subtly askingthem tofeelguiltyandputtingthem under obligation.The
  Athenians couldn't care less about pastfavors andfriendly feelings.Atthe
  same time, theyknew thatiftheir other allies thoughtthem ungratefulfor
  abandoning Corinth, these city-states would stillbeunlikelytobreak their
  ties toAthens, thepreeminent powerinGreece. Athens ruled itsempire by
  force, andwould simply compel anyrebellious allytoreturn tothefold.
  When peoplechoose between talk about thepastand talk about the
  future, apragmatic person willalways optforthefuture andforgetthepast.
  AstheCorcyrans realized, itisalwaysbest tospeak pragmaticallytoa
  pragmatic person. And intheend, mostpeopleareinfastpragmatic-—they
  willrarelyactagainst their own self-interest.
  Ithasalways been arule that theweak should besubjecttothestrong;
  and besides, weconsider that we amworthy ofourpower.


TxText:
  Uptillthe
  presentmomentyou, too, used tothink that wewere; but now. after
  calculating yourown interest, youarebeginningtotalk interms ofright
  andwrong.Conréderatiores ofthis kind have never yetturnedpeopleaside
  [mmtheopportunities ofagrandizemeni offered bysuperior strength.
  Athenmrr. r.'pre.rwata.£ir»s'loSf1Irrifi.
  quulmi inThe Pcloponnesian War, '£'hur._wiz'dn.i,(2.4(15» 395 14.1.'.
  KEYS TO POWER
  Inyour quest forpower, youwillconstantly findyourself intheposition of
  askingforhelp from those more powerful than you. There isanarttoask-
  ingforhelp,anartthatdependsonyour abilitytounderstand theperson
  youaredealing with, and tonotconfuseyour needs with theirs.
  Most peoplenever succeed atthis, because theyarecompletely
  trappedintheir own wants and desires. Theystart from theassumption
  that thepeople theyareappealingtohave aselfless interest inhelping
  them. They talk asiftheir needs mattered tothese peopleowho probably
  couldn't care less. Sometimes theyrefer tolargerissues: agreat cause, or
  grand emotions such aslove andgratitude. They goforthebigpicture
  when simple, everydayrealities would have much more appeal.What they
  donotrealize isthat even themost powerful personislocked inside needs
  ofhisown, and thatifyoumake noappealtohisselfdnterest, hemerely
  seesyouasdesperate or,atbest, awaste oftime.
  Inthesixteenth century, Portuguesemissionaries tried foryearstocon
  vert thepeople ofjapantoCatholicism, while atthe same time Portugal
  had amonopolyontrade between japanandEurope. Althoughthemis-
  sionaries didhave some success, theynever gotfaramongtheruling elite;
  bythebeginningoftheseventeenth century,infact, their proselytizinghad
  completely antagonized theJapanese emperor Ieyasu.When theDutch
  began toarrive injapaningreat numbers, Ieyasuwas much relieved. He
  needed Europeans fortheir know-how inguns andnavigation,and here at
  last were Europeanswho cared nothing forspreading religion——theDutch
  wanted onlytotrade. Ieyasu swiftlymoved toevict thePortuguese. From
  then on,hewould only deal with thepracticalmindedDutch.
  Japanand Holland were vastly different cultures, but each shared a
  timeless and universal concern: selfiinterest. Every person you deal with is


TxText:
  likeanother culuire, analien land with apastthat hasnothingtodowith
  yours.Yetyoucanbypassthedifferences betweenyouand himbyappeal-
  ingtohisself—interest. Do notbesubtle: You have valuable knowledgeto
  share, youwillfillhiscoffers with gold, you will make him livelongerand
  happier.This isalanguagethat allofusspeakand understand.
  Akeystepintheprocess istounderstand theother person's psychol~
  ogy.Ishevain? Isheconcerned about hisreputationorhissocial standing?
  Does hehave enemiesyoucould helphimvanquish?Ishesimplymod»
  vated bymoneyandpower?
  When theMongolsinvaded China inthetwelfth century, theythreab
  erred toobliterate aculture that had thrived for over two thousandyears.
  Their leader, Genghis Khan, sawnothing inChina. but acountry that
  lacked pasturing forhishorses, and hedecided todestroytheplace,IeveI~
  ingallitscities, for“itwould bebetter toexterminate theChinese and let
  thegrass grow.” Itwas not asoldier, a.general,oraking who saved the
  Chinese from devastation, but aman named Yelu Ch'u—Ts'ai. Aforeigner
  himself, Ch'u«Ts'ai had come toappreciatethesuperiority ofChinese cul-
  ture. Hemanagedtomake himself atrusted adviser toGenghis Khan, and
  persuadedhim that hewouldreapriches outoftheplace if,instead ofde
  straying it,hesimply taxed everyone who lived there. Khan saw the wis-
  dom inthis and did asCh'u—Ts'a.i advised.
  When Khan took thecityofKaifeng, after along siege, and decided to
  massaxtre itsinhabitants (ashehad inother cities that had resisted him),
  Ch'u~Ts'ai told him that thefinest craftsmen andengineersinChina had
  fled toKaifeng,and itwould bebetter toputthem touse.Kaifengwas
  spared.Never before hadGenghisKhan shown such mercy, butthen it
  reallywasn'tmercythat saved Kaifeng. Ch'u—Ts'ai knew Khan well. He was
  abarbaric peasantwho cared nothing forculuire, orindeed foranything
  other than warfare andpractical results. Ch'u—Ts'ai chose toappealtothe
  only emotion that would work onsuch aman: greed.


TxText:
  Self-interest isthelever thatwill move people.Once you make them
  seehowyoucan insomewaymeet their needs oradvance their cause,
  their resistance toyour requestsforhelp willmagically fallaway.Ateach
  steponthewaytoacquiring power, youmust train yourself tothink your
  LAW 13 99
  100 LAW 13wayinside theother persorfs mind, toseetheir needs and interests, toget
  ridofthe screen ofyourown feelingsthat obscure thetruth. Master this an
  and there will benolimits towhatyoucanaccomplish.
  Image: ACord that
  Binds. The cord of
  mercy and grati-
  tude isthreadbare.
  and will break at
  the first shock.
  Do not throw
  such alifeline.
  Thecord0f
  mutual self-inter-
  est iswoven of
  many fibers and
  cannot easilybe
  severed. Itwill serve
  you well foryears.
  Authority:The shortest and bestwaytomakeyour for
  tune istoletpeopleseeclearly that itisintheir interests
  topromote yours. (jean deLaBruyere. l645—169(i)
  REVERSAI.
  Some peoplewill see anappealtotheir selfiinterest asugly andignoble.
  They actually prefertobeable toexercise charity, mercy,andjustice,
  which aretheir ways offeeling superiortoyou: When youbegthem for
  help, youemphasizetheirpowerandposition. Theyarestrong enoughto
  need nothingfromyouexceptthechance tofeelsuperior. This isthewine
  that intoxicates them. Theyaredyingtofund your project,tointroduce
  youtopowerful people———provided, ofcourse, that allthis isdone inpublic,
  and for agoodcause (usuallythe more public,thebetter). Noteveryone,
  then, canbeapproached through cynical self—interest. Some people will be
  putoffbyit,because they dorft want toseem tobemotivated bysuch
  things. Theyneedopportunitiestodisplaytheir good heart,
  Donotbeshy.Give them thatopportunity. It'snot asifyouare con»
  ning them byasking forhelp——itisreallytheir pleasure togive, and tobe
  seen giving.You must distinguishthedifferences among powerful people
  andfigureoutwhat makes them tick. When theyooze greed,donotappeal
  totheir charity.When theywant tolook charitable andnoble, donot ap-
  pealtotheir greed.
  LAW
  14
  P()SElAS.AfiFRIEPJD,
  VVCHRKQAS.A.SPY'
  JUDGMENT
  Knowingabout your rival iscritical.


TxText:
  Usespies'togather
  valuable infmrmationthat willkeep youastepahead.
  Better stz'll:Playthespyyourself. Inpolitesocial encoun~
  ters, learn topmbe.Ask indirect questionstogetpeopleto
  reveal their weaknesses and intentions. There isnoocca-
  sion that isnot anojiponfunity forartful spying.
  107
  I02 LAW 14OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  JosephDuveen wasundoubtedlythegreatestartdealer ofhistime—from
  1904 to194-0 healmost single—handedly rnonopolizedAmerica's million-
  aireart-collectingmarket. But oneprize plumeluded him: theindustrialist
  Andrew Mellon. Before hedied, Duveen was determined tomake Mellon
  aclient.
  Duveen's friends said this was animpossible dreani. Mellon was astiff,
  taciturn man. The stories hehad heard about thecongenial,talkative Du-
  veen rubbed him thewrong way—-hehad made itclear hehad nodesire to
  meet the man. YetDuveen told hisdoubting friends, “Not only will Mellon
  buyfrom mebuthewillbuy onlyfrom me.” For severalyearshetracked
  hisprey, learning theman's habits, tastes, phobias.Todothis, hesecretly
  putseveral ofMellon's staff onhis ownpayroll, worming valuable informa-
  tion outofthem. Bythetime hemoved into action, heknew Mellon about
  aswell asMellon's wife did.
  In1921 Mellon wasvisiting London, andstayinginapalatialsuite on
  thethird floor ofClaridge'sHotel. Duveen booked himself into the suite
  justbelow Mellon's, onthesecond floor. Hehadarrangedforhisvalet to
  befriend Mellon's valet, and onthefateful dayhehad chosen tomake his
  move, Mellon's valet told Duveen's valet, who told Duveen, that hehad
  justhelpedMellon onwith hisovercoat, and that theindustrialist was mak-
  inghiswaydown thecorridor toring forthelift.
  Duveen's valet hurriedly helpedDuveen with his own overcoat. Sec»
  onds later, Duveen entered thelift,and loandbehold, there was Mellon.
  “How doyoudo,Mr.Mellon?” saidDuveen, introducinghimself. “Iam on
  mywaytotheNational Gallerytolook atsome pictures.”How uncanny-
  that waspreciselywhere Mellon was headed. And soDuveen was able to


TxText:
  accompanyhispreytothe one location that would ensure his success. He
  knew Mellon's taste inside and out, and while the two men wandered
  through the museum, hedazzled themagnatewith hisknowledge. Once
  again quite uncannily, they seemed tohave remarkablysimilar tastes.
  Mellon waspleasantly surprised:This was nottheDuveen hehad ex-
  pected.The man wascharmingandagreeable,andclearlyhadexquisite
  taste. When theyreturned toNew York, Mellon visited Duveen's exclusive
  galleryand fellinlove with thecollection. Everything, surprisingly enough,
  seemed tobepreciselythekind ofwork hewanted tocollect. Forthe rest
  ofhislifehewas Duveen's best and most generous client.
  Interpretation
  Aman asambitious andcompetitiveasJosephDuveen leftnothingto
  chance. What's thepointofwinging igofjusthoping you may beable to
  charm this orthat client? It'slikeshootingducks blindfolded. Arm yourself
  with alittle knowledgeandyouraimimproves.
  Mellon was themost spectacularofDuveen's catches, buthespiedon
  manyamillionaire. Bysecretly puttingmembers ofhisclients' household
  staffs onhis ownpayroll,hewould gainconstant access tovaluable infor-
  mation about their masters' comingsand goings, changes intaste, and
  other such tidbits ofinformation that would puthim astepahead. Arival
  ofDuveen's who wanted tomake HenryFrick aclient noticed that when-
  ever hevisited thiswealthyNew Yorker, Duveen was there before him, as
  ifhehad asixth sense. Toother dealers Duveen seemed tobeeverywhere,
  and toknow everything before theydid. Hispowers discouragedand dis-
  heartened them, untilmany simply gave upgoingafter thewealthyclients
  who could make adealer rich.
  Such isthepower ofartful spying: Itmakesyouseem all—powerful,
  clairvoyant.Your knowledgeofyourmark can also makeyouseem charm-
  ing,sowell canyouanticipatehisdesires. No one sees the source ofyour
  power,and what theycannot seetheycannot fight.
  Rulers seethrough spies,ascows through smell, Bmhminsthrough
  scripturesand the restofthepeople through their normaleyes.
  Kantily/1, Indian philmoplm; third amtury3.1:.
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Intherealm ofpower, your goalisadegreeofcontrol over future events.


TxText:
  Part oftheproblem you face, then, isthatpeoplewon't tellyoualltheir
  thoughts, emotions, andplans. Controllingwhat they say,theyoften keep
  themost critical parts oftheir character hidden—their weaknesses, ulterior
  motives, obsessions. The result isthat you cannot predicttheir moves, and
  areconstantlyinthedark. The trick istofind awaytoprobe them, tofind
  outtheir secrets and hidden intentions, without letting them know what
  youareupto.
  This isnot asdifficult asyoumightthink. Afriendlyfront willletyou
  secretly gather information onfriends and enemies alike. Letothers con-
  sultthehoroscope,orread tarot cards: You have more concrete means of
  seeinginto thefuture.
  The most commonway ofspyingistouseother people,asDuveen
  did.The method issimple, powerful,butrisky:You willcertainly gatherin-
  formation, butyouhave little control over thepeoplewho aredoing the
  work. Perhaps theywillineptlyrevealyour spying,orevensecretlyturn
  against you. Itisfarbetter tobethespyyourself,toposeasafriend while
  secretly gatheringinformation.
  The French politician Talleyrandwas one ofthegreatest practitioners
  ofthis art.Hehad anuncanny abilitytoworm secrets outofpeopleinpa-
  liteconversation. Acontemporary ofhis, Baron deVitrolles, wrote, “Wit
  andgracemarked hisconversation. Hepossessed theartofconcealinghis
  thoughtsorhismalice beneath atransparentveil ofinsinuations, words
  thatimply somethingmore than they express. Onlywhennecessary didhe
  injecthis own personality.”Thekeyhere isTalleyrand's abilitytosuppress
  himself intheconversation, tomake others talkendlesslyabout themselves
  andinadvertentlyreveal their intentions andplans.
  LAW 14 103
  Ifyon have reaxon to
  suspect that a[lemon :5
  Iellingyuualie,Io/Ik ax
  (hmzgh you lzzlicved
  ewry word hesaid.
  Thixwillgive him
  coumgr:togr;on;he
  will become more
  Vt'/1(,'mI'Nl inIm
  a.s:m'ltons, and inthe
  andbetray hitnreljj
  Again, ifyou perceive
  thal aperson ivtrying
  to¢:zmL'ruI so-nmlhing
  from you, but with only
  partial Sl.(f'l't?A'.\', look as
  though you did not
  believe him. The uppo»
  sition onyour part will
  provoke him into lead-


TxText:
  ingouthis re:\'¢'rve of
  mu/1 andbringing the
  whole force ofitto
  Imrr upon your
  l'rIcrez1u7r':y.
  ARFlII;x
  S\"llOPl-INlIAI.'l£R,
  l78X»lX6(l
  104 LAW 14Throughout Talleyrand's life,peoplesaid he was asuperbconversa-
  tionalist—yetheactuallysaidverylittle. He never talked about his own
  ideas; hegotothers toreveal theirs. Hewould organize friendly games of
  charades forforeign diplomats,social gatherings where, however, he
  would carefully weightheir words, cajoleconfidences outofthem, and
  gatherinformation invaluable tohiswork asFrance's foreignminister. At
  theCongressofVienna (1814-1815) hedidhisspyinginotherways:He
  would blurt outwhat seemed tobe asecret (actually somethinghehad
  made up),then watch hislisteners' reactions. Hemight tell agatheringof
  diplomats,forinstance, that areliable source had revealed tohim that the
  czar ofRussia wasplanningtoarrest histopgeneralfortreason. Bywatch-
  ingthediplomats' reactions tothismadealp story,hewould know which
  ones were most excited bytheweakeningoftheRussianarmy—~perhaps
  their goverments had designsonRussia? AsBaron Von Stetten said,
  “Monsieur Talleyrand fires apistol into theairtoseewho willjumpoutthe
  window.”
  During social gatherings and innocuous encounters, payattention.
  This iswhen people's guardsaredown. Bysuppressing yourown personal-
  ity,youcan make them reveal things.The brilliance ofthe maneuver is
  thattheywillmistake your interest inthem forfriendship,sothat younot
  only learn, youmalce allies.
  Nevertheless, you should practicethis tactic with caution and care. If
  people begintosuspect youarewormingsecrets outofthem under the
  cover ofconversation, they willstrictlyavoid you. Emphasize friendly
  chatter, notvaluable information. Your search forgems ofinformation can-
  notbetooobvious, oryour probing questions willreveal more about your
  selfandyourintentions than about theinformationyouhopetofind.
  Atrick totryinspyingcomes from LaRochefoucauld, who wrote,
  “Sincerityisfound invery few men, and isoften thecleverest ofruses——
  one issincere inorder todraw outtheconfidence and secrets oftheother.”
  Bypretendingtobareyourheart toanother person,inother words, you


TxText:
  make them more likelytoreveal their own secrets. Give them afalse con'
  fession andthey willgive youareal one. Another trick was identified by
  thephilosopherArthur Schopenhauer,who suggested vehementlycontra-
  dicting people you're inconversation with asawayofirritating them, stir—
  ring them upsothatthey lose some ofthecontrol over their words. Intheir
  emotional reaction they will reveal allkinds oftruths about themselves,
  truthsyoucanlater useagainstthem.
  Another method ofindirect spyingistotestpeople,tolaylittle traps
  that make them reveal things about themselves. Chosroes II,anotoriously
  clever seventlrcentury kingofthePersians, hadmany ways ofseeing
  throughhissubjects without raising suspicion. Ifhenoticed, forinstance,
  that two ofhiscouruers had become particularly friendly,hewould call
  oneofthem aside andsayhehad information that theother was atraitor,
  and would soon bekilled. Thekingwould tellthecourtier hetmsted him
  more than anyone, and that hemust keepthisinformation secret. Then he
  would watch the two mencarefully. Ifhesaw that thesecond courtier had
  notchangedinhisbehavior toward theking, hewould conclude that the
  first courtier hadkeptthesecret, and hewould quickly promotetheman,
  later takinghim aside toconfess, “Imeant tokillyourfriend because of
  certain information that had reached me,but, when Iinvestigatedthe mat-
  ter,Ifound itwas untrue.” If,ontheother hand, thesecond courtier started
  toavoid theking, acting aloof and tense, Chosroes would know that the se
  cret had been revealed. Hewould ban thesecond courtier from hiscourt,
  letting him know that thewhole business hadonlybeen atest, but that
  even thoughthe man had done nothing wrong,hecould nolongertrust
  him. The firstcourtier, however, had revealed asecret, and him Chosroes
  would banfrom hisentire kingdom.
  Itmayseem anodd form ofspyingthat reveals notempirical informa:
  tion but aperson'scharacter. Often, however, itisthebestway ofsolving
  problemsbefore theyarise.


TxText:
  Bytempting peopleinto certain acts, youlearn about their loyalty,
  their honesty, and soon.And this kind ofknowledge isoften the most
  valuable ofall:Armed with it,youcanpredicttheir actions inthefuture.
  [mage:
  The Third Eye of
  theSpy. Inthe land of
  thetwo-eyed, thethirdeye
  gives youthe omniscience
  ofagod.You seefurther than
  others, andyouseedeeper
  into them. Nobodyis
  safe from theeye
  butyou.
  Authority: Now, the reason abrilliant sovereignand awise general
  conquertheenemywhenever they move, and their achievements
  surpassthose ofordinary men, istheirforeknowledgeoftheenemy
  situation. This “foreknowledge”cannot beelicited from spirits,nor
  from gods,norbyanalogy with past events, notbyastrologic calcu
  lations. Itmust beobtained from men who know theenemysit-
  uati0n—-fromspies. (Sun-tzu, TheArtifWar, fourthcentury B.C.)
  LAW 14 I05
  106 LAW HREVERSAL
  Information iscritical topower,butjustasyou spyonother people, you
  must bepreparedforthem tospyonyou. One ofthemost potent weapons
  inthebattle forinformation, then, isgiving outfalse information. AsMn-
  ston Churchill said, “Truth issopreciousthat she should alwaysbe at»
  tended byabodyguardoflies.” You must surround yourself with such a
  bodyguard,sothatyourtruth cannot bepenetrated. Byplantingtheinfor-
  mation ofyour choice, you control thegame.
  In1944 theNazis' rocket-bomb attacks onLondonsuddenlyescalated.
  Over two thousand V-1flyingbombs fell onthecity,killingmore than five
  thousand peopleandwounding manymore, Somehow, however, theGer-
  mans consistentlymissed their targets.Bombs that were intended for
  Tower Bridge,orPiccadilly,would fallwell short ofthecity,landinginthe
  lesspopulatedsuburbs. This was because, infixing their targets, theGer-
  mans relied onsecret agents theyhadplantedinEngland. Theydid not
  know that theseagentshad been discovered, and that intheir place,
  English—c0ntrolled agentswere feedingthem subtly deceptiveinformation.
  The bombs would hitfarther and farther from theirtargets everytime
  theyfell.Bytheend ofthecampaign theywere landingon cows inthe
  country.


TxText:
  Byfeeding people wrong information, then, yougainapotent ad
  vantage. While spying gives youathirdeye,disinformation putsout oneof
  your enemy's eyes. Acyclops,healwaysmisses histarget.
  LAW
  15
  (ZRIJSEIYNDLH
  EPJEhAY'TT)T¥&LIJ[
  JUDGMENT
  Allgreaileaders since Moses have known that afe(med
  enemymust becrushedcompletely. (Sometimes theyhave
  learned this thehardway.)Ifmzeember iskgfialight,no
  matter howdimlyitsmotders, afimwilleventuallybreak
  out. More is£05:timmgh stopping hagfwaythan through
  mtal annihilation: Theenemy will recover; andwill seek
  revenge.Crush him, notonly inbodybutinspiiit.
  f107
  7'/11' remmmzs ofmz
  erieniycan ht'('t,'.Vf1t'
  uriiw. like lIm,\'r.' ofa
  4I1rm.\(' orfin'. Ilclzct'.
  ilmw Sitould beener-
  nzinalcd c'mnpIcIr'/y‥ . .
  One xlmultl never
  igrmrormmanry,
  k/zow:'ug!1iIn tobe
  weak. Hea'u'z'omes
  <Ilmr;eruur indue
  mur.w, It/(P thespark
  0/'fir<.' in 14Izaysluek.
  Km,» I'iLYA,
  INIH/\N PHiLi)$l)ir'HFR,
  'IHIRU t'l<.'l'I'\fR\' tax.
  '|'Hl~. |'l(—\P H
  wM'\|l§y'\(1| .1'\
  On theday Ramiro
  was eaiemzezt.'
  /'Burgr'a/' quit Cl'.)'(?ViLi',
  lreuvmg (hemuliluted
  hudyanthe town
  square, and rr1arrIu>r.i
  xnu 1/I.Three days lam:
  hnzrrrtred :11Farzo,
  Wht'I'L' herL'c'm'vezI the
  ('IlVU_Vs' Uflhe z'lI_\=of
  Ancmw, who assured
  himOf!/l('ii' loyalty.
  Anmssertger/rurra
  Vltvllozzo Vmzlli
  ummunced [lull the
  little /ldrrzrlic par!of
  Siniguglinhad .s'w'rw1-
  rlrrrvd tothe C(7l1LlOIll€!1'l
  /mercenary soldiers]
  Only Iiwcimrlrrl, in
  drnrgc afilm Genoese
  Andrea Daria. still
  /XL'/(1 (ml, and l)nmr
  refllxezitohand itovrrr
  mazzyom: creep:
  (Tamra /aimse/1.
  /Borgild rml word
  Illa! hewould l1N1t'('.
  lhe ne:2rluy, which
  wasfar! wine: the


TxText:
  1(]A.'3\ LAW 15'1'RANSGRESS[Ol\' OFTHE LAW
  Norivalry between leaders ismore celebrated inChinese historythan the
  struggle between HsiangYuandLiuPang. These twogenerals begantheir
  careers asfriends, fightingonthe same side. Hsiang Yu came from the no-
  bility; large andpowerful, giventobouts ofviolence andtemper,abitdull-
  witted, hewasyetamightywarrior who always foughtatthehead ofhis
  troops.LiuPangcame from peasant stock. Hehad never been much ofa
  soldier, andpreferredwomen and wine tofighting;infact, hewas some
  thing ofascoundrel. But he waswily,and hehad theabilitytorecognize
  thebest strategists, keepthem ashisadvisers, and listen totheir advice. He
  had risen inthearmy through these strengths.
  In208 13.0., theking ofCh'u sent two massive armies toconquerthe
  powerful kingdom ofCh'in. Onearmywent north, under thegeneralship
  ofSung Yi,with HsiangYusecond incommand; theother, ledbyLiu
  Pang, headed straight toward Ch'in. The targetwas thekingdom's splendid
  capital, Hsien-yang. And Hsiang Yu, ever violent andimpatient,could not
  stand theidea that LiuPang would gettoHsietryang first, andperhaps
  would assume command oftheentire anny.
  Atonepointonthenorthern front, Hsiang's commander, Sung Yi,
  hesitated insendinghistroopsinto battle. Furious, Hsiangentered Sung
  Yi's tent, proclaimed him atraitor, cutoffhishead, and assumed sole com~
  mand ofthearmy.Without waiting fororders, heleftthenorthern front
  and marched directlyonHsien—yang.Hefeltcertain hewas thebetter sol-
  dier andgeneralthan Liu,but, tohisutter astonishment, hisrival, leadinga
  smaller, swifterarmy, managedtoreach Hsien-yangfirst. Hsianghad an
  adviser, FanTseng,who warned him, “This villageheadman [Liu Fang]
  used tobegreedy only forriches and women, but since entering thecapital
  hehas notbeen ledastray bywealth, wine, orsex. That shows heisaiming
  high.”
  FanTseng urged Hsiangtokillhisrival before itwas toolate. Hetold
  thegeneral toinvite thewily peasanttoabanquetattheir camp outside
  Hsien-yang, and, inthemidst ofacelebratorysword dance, tohave his
  head outoff.


TxText:
  The invitation was sent; Liufellforthetrap,and came tothe
  banquet.ButI-Isianghesitated inorderingthesword dance, andbythe
  time hegave thesignal,Liuhad sensed atrap,andmanaged toescape.
  “Bah!” cried FanTsengindisgust, seeing thatHsiang had botched theplot.
  “One cannot planwith 3.simpleton. LiuPang will stealyour empire yet
  and make usallhisprisoners."
  Realizing hismistake, Hsiang hurriedly marched onHsien-yang,this
  time determined tohack offhisrival's head. Liu was never one tofight
  when theodds were against him, and heabandoned thecity.Hsiang cap~
  tured Hsien-yang,murdered theyoung prince ofCh'in, and burned the
  citytotheground. Liu was now Hsiang's bitterenemy,and hepursued
  him formany months, finally corneringhim inawalled city.Lacking food,
  hisarmyindisarray,Liu sued forpeace.
  AgainFanTsengwamedHsiang,“Crush him now! Ifyoulethim go
  again, you will besorrylater.” ButHsiang decided tobemerciful. He
  wanted tobringLiuback toCh'u alive, and toforce hisformer friend toac-
  knowledge him asmaster. But Fanproved right: Liumanagedtousethe
  negotiations forhissurrender asadistraction, and heescapedwith asmall
  army. Hsiang, amazed that hehad yetagain lethisrival slip away,once
  more setoutafter Liu, thistime with such ferocity that heseemed tohave
  lost hismind. Atonepoint, having captured Liu's father inbattle, Hsiang
  stood theold manupduringthefighting andyelled toLiu across thelineof
  troops,“Surrender now, orIshall boil yourfather alive!” Liucalmlyarr
  swered, “But we are sworn brothers. Somyfather isyour father also. Ifyou
  insist onboiling yourown father, send me abowl ofthesoup!” Hsiang
  backed down, and thestrugglecontinued.
  Afew weeks later, inthethick ofthehunt, Hsiang scattered hisforces
  unwisely,and inasurpriseattack Liu was able tosurround hismain garri-
  son. Forthefirst time thetables were turned. Now itwasHsiangwho sued
  forpeace.Liu's topadviser urgedhim todestroy Hsiang,crush hisarmy,
  show nomercy.“


TxText:
  Tolethimgowould belikerearingatiger——it willdevour
  youlater,” theadviser said. Liuagreed.
  Makingafalse treaty, helured Hsiarig intorelaxinghisdefense, then
  slaughteredalmost allofhisarmy. Hsiang managedtoescape. Alone and
  onfoot, knowingthatLiuhadputabountyonhishead, hecame upona
  smallgroup ofhis own retreating soldiers, and cried out, “Ihear LiuPang
  hasoffered one thousandpiecesofgoldand afiefoftenthousand families
  formyhead. Let medoyouafavor.” Then heslithis own throat and died.
  Interpretation
  Hsiang Yuhad proven hisruthlessness onmanyanoccasion. Herarely
  hesitated indoing away with arival ifitserved hispurposes. Butwith Liu
  Pangheacted differently. Herespectedhisrival, and didnotwant todefeat
  himthrough deception;hewanted toprovehissuperiorityonthebattle
  field, even toforce theclever Liu tosurrender and toserve him. Everytime
  hehad hisrival inhishands, somethingmade him hesitat&——a fatalsympa~
  thywith orrespect forthe man who, after all,had once been afriend and
  comrade inarms. Butthemoment Hsiang made itclear that heintended to
  doaway with Liu, yetfailed toaccomplish it,hesealed hisown doom. Liu
  would notsuffer the same hesitation once thetables were tamed.
  This isthefate that faces allofuswhen wesympathize with our ene
  mics, when pity,orthehope ofreconciliation, makes uspull back from
  doing away with them. Weonly strengthentheir fear and hatred ofus.We
  have beaten them, andtheyarehumiliated; yetwenurture these resentful
  viperswho will onedaykill us.Power cannot bedealt with thisway. It
  must beexterrninated, crushed, and denied thechance toreturn tohaunt
  us.This isallthetruer with aformer friend who has become anenemy.
  The lawgoverningfatal antagonisnisreads: Reconciliation isoutofthe
  question. Onlyone side canwin, and itmust wintotally.
  LiuPanglearned this lesson well. After defeating Hsiang Yu, this soncondoitien waizlrd m
  /war. ()I1L'f' in'reurhuzl
  Sinigriglirx. Ccstire
  would hean €'(Lt',V pry);
  caught between the
  cimrlr-I and tlwir jnruzs
  ringizzg rlqv town. ‥ .
  '/'hrcondottieri were
  sure they hadmilzmry
  .


TxText:
  s'uperim'ity. believing
  that theIlepurmre of
  theFrmch troops lmd
  left (.'c.mre with only
  11mm)! firfsic'.
  In.fact. at-rordirsgzo
  M(zchiav¢>l1i, ffiarginj
  hadleft('arena with
  rmtlroustmd r'nfzm:r_x~'~
  men and three thou-
  sand Iznrse, taking
  pairlstospin uphis
  nzew sothin' they would
  march along parallel
  roams beforz? r:onverg-
  mg onSirtigagliu. Tilt'
  re'u.ynr1 for such alarge
  forcewas that heknew.
  fromacrmfmwiozz
  ('x(mr,'Ie<l from Ramiro
  ([1!Lara), wlml the
  condouicri had up
  their sleeve. He[lIer('—
  fore decided return
  their own imp zrgniozsi
  them. This was the
  muslerpiece oftrickery
  Ihal thehistorian Paolo
  G'imsio later called “thr-
  magnijirenrz1i—a»it.“
  Alrlzxwn onDecember
  31/1502], Cestlre
  rcurluzd thenutxkir/.y of
  Siniguglilz….Led by
  Mit'ltel()lI() Corvllu.
  Cesare admrzce guard
  oftwoltumlrcd laI1fP.\'
  look upitsprlrltiotlon
  the(amt! bridge‥ . .
  'I'i:is corztml ofrhe
  bridge effectively
  prevented the,c:mr;2z'ra«
  tors' troops from with-'
  Ilmwlhlg,. . .
  Cesare greetedthe
  condouieri offusivcly
  and irzllitezl them to
  j()ll'l him‥ . .A/Iirlzelorlu
  LAW 15 I09
  hm!prvpurmithe
  !'aIa7.:'.n l2ermIr(lt'no
  /or (/m'a1/u's' l(.~'(', and
  the zlu/<4: Em-'izwl the
  condotticri ittxizlr'. _ . .
  Once imfoorx the men
  wvlr (,'HI.x'I1VVnrrzrstvc!
  by5,-uarz'l.s' who crept up
  front line rear. ‥ .
  I('e.\'arcI/ gave ttrtiem
  _/or rmattack on
  Vitellz '.5am! Orsini Ir
  .x-ulditvx intheoutlying
  areas. . . .'1'izuzm'ght,
  while zlmir rmopiwere
  helm; crlmlwd, Miche-
  lazm rhrnulrd ()Iuw—
  mtto and Vilelli inme
  Ilernarrlirm palacrr… .
  .-'l1oneJP/l .i'wL>up,
  ,'I3m_<.;


TxText:
  iu/ had gotridof
  hisformer generals and
  worxt mtczrlies,
  'rm-: zmnums.
  haw ('i.m;:.Ax.
  193')
  Tohave zzizinzlete
  vmury, yourrnm In:
  ruihlexs.
  N/\voLmN B<>N,M'ARTr-,,
  l7(i')~ 1821
  110,LAW15ofafarmer went ontobecomesupremecommander ofthearmies ofCh'u.
  Crushinghis next n'val—the king ofCh'u, his own former leader—l1e
  crowned himself emperor,defeatedeveryoneinhispath,and went down
  inhistoryasoneofthegreatest rulers ofChina, theimmortal Han Kao-tsu,
  founder oftheHan Dynasty.
  Those who seek toachieve thingsshould Show nomercy.
  Kuutilyu, Indian plzilnsupher, zhml century11.(I.
  OBSERVANCE OF 'THE LAW
  WuChan, born inAd). 625, was thedaughter ofaduke, and as a.beautiful
  youngwoman ofmany charms, she wasaccordingly attached totheharem
  ofEmperorT'a.iTsung.
  Theimperialharem was adangerous place, fullofyoungconcubines
  vyingtobecome theemperor's favorite. Wu's beautyand forceful charac-
  terquicklywon herthisbattle, but,knowing that anemperor,like other
  powerful men, isacreature ofwhim, andthat shecould easilybereplaced,
  shekepthereyeonthefuture.
  Wumanaged toseduce theemperor'sdissolute son, KaoTsung,onthe
  only possibleoccasion when shecould find him alone: while hewasreliev-
  inghimself attheroyal urinal. Even so,when theemperor died and Ken
  Tsung took over thethrone, shestillsuffered thefate towhich allwives and
  concubines ofadeceased emperorwere bound bytradition and law: Her
  head shaven, sheentered aconvent, forwhat wassupposedtobethe rest
  ofherlife. For sevenyears Wu schemed toescape. Bycommunicatingin
  secret with the newemperor, andbybefiiencling hiswife, theempress,she
  managedtogetahighly unusual royaledict allowingher toreturn tothe
  palace and totheroyal harem. Once there, shefawned onthe empress,
  while stillsleeping with the emperor.Theempress did notdiscourage
  this—--she hadyettoprovidetheemperor with anheir, herpositionwas
  vulnerable, and Wu was avaluable ally.
  In654 Wu Chao gave birth toachild. One daytheempresscame to


TxText:
  visit, and assoon asshehad left, Wu smothered thenewborn——her own
  baby.When themurder wasdiscovered, suspicion immediatelyfell onthe
  empress, who had been onthe scene moments earlier, and whose jealous
  nature was known byall.This waspreciselyWu's plan. Shortly thereafter,
  the empresswas charged with murder and executed. Wu Chao was
  crowned empressinherplace. Her new husband, addicted tohislifeof
  pleasure, gladly gave upthe reins ofgovernment toWuChao, who was
  from then onknown asEmpressWu.
  Althoughnow inaposition ofgreat power, Wuhardlyfelt secure.
  There were enemies everywhere; shecould notletdown herguardfor one
  moment. Indeed, when she wasforty-one,shebegan tofear that her bean~
  tifulyoungniece wasbecomingtheemperor'sfavorite. Shepoisoned the
  woman with aclay mixed into herfood. In675her own son, touted asthe
  heirapparent,waspoisonedaswell. The next—eldest son———illegil:'ma.te, but
  now the crownprince——was exiled alittle later ontrumped—up charges.
  And when theemperor died, in683, Wumanagedtohave the son after
  that declared unfit forthethrone. Allflris meant that itwas heryoungest,
  most ineffectual sonwhofinally'became emperor. Inthiswayshecontin-
  ued torule.
  Over thenext fiveyearsthere were innumerable palace coups. Allof
  them failed, and alloftheconspiratorswere executed. By688 there was no
  oneleft tochallenge Wu. Sheproclaimedherself adivine descendant of
  Buddha, and in690 herwishes were finally granted:She was named Holy
  andDivine “Emperor” ofChina.
  Wu becameemperor because there wasliterally nobodyle-Rfrom the
  previous "Pang dynasty.And sosheruled unchallenged, for over adecade
  ofrelative peace. In705, attheageofeighty,she wasforced toabdicate.
  Interpretation
  Allwho knewEmpressWuremarked onherenergyandintelligence.At
  thetime, there was nogloryavailable for anambitious woman beyonda
  fewyearsintheimperial harem, then alifetime walledupinaconvent. In
  Wu's gradual butremarkable rise tothetop,she was never naive. She


TxText:
  knew thatanyhesitation, anymomentary weakness, would spell herand.
  If,everytime shegotridofarival anew oneappeared,thesolution was
  simple:She had tocrush them allorbekilled herself. Otheremperors be
  foreherhad followed the same pathtothetop,butWu-«who, asawoman,
  had next tonochance togain power———hadtobemore ruthless still.
  EmpressWu'sforly—year reignwas one ofthelongestinChinese his-
  tory. Althoughthestory ofherbloodyrise topower iswell known, in
  China she isconsidered oneoftheperiod'smost able and effective rulers.
  Apriestasked thedying Spanishstatesman andgeneralRamon Maria Narvdez
  (1800-1868), “Doesyour Excellency forgiveallyourenemies?” “Idonot
  have toforgive myene1nies,"anrwmed Narmiez, “Ihave had them allshat.”
  KEYS TO POWER
  Itisnoaccident that thetwo stories illustrating thislaw come from China:
  Chinese history abounds with examples ofenemies who were leftalive and
  returned tohaunt thelenient. “Crush theenemy”isakeystrategictenet of
  Surrtzu, thefourth—century—B.C.author ofTheArtofl/Wzr.The idea issimple:
  Your enemies wish youill.There isnothing theywant more than toelimi-
  nateyou. If,inyour struggles with them, you stophalfwayoreven three
  quartersoftheway, outofmercyorhope ofreconciliation, youonly make
  them more determined, more embittered, andthey willsomeday take re-
  venge. They mayactfriendly forthetime being, butthis isonlybecause
  youhave defeated them. Theyhave nochoice buttobide their time.
  The solution: Have nomercy. Crush yourenemies astotallyasthey
  LAW 15 I71
  I12 LAW 15would crushyou.Ultimatelytheonly peaceandsecurity youcanhopefor
  fromyour enemies istheir disappearance.
  Mao Tse—tung,adevoted reader ofSun—tzu andofChinese history gexr
  erally, knew theimportance ofthis law. Ini934 theCommunist leader and
  some 75,000 poorly equippedsoldiers fled into thedesolate mountains of
  western China toescape ChiangK.ai—shek's much larger army,inwhat has
  since been called theLong March.
  Chiangwas determined toeliminate everylastCommunist, andbya
  fewyears later Mao had less than 10,000 soldiers left.By1937, infact,


TxText:
  when China was invaded byjapan, Chiangcalculated that theCommu-
  nists were nolongerathreat. Hechose togive upthechase and conceir
  trate ontheJapanese.Tenyearslater theCommunists had recovered
  enoughtorout Chia.ng's army. Chiang hadforgotten theancient wisdom of
  crushingtheenemy; Mao had not.Chiangwaspursued until heand his en-
  tirearmyfled totheisland ofTaiwan. Nothingremains ofhisregimein
  mainland China tothisday.
  The wisdom behind “crushingtheenemy”isasancient astheBible:
  Itsfirstpractitioner mayhave been Moses, who learned itfrom God Him«
  self, when HepartedtheRed SeafortheJews,then letthewater [low back
  over thepursuing Egyptianssothat “not somuch asone ofthem re-
  mained.” When Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the Ten Corn-
  mandments and found hispeople worshippingtheGolden Calf, hehad
  every lastoffender slaughtered. Andjust before hedied, hetold hisfollow-
  ers,finally about toenter thePromised Land, that when they had defeated
  thetribes ofCanaan theyshould “utterly destroythem . . .make no
  covenant with them, and show nomercytothem.”
  Thegoal oftotal victoryisanaxiom ofmodern warfare, and was codi-
  fied assuch byCarl vonClausewitz, thepremier philosopherofwar. Ana»
  lyzing thecampaigns ofNapoleon,von Clausewitz wrote, “We doclaim
  that direct annihilation oftheenemy'sforces must always bethedominant
  consideration. …Once amajor victoryisachieved there must benotalkof
  rest, ofbreathing space. . .butonly ofthepursuit, goingfortheenemy
  again, seizinghiscapital, attackinghis reserves and anythingelse that
  might give hiscountryaidand comfort.” The reason forthis isthat afier
  war some negotiationand thedivision ofterritory. Ifyouhave onlywon a
  partial victory, you willinevitablylose innegotiationwhatyouhave
  gained bywar.
  The solution issimple: Allowyourenemies nooptions.Annihilate
  them and their territoryisyourstocarve. Thegoal ofpoweristocontrol
  yourenemies completely,tomake them obey your will. You cannot afford
  togohalfway. Iftheyhave nooptions, they will beforced todoyourbid-
  ding. This lawhasapplicationsfarbeyond thebattlefield. Negotiation isthe
  insidious viper that will eatawayatyour victory,sogive yourenemies


TxText:
  nothingtonegotiate,nohope,no room tomaneuver. Theyarecrushed
  andthat isthat.
  Realize this: Inyour struggleforpower you will stiruprivalries and
  create enemies. There will bepeople you cannot win over, who will re~
  main your enemies nomatter what. Butwhatever wound youinflicted on
  them, deliberatelyornot, donottake their hatred personally. just recog»
  nize that there isnopossibilityofpeacebetweenyou, especiallyaslongas
  youstayinpower. Ifyouletthem stick around, they will seek revenge,as
  certainlyasnight follows day.Towait forthem toshow their cards isjust
  silly;asEmpress Wuunderstood, bythen itwill betoolate.
  Berealistic: With anenemylike thisaround, youwill never besecure.
  Remember the lessons ofhistory,and thewisdom ofMoses and Mao:
  Never gohalfway.
  Itisnot, ofcourse, aquestion ofmurder, itisaquestion ofbanishment.
  Sufficiently weakened and then exiled from yourcourt forever, yourene-
  mies arerendered harmless. They have nohope ofrecovering, insinuating
  themselves andhurting you. And iftheycannot bebanished, atleast un-
  derstand thattheyareplotting against you, andpaynoheed towhatever
  friendliness they feign. Your only weaponinsuch asituation isyourown
  war-iness. Ifyoucannot banish them immediately, then plotforthe best
  time toact.
  Image: AVipercrushed
  beneath your foot but left
  alive, will rearupand bite
  you with adouble dose of
  venom. Anenemythat is
  left around islike ahalf-
  deacl viperthatyounurse
  back tohealth. Time makes
  the venom grow stronger.
  Authority: For itmust be
  noted, that men must either be
  caressed orelse annihilated;
  they will revengethemselves
  forsmall injuries,but cannot
  do soforgreat ones; theinjury
  therefore that wedotoaman
  must besuch that weneed not
  fear hisvengeance. [Niccolo
  Machiavelli, 1469-1527]
  LAW 15 ;113
  114 LAW 13REVERSAL
  This lawshouldvery rarelybeignored,butitdoes sometimes happen that
  itisbetter toletyourenemiesdestroy themselves, ifsuch athingispossi-
  ble, than tomake them suffer byyourhand. Inwarfare, forexample,a
  good general knows thatifheattacks anarmywhen itiscornered, itssol-


TxText:
  diers willfightmuch more fiercely. Itissometimes better, then, toleave
  them anescape route, awayout Asthey retreat, theywear themselves out,
  and areultimatelymore demoralized bythe retreat than byanydefeat he
  might inflict onthebattlefield. Whenyouhave someone ontheropes,
  then——-but onlywhen youare suretheyhave nochance ofrecovery--you
  mightletthem hang themselves. Letthem betheagents oftheir own de-
  struction. The result will bethe same, andyouwon't feelhalf asbad.
  Finally,sometimes bycrushinganenemy, youembitter them somuch
  thatthey spend yearsandyears plotting revenge.TheTreaty ofVersailles
  had such aneffect ontheGermans. Some wouldarguethat inthelongrun
  itwould bebetter toshow some leniency.Theproblem is,your leniency
  involves another n'sk—itmayembolden theenemy, which still harbors a
  "grudge, but now has some room tooperate.Itisalmost alwayswiser to
  crushyour enemy. Ifthey plot revenge years later, donotletyour guard
  down, butsimplycrush them again.
  LAW
  16
  USE ABSENCE TO
  INCREASE RESPECT
  AND HONOR
  UDGM ENT
  Toomuch cirtulatémz makes theprice godown: The more
  youare seem andheardfmm,the more commonyou ap~
  [JeanIfyouarealready established inagroup, temporary
  withdrawal fromitwill make youmore talked about,
  even mom admired. You must learn when toleave. Cre-
  atevalue thmugh scarcity.
  I15
  '|'l|l'.lJ\\»ll.|. \\l)'l'l|ln
  Fll\\'|'I'\(. .\lt(IK*§
  Thefirmman who MW
  :1(*an1cI_/lcrii
  The .\'e¢:r1rnl vnnmred
  wit/rm zlixtunw;
  The third dared slipa
  hnllm mum! il.\'hem].
  Fanxiliariiv in(his
  ex1'5ten(,'r3
  .'l/h':I;e.\' ail'lizingx tame.
  forwhat may seen:
  '12-rriixlv orbizarre.
  lV][('l'l IIIICC' UHF' fyffh
  Have lmrl time lo
  <:cz'[z'nzr1¢i:.n.
  Becomes quite
  (,'(lI1N7l()7l[7lLI(7('. Since
  I'm rmmix thaym',
  I've lrczmi u_['.


TxText:
  verx(im:I.r
  ]m.s'tml bytheshore
  Who, ,\ponin,gwmzv»
  thing for-away a/(mu,
  Crmlrln "Iresist
  theximms
  "AsuiI!A sail!
  Amighzy mar2—r:f~ war!"
  Flive miim.-'es iaiur iris
  Hpacket hoot,
  And then uskiff;and
  than (Ilink',
  /lmlfinally some mcks
  imbhing Izlmur.
  Iknow o_fplmt_y' -\m':l:
  7])whom this rim)»
  applies-
  Pcople whom dirlcnrce
  nmgmfies.
  Who, ('low 10,(Inn '1
  amount IOmuch.
  sral.I=,< rm) I-,«nl,r:s'.
  Jlww Ill',LAFUNIAINL
  |t')2l—l(a95
  116 LAW 16TRANSGRESSION AND OBSPLRVANCE OFTHE LAW
  SirGuillaume deBalaun was atroubadour who roamed the South of
  France intheMiddle Ages, goingfrom castle tocastle, reciting poetry,and
  playingtheperfect knight. Atthecastle ofjaviachemet and fellinlove
  with thebeautiful lady ofthehouse, Madame Guillelma dejaviac.Hesang
  herhissongs,recited hispoetry, playedchess with her, and little bylittle
  sheinturn fellinlove with him. Guillaume had afriend, SirPierre deBar
  jac,who traveled with him and who was also received atthe castle. And
  Pierre toofellinlove with aladyinjaviac,thegraciousbuttemperamental
  Viemetta.
  Then onedayPierre and Viernetta had aviolent quarrel.The lady
  dismissed him, and hesought out hisfriend Guillaume tohelpheal the
  breach andgethim back inhergood graces. Guillaume was about toleave
  thecastle for awhile, but onhisreturn, several weeks later, heworked his
  magic,and Pierre and theladywere reconciled. Pierre feltthat hislove
  had increased tenfold—that there was nostronger love, infact, than the
  love that follows reconciliation. The strongerandlongerthedisagreement,
  hetold Guillaume, the sweeter thefeelingthat comes withpeaceand
  rapprochement,
  As atroubadour, SirGuillaume prided himself onexperiencingallthe
  joysand sorrows oflove. Onhearing hisfriend's talk, hetoowanted know
  thebliss ofreconciliation after aquarrel. Hetherefore feigned great anger


TxText:
  withLady Guillelma, stopped sendingherlove letters. andabruptly leftthe
  castle andstayed away,even during thefestivals and hunts. This drove the
  young ladywild.
  Guillelma sentmessengerstoGuillaume tofind outwhat bad hair»
  pened,butheturned themessengers away. Hethoughtallthiswould make
  herangry, forcing him topleadforreconciliation asPierre had. Instead,
  however, hisabsence had theoppositeeffect: Itmade Guillelma love him
  allthe more. Now thelady pursuedherknight, sending messengersand
  love notes ofher own. This was almost unheard of-—-a ladynever pursued
  her troubadour. And Guillaume did notlike it.Guillelma's forwardness
  made him feel shehad lost some ofherdignity.Notonlywas henolonger
  sure ofhisplan,hewas nolongersure ofhislady.
  Finally,after several months ofnothearing from Guillaume, Guillelma
  gave up.She sent him nomore messengers, andhebegantowonder-per-
  hapsshe wasangry? Perhapstheplan had worked after all? Somuch the
  better ifshe was. Hewould wait nomore.-it was time toreconcile. Sohe
  putonhisbest robe, decked thehorse initsfanciest caparison, chose a
  magnificent helmet, and rode ofi"tojaviac.
  Onhearing that herbeloved had returned, Guillelma rushed tosee
  him, knelt before him, droppedherveil tokisshim, andbegged forgive-
  ness forwhatever slighthad caused hisanger. Imaginehisconfusion and
  despairw-his planhad failed abysmally.She was notangry, shehad never
  beenangry,she wasonly deeperinlove, and hewould never experience
  thejoyofreconciliation after aquarrel. Seeingher now, andstilldesperate
  totaste thatjoy,hedecided totryone more time: Hedrove heraway with
  harsh words andthreatening gestures.Sheleft, this time vowingnever to
  seehim again.
  The next morningthetroubadour regretted what hehad done. He
  rode back tojaviac, butthelady would not receive him, and ordered her
  servants tochase himaway,across thedrawbridge and over thehill. Guil-
  laume fled. Back inhischamber hecollapsedand started tocry:Hehad
  made aterrible mistake.


TxText:
  Over thenextyear,unable toseehislady,heex-
  perienced theabsence, theterrible absence, that canonly inflame love. He
  wrote oneofhismost beautiful poems, “My songascends formercy pray-
  ing.”And hesentmanyletters toGuillelma, explaining what hehaddone,
  andbegging forgiveness.
  After agreat deal ofthis,Lady Guillelma, rememberinghisbeautiful
  songs,hishandsome figure,and hisskills indancingandfalconry, found
  herself yearning tohave him back. Aspenance forhiscruelty,sheordered
  him toremove thenailfrom thelittle finger ofhisright hand, and tosend it
  toheralong with apoem describinghismiseries.
  Hedid assheasked. Finally Guillaume deBalaun was able totaste the
  ultimate sensation—-a reconciliation even surpassingthat ofhisfriend
  Pierre.
  Interpretation
  Trying todiscover thejoysofreconciliation, Guillaume deBalaun inadver—
  tently experienced thetruth ofthelaw ofabsence andpresence.Atthe
  start ofanaffair, youneed toheighten your presence intheeyes ofthe
  other. Ifyou absent yourselftooearly, you maybeforgotten. But once
  yourlover's emotions areengaged,and thefeeling oflove hascrystallized,
  absence inflames and excites. Givingno reason foryour absence excites
  even more: The otherpersonassumes heorshe isatfault. Whileyouare
  away,thelover'simaginationtakes flight,and astimulated imagination
  cannot helpbutmake love grow stronger. Conversely,the more Guillelma
  pursued Guillaume, theless heloved her—she had become toopresent,
  tooaccessible, leavingnoroom forhisimaginationandfancy,sothat his
  feelingswere suffocating. When shefinally stopped sending messengers,
  hewas able tobreathe again,and toreturn tohisplan.
  What withdraws, what becomes scarce, suddenlyseems todeserve our
  respectand honor. Whatstaystoolong, inundatinguswith itspresence,
  makes usdisdain it.IntheMiddle Ages,ladies were constantly putting
  their knights through trials oflove, sending them onsome longand ardu-
  ousquest—-alltocreate apattern ofabsence andpresence. Indeed, had
  Guillaume notlefthisladyinthefirstplace,shemight have been forced to
  send himaway, creatinganabsence ofher own.
  Absence diminishes minarrpassianr andinflame: great ones,
  asthewind clauses acandle andfams aflre.


TxText:
  LaRot/wfo1u'auId,1P§I3-I680I'M I'\|ll'll l',\'(H-
  l'Hl. z.<)<1k
  lVhiIu .wr\'iIzg under
  theLlulw flit:/'l.1(.
  T'iz'II Jur), rlnwrllirzg his
  obscure pnrimm, mid
  tohir rrmslcr'. “Iam
  goilzgtnwnmlz.-rfar
  away like :1M10141
  goose,“
  “What doyou Imnuzn by
  llml?" inquired the
  Duke.
  "Do yousee 111:'trade?"
  said 'l"ien ./an inreply.
  “Its 5"/£5! is'/2symbol of
  rivililyz itspowerful
  mlrms rzlggesl xlrmgtlz:
  ilx(luring mfighr any
  enemy zimz.~(e.r
  cuura3ge,'i1.s 1m~Iim;I to
  invite oIhcr.~: 5
  fund isubminczl shows
  /r.-mevolenrz-;nru1. [ml
  but notleast, itsp1mc—
  rzmlily Inkeeping the
  Iinte I/trough thenigh!
  givesusan(tr/mtple of
  wrarilxt In.s'[11't¢',
  /mwcw'r. ofv',h(¢Sf' five
  virtmo, Ihecock isduil_r
  killed In,/illa(lixla on
  your table. Why? The
  rwmalz is(hm 1'1Ls'
  fnurzd within ourrmrli.
  Ontheother hzmrl. the
  wow goose trovt'rrr5 in
  zmefligiar(IIlmmuml ii.
  Re,vtir1g inyour garden.
  i1;>wy'.' an_vuur,ti.shu.v
  am] Inr/(es and pm'/t'_<
  your mific»/. Tlmuglz
  devoid ufany ofllzc
  CrI1'k3 /in' virzurls. yet
  youprize I/nix'bird for
  thesilkynfm s~ca:'z'irv.
  'I“lu'sbt'iug‥l.s'hal/fly
  furlike a.\m/w game."K(?llf?1>'('J'
  AN/.'ll'N l'I'lllt'\F.'>l|-,
  Iwmm'
  Yo Hsu. SLIV. H)”
  1974
  LAW 16 I17
  118 LAW 16OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Formanycenturies theAssyriansruledupperAsia with aniron fist.Inthe
  eighth century B.C., however, thepeopleofMedea (now northwestern
  Iran) revolted against them, andfinallybroke free. Now theMedes had to
  establish anewgovernment.


TxText:
  Determined toavoidany form ofdespotism,
  theyrefused togive ultimate powertoanyone man, ortoestablish a
  monarchy. Without aleader, however, thecountrysoon fellinto chaos,
  and fractured into small kingdoms, with village fighting against village.
  Inone such village lived aman named Deioces, who began tomake a
  name forhimself forfairdealingand theabilitytosettle disputes.
  Hedidthis sosuccessfully,infact, that soonanylegalconflict inthe
  area wasbroughttohim, and hispowerincreased. Throughouttheland,
  thelawhad fallen into disrepute-——the judgeswerecorrupt,and noone en-
  trusted their cases tothe courtsany more, resorting toviolence instead.
  When news spread ofDeioces' wisdom, incormptibility,and unshakable
  impartiality, Medean villagesfarand wide turned tohim tosettle allman-
  nerofcases. Soon hebecame thesole arbiter ofjusticeintheland.
  Attheheightofhispower,Deioces suddenlydecided hehad had
  enough.Hewould nolongersitinthechair ofjudgment,would hear no
  more suits, settle nomore disputesbetween brother andbrother, village
  andvillage. Complainingthat hewasspendingsomuch time dealing with
  other people's problemsthat hehadneglected his own affairs, heretired.
  The countryonce again descended into chaos. With the sudden with-
  drawal ofapowerfularbiter like Deioces, crime increased, andcontempt
  forthelaw was never greater.The Medes held ameetingofallthevillages
  todecide how togetoutoftheir predicament.“We cannot continue tolive
  inthiscountryunder these conditions,” said one tribal leader. “Let usap-
  pointone ofournumber torule sothat we canliveunder orderly govern-
  ment, rather than losingourhomes altogether inthepresentchaos.”
  And so,despite allthat theMedes had suffered under theAssyrian des-
  potism, theydecided tosetupamonarchyand name aking. And the man
  theymost wanted torule, ofcourse,was thefair-minded Deioces. He was
  hard toconvince, forhewanted nothingmore todowith thevillages'in-
  fightingandbickering,buttheMedes beggedandpleaded—withouthim the
  countryhad descended into astate oflawlessness. Deioces finally agreed.
  Yethealsoimposedconditions. An enormous palacewas tobe con-
  structed forhim, hewas tobeprovidedwith bodyguards,and acapital city


TxText:
  was tobebuilt from which hecould rule. Allofthis wasdone, and Deioces
  settled into hispalace.Inthe center ofthecapital,thepalacewas sur-
  rounded bywalls, andcompletelyinaccessible toordinary people.Deioces
  then established the terms ofhisrule: Admission tohispresencewas for-
  bidden. Communication with thekingwasonly possible throughmessen-
  gers.No one intheroyalcourt could seehim more than once aweek, and
  then only bypermission.
  Deioces ruled forfifty—three years,extended theMedean empire,and
  established thefoundation forwhat would later bethe Persian empire,
  under hisgreat—great—grandson Cyrus. DuringDeioces' reign,thepeople's
  respect forhimgraduallyturned into aform ofworship:He was not amere
  mortal, they believed, butthe sonofagod.
  Interpretation
  Deioces was aman ofgreat ambition. Hedetermined earlyonthat the
  country needed astrong ruler, and that hewas the man forthejob.
  lnaland plagued with anarchy, themost powerfulman isthejudge
  and arbiter. SoDeioces began his career bymakinghisreputationasaman
  ofimpeccablefairness.
  Attheheight ofhispowerasajudge, however, Deioces realized the
  truth ofthelaw ofabsence andpresence: Byservingsomany clients, he
  had become toonoticeable, tooavailable, and had lost therespecthehad
  earlier enjoyed. Peoplewere taking hisservices forgranted. Theonly way
  toregainthe veneration and powerhewanted was towithdraw com-
  pletely, and lettheMedes taste what life was likewithout him. Ashe ex-
  pected, theycame begging forhim torule.
  Once Deioces had discovered thetruth ofthislaw, hecarried ittoits
  ultimate realization. Inthepalacehispeoplehadbuilt forhim, none could
  seehim exceptafewcourtiers, and those only rarely.AsHerodotus wrote,
  “There was arisk thatiftheysaw himhabitually,itmightlead tojealousy
  andresentment, andplotswould follow; butifnobodysawhim, thelegend
  wouldgrowthat hewas abeing ofadifferent order from more men.”
  Aman said toaDervish.' “WhydoInot seeyoummofim?"TheDervish
  replied,“Because thewords 'Whyhave younot been toseeme?' are
  sweeter tomyearthan thewords 'Whyhaveyoucome again.9'”
  Mnlllofami. quoted in[dries S./uzh '5(Jaravan ofI)remns_. 1.968


TxText:
  KEYS TO POWER
  Everythingintheworld dependsonabsence andpresence. Astrong pres-
  ence willdraw powerand attention toyou—youshine more brightlythan
  those aroundyou.But apointisinevitablyreached where toomuchpres-
  ence creates theoppositeeffect: The more youare seen and heard from,
  the moreyourvalue degrades.You become ahabit. Nomatter how hard
  youtrytobedifferent, subtly, withoutyour knowing why. people respect
  you lessand less. Attherightmomentyoumust leam towithdraw yourself
  before theyunconsciously push you away. Itisagame ofhide—and~seek.
  The truth ofthis law can most easilybeappreciated inmatters oflove
  andseduction. Inthebeginning stages ofanaffair, the1over's absence stim-
  ulatesyour imagination, formingasortofaura around him orher. Butthis
  aura fades when you know toomuch--~whenyour imaginationnolonger
  has room toroam. The loved one becomes aperson like anyone else, a
  personwhosepresenceistaken forgranted.This iswhytheseventeenth-
  centuryFrench courtesan Ninon deLenclos advised constant feints atwith
  drawal from one's lover. “Love never dies ofstarvation,” shewrote, “but
  often ofindigestion.”
  LAW 16.119
  120 LAW 16The momentyouallow yourselftobetreated likeanyone else, itistoo
  late--youareswallowed anddigested Topreventthisyouneed tostarve
  theother poison ofyour presence. Force theirrespect bythreateningthem
  with thepossibilitythattheywill loseyouforgood; create apatternofpres-
  ence and absence.
  Onceyou die,everythingaboutyou will seem different. You will be
  surrounded byaninstant aura ofrespect. People willremember their criti~
  cisms ofyou,theirargumentswithyou,andwill befilled withregret and
  guilt. Theyaremissingapresencethatwill never return. Butyou donot
  have towait untilyoudie:Bycompletely withdrawing for awhile, youcre-
  ate akind ofdeath before death. And when youcome back, itwill beasif
  you had come back from thedead--an airofresuirection willclingtoyou,
  andpeople will berelieved atyourreturn. This ishow Deioces made him~
  selfking.
  Napoleonwasrecognizingthelaw ofabsence and presence when he
  said, “IfIamoften seen atthetheater, people will cease tonotice me.”


TxText:
  Today,inaworld inundated withpresence throughtheflood ofimages,the
  gameofwithdrawal isallthe more powerful.Werarely know when to
  withdraw anymore,andnothingseems private,sowe areawed byanyone
  who isable todisappear bychoice. Novelists J.D.Salinger and Thomas
  Pynchonhave created cultlike followings byknowing when todisappear.
  Another, more everydayside ofthislaw, but one that demonstrates
  itstruth even further, isthelaw ofscarcityinthe science ofeconomics.
  Bywithdrawing something from themarket, youcreate instant value. In
  seventeenth-century Holland, theupperclasses wanted tomake thetulip
  more thanjustabeautiful flower——they wanted ittobeakind ofstatussym~
  bol.Makingtheflower scarce, indeed almost impossibletoobtain, they
  sparkedwhat was later called tulipomania. Asingle flower was now worth
  more than itsweightingold.Inour own century, similarly,theartdealer
  JosephDuveen insisted onmakingthepaintingshesold asscarce and rare
  aspossible.Tokeeptheir priceselevated andtheir status high, hebought up
  whole collections and stored them inhisbasement. Thepaintings that he
  sold became more thanjustpaintings-—t.heywere fetish objects,their value
  increased bytheir rarity.“You cangetallthepictures youwant atfifty thou-
  sand dollars apiece~—-that's easy,”he once said. “But togetpicturesata
  quarter ofamillion apiece—thatwants doing!”
  IIn age:
  The Sun. Itcanonlybe
  appreciated byitsabsence.
  The longerthedays ofrain, the
  more the sun iscraved. But toomany
  hotdaysand the sun overwhelms.
  Learn tokeep yourself obscure and
  make people demand yourreturn
  Extend thelawofscarcitytoyourown skills. Make whatyouareoffer-
  ingtheworld rare and hard tofind, andyouinstantlyincrease itsvalue.
  There alwayscomes amoment when those inpower overstaytheir
  welcome. Wehavegrowntired ofthem, lostrespect forthem;we seethem
  asnodifferent from therestofmankind, which istosaythat we seethem as
  rather worse, since weinevitably compare their current status inoureyes
  totheir former one. There isanarttoknowing when toretire. Ifitisdone
  right, youregain therespect youhadlost, and retain apartofyour power.


TxText:
  The greatestruler ofthesixteenth centurywas Charles V.King of
  Spain, Hapsburg emperor,hegovernedanempirethat atonepointin-
  clucled much ofEuropeand theNew World. Yet attheheight ofhispower,
  in1557, heretired tothemonastery ofYuste. AllofEuropewascaptivated
  byhissudden withdrawal; peoplewho had hated anti feared himsuddenly
  called him great, and hecame tobeseen asasaint. Inmore recent times,
  thefilm actress Greta Garbo was never more admired than when she re
  tired, in1941, For some herabsence came too soon—sl1e was inhermid-
  thirties—but shewisely preferredtoleave onher own terms, rather than
  waitingforheraudience togrow tired ofher.
  Make yourselftooavailable and the aura ofpower youhave created
  around yourself will wearaway.Turn thegamearound: Make yourself less
  accessible andyouincrease thevalue ofyour presence.
  Authority:
  Use absence tocreate
  respect and esteem. Ifpresence
  diminishes fame, absence augments it.
  Aman who when absent isregardedasa
  lion becomes when present somethingcom-
  mon and ridiculous. Talents lose their luster
  ifwebecome too familiar with them, forthe
  outer shell ofthemind ismore readilyseen
  than itsrich inner kernel. Even the outstand«
  inggenius makes useofretirement sothat
  menmay honor him and sothat the
  yearning aroused byhis absence
  maycause him tobeesteemed.
  (Baltasar Grecian,
  l60lvl658)
  LAW 16 I21
  REVERSAL
  This lawonly appliesonce acertain level ofpowerhasbeen attained. The
  need towithdraw onlycomes afteryou have established your presence;
  leave tooearlyandyoudonotincreaseyour respect, youaresimplyfor-
  gotten. Whenyouarefirstenteringonto theworld':stage,create animage
  that isrecognizable, reproducible,and isseen everywhere. Until that status
  isattained, absence isdangerous—instead offarmingtheflames, itwill ex-
  tinguish them.
  Inlove and seduction, similarly, absence isonlyeffective onceyou
  have surrounded theother withyour image,been seen byhim orher
  everywhere. Everythingmust remind yourlover ofyour presence,sothat
  when you dochoose tobeaway, thelover willalwaysbethinkingofyou,


TxText:
  willalways beseeing youinhisorhermind'seye.
  Remember: Inthebeginning, make yourselfnot scarce but om-
  nipresent. Onlywhat isseen, appreciated,and loved will bemissed inits
  absence.
  17
  KEEP OTHERS IN
  SUSPENDED TERROR:
  CULTIVATE ANAIR OF
  UNPREDICTABILITY
  _]UDGMENT
  Humans arecreatures ofhabit with aninsatiabte need to
  seefamiliarity inotherpeople'sactions. Y<mrpredictabz'l—
  it)'givesthem asense qfcontml. Tum iketables: Bede-
  liberately unparedictable.Behavior film: seems tohave no
  consistencyorpurpose will keqbthem ofiibalkznce,and
  they will wear themselves outflyingtnexplaiez your
  moves' Yhken toanextnefine, thisstraiegycan intimidate
  and mmrize.
  I23
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  InMay of1972, chess championBoris Spassky anxiouslyawaited hisrival
  BobbyFischer inReylqavik,Iceland. The two men had been scheduled to
  meet fortheWorld Championship ofChess, butFischer had notarrived on
  time and thematch was onhold. Fischer hadproblems with the sizeofthe
  prize money, problemswith thewaythemoneywas tobedistributed,
  problemswith thelogistics ofholding thematch inIceland. Hemight back
  out atanymoment.
  Spassky tried tobepatient.HisRussian bosses feltthat Fischer was hu—
  miliating him and told him towalkaway,butSpasskywanted this match.
  Heknew hecould destroy Fischer, andnothingwas goingtospoilthe
  greatest victoryofhis career. “So itseems that allourworkmaycome to
  nothing,” Spassky told acomrade. “But what can wedo? ItisBobby's
  move. Ifhecomes, weplay.Ifhedoes not come; wedonotplay.Aman
  who iswillingtocommit suicide hastheinitiative.”
  Fischer finallyarrived inReykjavik,but theproblems,and thethreat
  ofcancellation, continued. Hedisliked thehall where thematch was tobe
  fought,hecriticized thelighting,hecomplained about the noise ofthe
  cameras, he even hated thechairs inwhich heand Spasskywere tosit
  Now theSoviet Union took theinitiative and threatened towithdraw their
  man.
  The bluff apparentlyworked: After alltheweeks ofwaiting, theend-
  less andinfuriating negotiations, Fischer agreedtoplay. Everyonewas re-
  lieved, no one more than Spassky.


TxText:
  But on the day ofthe ofiicial
  introductions, Fischer arrivedvery late, and onthedaywhen the“Match
  oftheCentury”was tobegin,hewas lateagain. This fime, however, the
  consequenceswould bedire: Ifheshoweduptoolate hewould forfeit the
  first game. What wasgoingon? Was heplayingsome sort ofmind game?
  Or wasBobbyFischer perhapsafraid ofBoris Spassky?Itseemed tothe as-
  sembled grand masters, and toSpassky,that this young kidfrom Brooklyn
  had aterrible case ofthejitters. At5:09 Fischer showedup,exactlyone
  minute before thematch was tobecanceled.
  The firstgame ofachess tournament iscritical, since itsets thetone for
  themonths tocome. Itisoften aslow andquiet struggle,with thetwoplay-
  erspreparingthemselves forthe war andtryingtoread each other's strate-
  gies.Thisgamewas different. Fischer made aterrible move early on,
  perhapsthe worst ofhiscareer, and whenSpasskyhad him ontheropes,
  heseemed togive up.YetSpasskyknew that Fischer nevergave up.Even
  when facing checkmate, hefought tothebitter end, wearingtheopponent
  down. This time, though,heseemed resigned.Then suddenlyhebroke out
  abold move thatputthe room inabuzz. The move shocked Spassky,but
  herecovered andmanagedtowin thegame.But no one could figureout
  what Fischer wasupto.Had helostdeliberately? Or was herattled? Unset-
  tled? Even, assome thought,insane?
  After hisdefeat inthe firstgame,Fischer complained allthe more
  loudlyabout theroom, the cameras, andeverythingelse. Healso failed to
  showupontime forthesecond game. This time theorganizers had had
  enough: He wasgivenaforfeit. Now he was down twogamestonone,at
  positionfrom which no one had ever come back towin achess champi-
  onship.Fischer wasclearly unhinged.Yetinthethirdgame,asallthose
  who witnessed itremember, hehad aferocious look inhiseye,alook that
  clearly bothered Spassky. And despitethehole hehaddugforhimself, he
  seemed supremelyconfident. Hedidmake what appearedtobeanother
  blunder, ashehad inthefirstgame—but hiscockyairmade Spasskysmell
  atrap.


TxText:
  Yetdespite theRussian's suspicions,hecould notfigureoutthetrap,
  and before heknew itFischer had checkmated him. Infact Fischer's un—
  orthodox tactics hadcompletelyunnerved hisopponent.Attheend ofthe
  game,Fischer leaped upand rushed out,yellingtohisconfederates ashe
  smashed alistinto hispalm, “I'm crushinghim with brute force!”
  Inthe nextgamesFischer pulledmoves that no one had seen from
  him before, moves that were nothisstyle.Now Spassky started tomake
  blunders. After losing thesixth game, hestarted tocry.One grandmaster
  said, “After this, Spassky's gottoaskhimself ifit'ssafe togoback toRus-
  sia." After theeighth game Spasskydecided heknew what washappening:
  BobbyFischer washypnotizinghim. Hedecided not tolook Fischer inthe
  eye;helostanyway.
  After thefourteenth game hecalled astaff conference andannounced,
  “Anattemptisbeingmade tocontrolmymind.” Hewondered whether the
  orange juice theydrank atthe chess table could have been drugged.
  Maybechemicals were beingblown into the air.Finally Spasskywentpub—
  lic,accusingtheFischer team ofputting somethinginthechairs that was a1»
  tering Spassky'smind. The KGB went onalert: BorisSpasskywas
  embarrassingtheSoviet Union!
  The chairs were taken apartand X—rayed. Achemist found nothing
  unusual inthem. Theonly things anyonefound anywhere,infact, were
  twodead flies inalighting fixture. Spassky begantocomplain ofhallucina-
  tions. Hetried tokeep playdng,buthismind wasunraveling. Hecould not
  goon.OnSeptember 2,heresigned. Althoughstillrelatively young,he
  never recovered from this defeat.
  Interpretation
  Inprevious games between Fischer andSpassky,Fischer had notfared
  well. Spasskyhad anuncanny abilitytoread hisopponent's strategyand
  useitagainsthim. Adaptableandpatient,hewould build attacks thatwould
  defeat notinseven moves but inseventy.Hedefeated Fischereverytime
  theyplayedbecause hesaw much further ahead, and because hewas abril-
  liantpsychologistwho never lostcontrol. One master said, “He doesn't just
  look forthebest move. Helooks forthe move thatwill disturb the man he
  isplaying.”


TxText:
  Fischer, however, finallyunderstoodthatthis was one ofthekeysto
  Spassky'ssuccess: Heplayedonyour predictability,defeatedyouatyour
  owngame. EverythingFischer didforthechampionshipmatch was anat-
  LAW 17 125
  I26 LAW 17tempttoputthe initiative onhisside and tokeep Spassl-Ly offibalance.
  Clearlytheendless waiting had aneffect onSpassky's psyche.Mostpower-
  fulofall,though,were Fischer's deliberate blunders and hisappearance of
  havingnoclearstrategy. Infact, he was doing everythinghecould to
  scramble hisoldpatterns,even ifitmeant losingthefirst match and forfeit-
  ingthesecond.
  Spasskywas known forhissangfroidandlevelheadedness, butforthe
  first time inhislifehecould notfigureouthisopponent.Heslowlymelted
  down, until attheend hewas the one who seemed insane.
  Chess contains theconcentrated essence oflife: First, because towin
  youhave tobesupremely patientandfarseeing; and second, because the
  gameisbuilt onpatterns,wholesequencesofmoves that have been played
  before andwill beplayed again, with slight alterations, inanyone match
  Your opponent analyzesthepatterns youareplayingand uses them totry
  toforeseeyourmoves. Allowing himnothing predictabletobase hisstrat-
  egyongives youabigadvantage. Inchess asinlife, when people cannot
  figure outwhatyouaredoing, theyarekeptinastate ofterror—waiting,
  uncertain, confused,
  Lifeatcourt isaserious, melancholy game ofchess, which requiresustodraw
  upourpiecesand batteries, formaplan, pursue it,parry thatofour
  adversary. Sometimes, however, itisbetter totake risks
  andplaythe mostcapricious, unpredictablemave.
  lean (1rI.a Bruyéw, I/545-1696
  KEYS TO POWER
  Nothingismore terrifyingthan thesudden andunpredictable.That iswhy
  we are sofrightened byearthquakesand tornadoes: Wedonotknow when
  they will strike. Alter one hasoccurred, wewait interror forthenext one.
  Toalesser degree,this istheeffect thatunpredictablehuman behavior has
  on us.
  Animals behave insetpatterns,which iswhywe areable tohunt and
  killthem. Onlyman has thecapacitytoconsciouslyalter hisbehavior, to
  improviseand overcome theweight ofroutine and habit. Yetmost men do
  notrealize thispower. They preferthecomforts ofroutine, ofgivinginto
  theanimal nature that hasthem repeatingthe same compulsiveactions
  time and time again. Theydothis because itrequiresnoeffort, and be-


TxText:
  cause they mistakenlybelieve thatiftheydonotunsettle others, they will
  beleftalone. Understand: Aperson ofpowerinstills akind offearbydelib-
  erately unsettling those around him tokeeptheinitiative onhisside. You
  sometimes need tostrike without waming, tomake others tremble when
  theyleast expectit.Itisadevice that thepowerfulhave used forcenturies.
  Filippo Maria, the last oftheVisconti dukes ofMilan infifteenth»
  century Italy, consciously didtheoppositeofwhateveryone expectedof
  him. Forinstance, hemight suddenlyshower acourtier with attention, and
  then, once the man had come toexpectapromotiontohigher office,
  would suddenlystart treating him with theutmost disdain. Confused, the
  manmightleave thecourt, when theduke would suddenly recall him and
  starttreatinghim well again. Doubly confused, thecourtier would wonder
  whether hisassumption that hewould bepromotedhad become obvious,
  andoffensive, totheduke, and would start tobehave asifhenolongerex-
  pectedsuch honor. The duke would rebuke him forhislack ofambition
  andwould send himaway.
  The secret ofdealingwith Filippowas simple:Do notpresumeto
  know what hewants. Donottrytoguess what willplease him. Never inject
  yourwill;justsurrender tohiswill. Then wait toseewhathappens.Amidst
  theconfusion anduncertaintyhecreated, theduke ruledsupreme,unchal-
  lengedand atpeace.
  Unpredictabilityismost often thetactic ofthemaster, buttheunder-
  dogtoo can useittogreat effect. Ifyoufindyourself outnumbered orcor-
  nered, throw inaseries ofunpredictablemoves. Your enemies will beso
  confused thatthey willpullback ormake atactical blunder.
  Inthespringof1862, during the American Civil War, General
  Stonewall Jackson and aforce of4,600 Confederate soldiers were torment»
  ingthelargerUnion forces intheShenandoah Valley. Meanwhile, notfar
  away, General George Brinton McClellan, headingaforce of90,000
  Union soldiers, wasmarching south from Washington, D.C., tolaysiegeto
  Richmond, Virginia, theConfederate capital, Asthe weeks ofthe cam-
  paignwent by,Jackson repeatedly ledhissoldiers outoftheShenandoah
  Valley, then back toit.
  His movements made nosense.Was hepreparingtohelpdefend
  Richmond? Was hemarchingonWashington,now that McClellan's ab-
  sence had leftitunprotected?


TxText:
  Was beheadingnorth towreak havocup
  there? Whywas hissmall force movingincircles?
  Jacksorfs inexplicablemoves made theUnion generals delay the
  march onRichmond astheywaited tofigure outwhat hewas upto.Mean-
  while, theSouth was able topour reinforcements into the town. Abattle
  thatcould have crushed theConfederacy turned into astalemate. Jackson
  used this tactic time and again when facing numerically superior forces.
  “Always mystify, mislead, and surprisetheenemy,ifpossible,”hesaid,
  “. ‥such tactics will wineverytime and asmallarmy may thusdestroya
  large ones”
  This lawappliesnotonlytowar but toeverydaysituations. Peopleare
  always tryingtoread themotives behind youractions and touseyour pre«
  dictability against you. Throw in atcompletely inexplicablemove andyou
  putthem onthedefensive. Because they donotunderstand you, theyare
  unnerved, and insuch astate you caneasilyintimidate them.
  Pablo Picasso once remarked, “The best calculation istheabsence of
  calculation. Onceyouhave attained acertain level ofrecognition, others
  generally figure that whenyoudosomething,it'sfor anintelligentreason.
  Soit'sreallyfoolish toplot outyour movements toocarefullyinadvance.
  You're better offacting capriciously.”
  For awhile, Picasso worked with theaitdealer PaulRosenberg.Atfirst
  LAW 17 127
  128 LAW 17heallowed him afair amount oflatitude inhandlinghispaintings, then one
  day, for noapparent reason, hetold the man hewould nolonger give him
  anywork tosell. AsPicasso explained, “Rosenberg would spendthenext
  forty-eighthours tryingtofigureoutwhy.Was Ireserving things for some
  other dealer? I'dgoonworkingandsleepingandRosenberg would spend
  histime figuring. Intwodays he'd come back, nerves jangled, anxious, say»
  ing, 'After all,dear friend, you wouldn't turn medown ifIoffered youthis
  much [namingasubstantially higher figure] forthose paintingsrather than
  thepricePve been accustomed topaying you, would you?'”
  Unpredictabilityisnotonlyaweaponofterror: Scrambling your pat-
  terns onaday-to-daybasis will cause astiraroundyouand stimulate intet—
  est.People will talkabout you,ascribe motives andexplanationsthat have


TxText:
  nothingtodowith thetruth, butthatkeep youconstantlyintheir minds. In
  theend, the more capricious you appear,the morerespect youwillgarner.
  Only theterminallysubordinate actinapredictablemanner.
  Image: The Cyclone.A
  wind that cannot before-
  seen. Sudden shifts in
  thebarometer, in—
  explicable changes
  indirection and
  velocity. There is
  nodefense: A
  cyclonesows
  terror and
  confusion.
  Authority:Theenlightened ruler issomysteriousthat heseems
  todwell nowhere, soinexplicablethat no one can seek him.
  Herepose-sinnonaction above, and his ministers tremble
  below. (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher,third century B.C.)
  REVERSAL
  Sometimes predictabilitycanwork inyour favor: Bycreatingapatternfor
  peopletobefamiliar and comfortable with, youcan lullthem tosleep.
  Theyhave prepared everything accordingtotheir preconceivednotions
  aboutyou.You can usethisinseveralways: First, itsetsupasmoke screen,
  acomfortable front behind which youcancarryondeceptiveactions. Sec
  ond, itallowsyouon rare occasions todosomething completely against
  thepattern, unsettling your opponentsodeeplyhewill falltotheground
  without being pushed.
  In1974 Muhammad AliandGeorgeForeman were scheduled tofight
  fortheworld heavyweight boxing championship. Everyoneknew what
  would happen: BigGeorgeForeman wouldtrytoland aknockout punch
  while Aliwould dance around him, wearinghim out.That wasAli'swayof
  fighting, hispattern,and hehad notchanged itinmore than tenyears.But
  inthis case itseemed togiveForeman theadvantage:Hehad adevastating
  punch,andifhewaited, sooner orlater Aliwould have tocome tohim.
  Ali, themaster strategist,had other plans:Inpressconferences before the
  bigfight, hesaid he wasgoing tochange hisstyle andpunch itoutwith
  Foreman. No one, least ofallForeman, believed thisfor asecond. That
  plan would besuicide onAli's part;hewasplayingthecomedian, asusual.
  Then, before thefight, Ali's trainer loosened theropes around thering,
  somethingatrainer would doifhisboxer were intendingtoslugitout. But
  noonebelieved thisplay; ithad tobeasetup.
  Toeveryone's amazement, Alididexactlywhat hehad said hewould
  do.AsForeman waited forhim todance around, Aliwent right uptohim
  andsluggeditout. Hecompletely upsethisopponent's strategy.At aloss,


TxText:
  Foreman ended upwearing himself out, notbychasing Alibutbythrow-
  ingpunches wildly,andtakingmore and more counterpunches. Finally,
  Alilanded adramatic rightcross that knocked outForeman. The habit of
  assuming that aperson'sbehavior willfititsprevious patternsissostrong
  that not even Ali's announcement ofastrategy changewasenoughtoupset
  it.Foreman walked into atrap-«the traphehad been told toexpect.
  Awarning: Unpredictabilitycan work against you sometimes, es
  pecially ifyouareinasubordinate position.There aretimes when itisbet
  tertoletpeoplefeel comfortable and settled aroundyouthan todisturb
  thern. Too much unpredictability will beseen asasign ofindecisiveness, or
  even ofsome more serious psychic problem.Rattems arepowerful,and
  youcanterrify people bydisruptingthem. Suchpowershould onlybe
  usedjudiciously.
  LAW I7 129
  13018
  DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES
  TOPROTECT YOURSELF-
  ISOLATION ISDANGEROUS
  _]UI)GMENT
  The world isdangerousand enemies ameverywhere-—
  everyone has toprotectthemselves. Afowrmsseems the
  safest.But isolationexposes youtomomdangersthan it
  protects youfmm——-itcutsyouojj'fromvaluable informa-
  tion, itmakesyouconspicuousand aneasy target.Better
  tocirrulateamong people, find allies, mingle.You are
  shielded from your enemies bythecrowd.
  TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAVV
  Ch'in Shih Huang Ti,thefirstemperor ofChina (221-210 B.C.), was the
  mightiestman ofhisday.Hisempirewas vaster and more powerfulthan
  that ofAlexander theGreat. Hehadconquered allofthekingdomssur-
  rounding his own kingdom ofChin and unified them into one massive
  realm called China. Butinthelastyears ofhislife,few,ifanyone,sawhim.
  Theemperor lived inthe most magnificent palace built tothatdate, in
  thecapital ofHsien-yang.The palace had 270pavilions;allofthese were
  connected bysecret underground passageways, allowingtheemperorto
  move through thepalacewithoutanyone seeinghim. Hesleptinadiffer-—
  entroom every night, andanyonewhoinadvertentlylaideyesonhim was
  instantlybeheaded. Onlyahandful ofmen knew hiswhereabouts, andif
  theyrevealed ittoanyone, they, too, were puttodeath.
  The firstemperorhadgrownsoterrified ofhuman Contact that when
  hehad toleave thepalacehetraveled incognito, disguising himself care
  fully.On one suchtripthrough theprovinces,hesuddenly died.


TxText:
  Hisbody
  wasborne back tothecapitalintheemperor's carriage, with acartpacked
  with salted fishtrailingbehind ittocoverupthe smell oftherotting
  corpse-—~noone was toknow ofhisdeath. Hedied alone, farfrom his
  wives, hisfamily,hisfriends, and hiscourfiers, accompanied only bya
  minister and ahandful ofeunuchs.
  Interpretation
  Shih Huang Tistarted off astheking ofCh'in, afearless warrior ofunbri-
  dled ambition. Writers ofthetime described him asaman with “awaspish
  nose, eyeslikeslits, thevoice ofajackal,and theheart ofatigerorwolf.”
  Hecould bemerciful sometimes, but more often he“swallowed menup
  without ascruple.” Itwasthrough trickeryand violence that heconquered
  theprovinces surroundinghis own and created China, forgingasinglena-
  tion and culture outofmany. Hebroke upthefeudal system,and tokeep
  aneyeonthemanymembers oftheroyal families that were scattered
  across therealm's various kingdoms, hemoved 120,000 ofthem tothecap-
  ital, where hehoused the most importantcouxtiers inthe vast palace of
  Hsienyang. Heconsolidated themanywalls ontheborders andbuilt them
  into theGreat Wall ofChina. Hestandardized thecountry's laws, itswrit-
  tenlanguage,even thesizeofitscartwheels.
  Aspartofthisprocessofunification, however, thefirstemperorout-
  lawed thewritings and teachings ofConfucius, thephilosopherwhose
  ideas onthemoral lifehadalreadybecome virtuallyareligion inChinese
  culture. OnShih Huang Ti'sorder, thousands ofbooks relatingtoConfu-
  cius were burned, and anyonewhoquotedConfucius was tobebeheaded.
  This made many enemies fortheemperor,and hegrew constantly afraid,
  even paranoid.The executions mounted. Acontemporary,thewriter Han-
  fei-tzu, noted that “Ch'in hasbeen victorious forfour generations, yethas
  lived inconstant terror andapprehensionofdestruction.”
  Astheemperor withdrew deeperanddeeperinto thepalacetoprotect'lHI.\lr\~t)l l-l.HI l'||l'.
  HM) I)!\lH
  The“Ra! DcuII1"lmrl
  long dew1.sl(:twl the
  ummry. Nopi=.\'lIIenr:>
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  orso/u':Iemi.>', Blood
  was LIA'Avnmr and its
  weal-—~Ilrermi:1i:.v, mt
  /mrmy ofInhorl. 7h€rc'


TxText:
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  dix.ioluIu,m .Aiut
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  [heiIz('i(l(mr.i' nfhulfau
  hour.
  Bur thePrim:r* Prox-
  perowasIznppy and
  L/£tIU1Il('\'S and mgzzv
  cirms. When his'domin-
  ians were half'
  ilefmjzulnled, Iw
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  lmlr andIi;:ht»Immi'd
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  /zircourt, and with
  iliese retired (0the(leap
  su'i'im'rm o_,"mzc nfhis
  t'[L\'f['//Ilffll (II)/JE'y,3. This
  Win anex'/t»nsiw 4/ml
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  1/21,' <'r(ratir2rc 17]the
  prince3'own ¢u':"e'ItIrir
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TxText:
  L'l.U'lIV were within.
  Without was the
  “Red [)e',aIh.”
  Itwas toward theclose
  ofrhofifth/tryixrh
  momfr oflris swlusirm,
  and while (hrpr-srilcrrrer
  mgr-ii most furiously
  ahmrm', thin thePrince
  ['r().s'pem emcrminerl
  hisIlmumnzl friemlrat
  Llmuskzezl hullofthe
  must unusmal magnifi-
  cence. /Iwas avolup-
  uumr .ST.'('Il€', (hut
  ma.\'qm:rade….
  . ‥/lnd rimrevel want
  wlziriingly on,mm"! m
  /cngtix[ht-re rom-
  mmlrerl thevmmding
  ofmidnight uponthv
  clock. ‥ ,And' thus' (00,
  itlzappmzed, perhaps,
  lhmbefore thelast
  t14:i1<ms' ofthelastrhmw
  /wdutterly sunk into
  silmite, them were
  many /'mlividual.s' inthe
  crowd who hadfound
  Ieisurr 10becmru'
  aware oftheprresrcmuz
  ofumusket! [igure
  wlrirh had dN'('.$'FL'fl I110
  mtemion ofm) single
  imIivit£zmI' before‥ .
  Hiefigure was talland
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  thcl1ubiIinu'nts' ofthe
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  I32 LAW I8himself, heslowlylostcontrol oftherealm. Eunuchs and ministers enacted
  political policies without hisapprovaloreven hisknowledge; theyalso
  plotted againsthim.Bytheend, hewas emperorinname only,and was so
  isolated thatbarely anyoneknew hehad died. Hehadprobablybeen poi-
  soned bythe sameschemingministers who encouraged hisisolation.
  That iswhat isolation brings: Retreat into a.fortress and youlose con-
  tactwith the sources ofyour power.You loseyourearforwhat ishappen-
  ingaroundyou,aswell asasense ofproportion.Instead ofbeing safer, you
  cutyourself offfrom thekind ofknowledgeonwhichyour lifedepends.
  Never enclose yourselfsofarfrom the streets thatyoucannot hear what is
  happeningaroundyou,includingtheplots against you.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Louis XIV had thepalaceofVersailles built forhim and hiscourt inthe
  16605, and itwas like noother royal palaceintheworld. Asin El,beehive,
  everythingrevolved around theroyal person.Helived surrounded bythe
  nobility,who were allottedapartmentsnestled around his,their closeness


TxText:
  tohimdependentontheir rank. Thekingsbedroom occupiedtheliteral
  center ofthepalaceand was thefocus ofeveryone's attention. Everymom~
  ingthekingwasgreetedinthis room byaritual known asthelever.
  Ateight A.M., theking's first valet, who sleptatthefoot oftheroyal
  bed, would awaken HisMajesty. Thenpageswouldopenthedoor and
  admit those who had a.function inthe lever. The order oftheir entrywas
  precise:First came theking's illegitimatesons and hisgrandchildren, then
  theprinces and princesses oftheblood, and then hisphysicianand sur-
  geon.There followed thegrand ollicers ofthewardrobe, theking's oflicial
  reader, and those incharge ofentertaining theking' Next would arrive var-
  ious government officials. inascendingorder ofrank. Last but not least
  came those attending the [everbyspecialinvitation.Bytheendofthe cere»
  many,the room would bepacked with well over ahundred royalatten»
  dams and visitors.
  Thedaywasorganizedsothat allthepalace's energywas directed at
  andpassed throughtheking. Louis wasconstantlyattended bycourtiers
  andofficials, allasking forhisadvice andjudgment.Toalltheir questions
  heusually replied, “Ishall see.”
  AsSaint-Simon noted, “Ifheturned tosomeone, asked him aques-
  tion, made aninsignificant remark, theeyes ofallpresentwere turned on
  thisperson.Itwas adistinction that was talked ofand increasedprestige.”
  There was nopossibility ofprivacyinthepalace, not even fortheking-
  everyroom communicated with another, andevery hallwayled tolarger
  rooms wheregroups ofnobles gathered constantly. Everyone's actions
  were interdependent,andnothing and no one passedunnoticed: “The
  kingnotonlysaw toitthat allthehigh nobilitywaspresentathiscourt,”
  wrote Saint—Simon, “he demanded the same oftheminor nobility.Athis
  lever and voucher, athismeals, inhisgardensofVersailles, healways looked
  about him, noticing everything.He was offended ifthemost distinguished
  nobles did notlivepermanentlyatcourt, and those who showed them-
  selves never orhardly ever, incurred hisfulldispleasure. Ifoneofthese de
  sired something,thekingwouldsayproudly:'Idonotknow him,' and the
  judgmentwasirrevocable.”
  Interpretation
  Louis XIV came topowerattheend ofaterrible civil war, theFronde. A


TxText:
  principal instigator ofthe war had been thenobility,which deeplyresented
  thegrowing power ofthethrone andyearned forthedays offeudalism,
  when thelords ruled their own fiefdoms and thekinghad little authority
  over them. The nobles had lostthecivil war, buttheyremained afractious,
  resentful lot.
  The construction ofVersailles, then, was far more than thedecadent
  whim ofaluxury—1oving king. Itserved acrucial function: Theking could
  keepaneyeand an ear oneveryoneandeverythingaround him. The
  once proud nobilitywas reduced tosquabblingover theright tohelpthe
  king putonhisrobes inthemorning. There was nopossibilityhere ofpm?
  vacy--no possibility ofisolation. Louis XIVvery early grasped thetruth
  thatfor akingtoisolate himself isgravely dangerous.Inhisabsence, con-
  spiracies willspring uplike mushrooms after rain, animosities willcrystal-
  lizeinto factions, and rebellion will break outbefore hehasthe time to
  react. Tocombat this,sociabilityand opennessmust notonly beencour-
  aged, theymust beformally organized and channeled.
  These conditions atVersailles lasted forLouis's entire reign,some fifty
  years ofrelative peaceandtranquillity. Through itall,not apindropped
  without Louis hearingit.
  Solitude isdangeroustoreason, without being favorabletovirtue. . . .
  Remember that thesolitarymortal iscertainly luxurious,
  probabhv superstitious,andpossiblymad.
  Dr.Sanmeljolirism, l709m] 784
  KEYS TO POWER
  Machiavelli makes theargumentthat inastrictly militarysense afortress is
  invariablyamistake. Itbecomes asymbol ofpower's isolation, and isan
  easy targetforitsbuilders' enemies. Designedtodefendyou,fortresses ac—
  tuallycutyouofffrom helpand cutintoyour flexibility. They may appear
  impregnable,but onceyouretire toone, everyoneknows whereyou are;
  and asiegedoes nothave tosucceed toturn your fortress into aprison.
  With their small and confinedspaces, fortresses arealsoextremelyvulnerv
  able totheplagueandcontagiousdiseases, Inastrategic sense, the iso-
  lation of afortress providesnoprotection, and actuallycreates more
  problemsthan itsolves.war made sommrlym
  l'fi,\'('inl7lf,' I/Mmimic-
  mxmr of1.1.vlE_/V/nrwd
  corpse Ilmlllit' ('Ins-in.-z
  scrutinymm'! have lzzm'


TxText:
  clifficulzy in(lowering
  [hecheat. Aml“wtall
  thismight have l)('L'Il
  endured, ifmrt
  ap]1I'I)v('(l, bythemod
  rave/l<>r.\' amuml. But
  the mummer had gone
  soforastou.s'.s'ume the
  type afzlze Rm! llmth,
  His v:'.\'mr1' Wm'
  rlahlrlml inblood-» am!
  lll.\'brourl blow, with all
  the['94:/um»: oftheface,
  wuX.x']1riIIklt?til with the
  scarlet lwrmr. …
  , . .Athrong ufzlze
  f'i3I'¢llt.'I'é atonce /hrew
  tin-imelve: mm rlw
  black apartment, and,
  wizittg themummer,
  wlzoxe ml!figure A'l()0£l
  erect and !7llllll)I'll('.l.)'
  within theshadow of
  theebony rtlmtk, gaspezl
  mmmltrzra/711' lmrror ul
  finding thegrave cert»
  mean and ¢torp.i'e-/ilcx'
  mark, Wl2IClI they
  handled with soviolmt
  al'(l(,l(,'Pl(f.\',S'. mitt-nunwd
  byanytangible form.
  And now was mtI<m2wl-
  edged theprrnwrzzrt: of
  theRM D:-am. I14-lmd
  r'[)t.Vl£' like 11Iliirafin the
  izigltl, And onebyone
  dropped therevellers in
  thebl47od~herlmver1
  halls I)flll-'fl!' rm/pl, and
  dim] mrrlx in(ho
  rlespmrirzg po.v1ur<I of
  his[all And thelifeof
  Ill?e'l:on_>.* ('lurk wen!
  out with thatofrlvc last
  ofthe gay. And the
  flames ofihe tripods
  ccxpirezl. Am! Darl<rlc:'.s
  andllecay and theRed
  Death held lllimimhlc
  rlnnzinimz (Iver all.
  'itll-' MAsoI1I«,0l«"1'm»,
  RED nr,A1'u.
  EDGAR ALL.-\N Pm;
  3809-1849
  LAW 18 I32)'
  l34 LAW 18Because humans aresocial creatures bynature, power dependson so-
  cial interaction and circulation. Tomake yourself powerful youmust place
  yourselfatthe center ofthings,asLouis XIV did atVersailles. Allactivity


TxText:
  should revolve around you,andyoushould beaware ofeverything hap-
  peningonthestreet, and ofanyone who might behatching plots against
  you.Thedangerformost peoplecomes when theyfeel threatened. Insuch
  times theytend toretreat and close ranks, tofind securityinakind of
  fortress. Indoing so,however, theycome torely forinformation on a
  smaller and smaller circle, and lose perspectiveonevents around them.
  Theylosemaneuverabilityand becomeeasy targets, and their isolation
  makes them paranoid.Asinwarfare and most games ofstrategy,isolation
  often precedes defeat and death.
  Inmoments ofuncertaintyanddanger, you need tofight thisdesire to
  turn inward. Instead, make yourselfmore accessible, seek outoldallies and
  make new ones, force yourselfinto more and more different circles. This
  hasbeen thetrick ofpowerful peopleforcenturies.
  The Roman statesman Cicero was born into thelower nobility, and
  had little chance ofpowerunless hemanagedtomake aplace forhimself
  amongthe aristocrats who controlled thecity.Hesucceeded brilliantly,
  identifying everyonewith influence andfiguringouthow theywere con-
  nected toone another. Hemingled everywhere, knew everyone,and had
  such avast network ofconnections that anenemyhere could easilybe
  counterbalanced byanallythere,
  The French statesman Talleyrand playedthegamethe same way.Al-
  thoughhecame from one oftheoldest aristocratic families inFrance, he
  made apoint ofalways stayingintouch with what washappeninginthe
  streets ofParis, allowinghim toforesee trends and troubles. He even gota
  certainpleasureoutofminglingwithshadycriminal types,who supplied
  him with valuable information. Everytime there was acrisis, atransition of
  power--theend oftheDirectory,thefallofNapoleon,theabdication of
  Louis XVIII-~he was able tosurvive and even thrive, because henever
  closed himselfupinasmall circle butalways forged connections with the
  new order.
  This lawpertainstokings andqueens,and tothose ofthehighest
  power:The moment you lose contact withyour people, seeking securityin
  isolation, rebellion isbrewing.Neverimagine yourselfsoelevated thatyou


TxText:
  can afford tocutyourself offfrom even thelowest echelons. Byretreating
  toafortress, youmake yourselfaneasy target foryour plotting subjects,
  who view yourisolation asaninsult and areason forrebellion.
  Since humans aresuch social creatures, itfollows that thesocial arts
  that make uspleasanttobearound can bepracticed only byconstant ex-
  posure and circulation. The moreyouareincontact with others, the more
  graceful and ateaseyoubecome. Isolation, ontheother hand, engenders
  anawkwardness inyour gestures,and leads tofurther isolation, aspeople
  startavoidmg you.
  In1545 Duke Cosimo Ide'Medici decided that toensure theimmor-
  tality ofhis name hewould commission frescoes forthemain chapelofthe
  church ofSan Lorenzo inFlorence. Hehadmany great painterstochoose
  from, and intheend hepicked jacopodaPontonno. Gettingoninyears,
  Pontormo wanted tomake these frescoes hischef d'oeuvre andlegacy.His
  firstdecision was toclose thechapeloffwith walls, partitions,and blinds.
  Hewanted no one towitness thecreation ofhismasterpiece,ortosteal his
  ideas. Hewould outdo Michelangelohimself. When someyoungmen
  broke into thechapeloutofcuriosity, jacoposealed itoffeven further.
  Pontormo filled thechape1's ceiling with biblical scenes—the Creation,
  Adam and Eve, Noah's ark, onand on.Atthetopofthemiddle will he
  paintedChrist inhismajesty, raising thedead onjudgment Day.The artist
  worked onthechapelforelevenyears, rarely leaving it,since hehad de—
  velopedaphobiaforhuman contact and was afraid hisideas would be
  stolen.
  Ponrormo died before completingthefrescoes, and none ofthem has
  survived. But thegreatRenaissance writer Vasari, afriend ofPontormds
  who saw thefrescoes shortlyafter the artist's death, left adescription of
  what they looked like. There was atotal lack ofproportion. Scenes
  bumped against scenes, figuresinonestory being juxtaposedwith those in
  another, inmaddening numbers. Pontormo had become obsessed with de»
  tallbuthad lostanysense oftheoverall composition.Vasari leftoffhisde~
  scription ofthefrescoes bywriting thatifhecontinued, “Ithink Iwouldgo


TxText:
  mad and become entangledinthispainting, justasIbelieve that inthe
  elevenyearsoftimejacopo spentonit,heentangledhimself andanyone
  elsewho sawit.”Instead ofcrowning Pontormo's career, thework became
  hisundoing.
  These frescoes were visual equivalents oftheeffects ofisolation onthe
  human mind: alossofproportion,anobsession with detail combined with
  aninability toseethelarger picture,akind ofextravagant uglinessthat no
  longercommunicates. Clearly,isolation isasdeadlyforthecreative arts as
  forthesocial arts. Shakespeare isthe most famous writer inhistorybe-
  cause, asadramatist forthepopular stage, heopened himselfuptothe
  masses, makinghiswork accessible topeoplenomatter what their educa-
  tion and taste. Artists who hole themselvesupintheir fortress lose asense
  ofproportion,their work communicating onlytotheir small circle. Such
  artremains cornered andpowerless.
  Finally,sincepowerisahuman creation, itisinevitably increased by
  Contact with other people. Instead offallinginto thefortress mentality,
  view theworld inthefollowingmanner: Itislike avast Versailles, with
  everyroom communicatingwith another. You need tobepermeable, able
  tofloat inand outofdifferent circles and mix with different types.That
  kind ofmobilityand social contact willprotect youfrom plotters,who will
  beunable tokeepsecrets fromyou,and fromyour enemies, who will be
  unable toisolateyoufromyourallies. Alwaysonthe move, youmix and
  mingleinthe rooms ofthepalace,never sittingorsettlinginoneplace.No
  hunter canfixhisaim onsuch asvvifbmovingcreature.
  LAW 18 135
  I36 LAW 18Image:The Fortress. High
  uponthehill, thecitadel be
  comes asymbol ofallthat is
  hateful inpowerandauthority.
  The citizens ofthe town betray
  youtothefirstenemythat comes.
  Cutofffrom communication and in-
  telligence,thecitadel falls with ease.
  Authority: Agoodand wiseptince,desirous ofmaintainingthat
  character, and toavoid givingtheopportunitytohis sons tobe-
  come oppressive,will never build fortresses, sothatthey may
  place their reliance upon thegood will oftheir subjects,and not
  uponthestrengthofcitadels. [Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-4527)
  REVE RSAL
  Itishardlyever right andpropitioustochoose isolation. Without keeping
  anear onwhat ishappeninginthestreets, youwill beunable toprotect
  yourself.


TxText:
  About theonly thingthat constant human contact cannot facili~
  tate isthought.Theweight ofsociety's pressure toconform, and thelack of
  distance from other people,can make itimpossibletothink clearlyabout
  what isgoingonaround you. As atemporary recourse, then, isolation can
  help youtogain perspective. Manyaserious thinker hasbeen producedin
  prisons,where wehave nothingtodobutthink. Machiavelli could write
  The Prince onlyonce hefound himself inexile and isolated on afarm far
  from thepolitical intrigues ofFlorence.
  Thedanger is,however, that thiskind ofisolation will sireallkinds of
  strangeandpervertedideas. Youmay gain perspectiveonthelarger pic-
  ture, butyou lose asense ofyourown smallness and limitations. Also, the
  more isolatedyou are, theharder itistobreak outofyourisolation when
  you choose to——it sinksyoudeepinto itsquicksand without your noticing.
  Ifyou need time tothink, then, choose isolation onlyasalastresort, and
  onlyinsmall doses. Becareful tokeep your way back intosociety open.
  LAW
  19
  KNOW WHO YOU'RE
  DEALING WITH-
  DO NOT OFFEND THE
  WRONG PERSON
  JUDGMENT
  There aremany different kinds ofpeople intheworld,
  andyoucan never assume thateveryone will react to
  your strategies inthe sameway.Deeeive oroutmaneuver
  some [mapleand theywillspendtherestoftheir lives seek-
  ing revenge. Theyarewolves inlambs' clothing.Choose
  yourvictims andopponents carefully,then-—never of-
  fendordeceive thewrong person.
  13?'
  When yourneet a
  swordsman, draw your
  rwnrd: Do not recita
  poetry10one who is
  YXDYHIYUPI.
  Fuom /\CH'/\N
  Bcnmusi CLASSIC.
  OU(7TF]') IN
  'lHllNl)l—iR INTHE; sou',
  TR.-\:~sL.r\TEo BY
  THOMAS (l/I,F,ARY. 1993
  TIII:ll|",\ l,\(.l' I)!'
  I.()|'|', l>I:\(;l IHKIC
  [Ln]/e dc]Agltirreir
  riharactcr 1''amply
  illustrate'/1 inimurirc»
  dourfrom (ht?chronicle
  uf(]¢Ir(7il11.rlI de'la
  Vega. who related that
  in1548 Aguirrewas a
  member ofaplatoon of


TxText:
  wliliers excortirig
  Indian slaves from the
  mine: atPaton'
  [Bolivia] toaroyal
  treasury 11512111. The
  Indians were illegally
  lmrtlrmezl with great
  quantities ofstlver, and
  II[oral 0/flrriul urrevteil
  Aguirre. senwricing
  him toreceive two
  hundred lashes inlieu
  oft:fineforappraising
  theIndians. “The
  soldier Aguirre, lutving
  rrrcmvrerl anotificatitm
  nflhe verztertce,
  hesuughl thealcalde
  that, iris't1'ml of/lugging
  him hewould puthim
  Indeath, forthat he'
  was agentleman by
  birth. . . .Allthis had
  noeffectonthealcalde,
  who ordered the execu-
  tioner tobringabeast,
  and eiemte the
  .\'(mteI1('e. The 1-,xer:u—
  tionrr came tothe
  138 LAW 19OPPON ENTS, SUCKERS, AND VICTIMS: Preliminary Typology
  Inyourrise topower you will come acrossmanybreeds ofopponent,
  sucker, and victim. Thehighest form oftheartofpoweristheabilitytodis-
  tinguishthewolves from thelambs, thefoxes from thehares, thehawks
  from thevultures. Ifyoumake thisdistinction well, youwill succeed with»
  outneedingtocoerceanyonetoo much. Butifyoudeal blindlywith
  whomever crossesyour path, you will have alifeofconstant sorrow, ifyou
  even live thatlong. Being able torecognize typesofpeople,and toact ac-
  cordingly,iscritical. Thefollowingarethefive most dangerousand diffi-
  cult types ofmark inthejungle,asidentified byartists—con and
  othetwise——of thepast
  The Arrogant and Proud Man. Althoughhemay initially disguise
  it,this man'stouchy pridemakes himvery dangerous. Any perceived
  slight will lead toavengeance ofoverwhelmingviolence. Youmay sayto
  yourself,“But Ionlysaid such-and-such ataparty,whereeveryonewas
  drunk. . ‥”Itdoes not matter. There isnosanitybehind hisover-reaction,
  sodonot waste time tryingtofigure him out.Ifatanypointinyour deal
  ingswith aperson yousense anoversensitive and overactive pride,flee.
  Whateveryouarehopingforfrom him isn't worth it.
  TheHopelesslyInsecure Man. This man isrelated totheproudand ar-
  rogant type,but isless violent and harder tospot. His ego isfragile, his
  sense ofselfinsecure, andifhefeels himself deceived orattacked, thehurt
  will simmer.


TxText:
  Hewill attackyouinbites that will take forever togetbig
  enoughforyoutonotice. Ifyoufindyouhave deceived orharmed such a
  man, disappearfor alongtime. Donotstayaround him orhewill nibble
  youtodeath.
  Mr.Suspicion. Another variant onthebreeds above, this isafuture_]oe
  Stalin. He sees what hewants tosee—usuallytheworst—in other people,
  andimaginesthateveryoneisafter him. Mr.Suspicionisinfact theleast
  dangerous ofthethree: Genuinely unbalanced, heiseasytodeceive, justas
  Stalin himself wasconstantlydeceived. Playonhissuspiciousnature toget
  him toturnagainstotherpeople.Butifyoudobecome thetarget ofhis sus-
  picions,watch out.
  The Serpent with aLong Memory. Ifhurt ordeceived, this man will
  show noangeronthesurface; hewill calculate and wait. Then, when heis
  inapositiontoturn thetables, hewill exact arevengemarked byacold-
  blooded shrewdness. Recognizethis man byhiscalculation andcunningin
  thedifferent areas ofhislife. Heisusuallycold and unaffectionate. Bedou-
  blycareful ofthis snake, and ifyouhave somehow injured him, either
  crush himcompletelyorgethim outofyour sight.
  The Plain, Unassuming,and Often UnintelligentMan. Ah, yourears
  prick upwhenyoufind such atemptingvictim. But this man isalotharder
  todeceive thanyou imagine. Fallingfor aruse often takes intelligence
  and imagina1J'on—-asense ofthepossiblerewards. The blunt man will
  nottake thebait because hedoes notrecognizeit.Heisthat unaware. The
  danger with this man isnot that hewill harmyouorseek revenge, but
  merelythat hewill wasteyour time, energy, resources, and even yoursan~
  ityintryingtodeceive him. Have atestready for amark—a joke,astory.If
  hisreaction isutterly literal, this isthetype youaredealingwith. Continue
  atyourown risk.
  TRANSGRESSIONS OFTHE LAW
  TransgressionI
  Intheearly part ofthe thirteenth century, Muhammad, the shah of
  Khwarezm, managedaftermanywars toforgeahuge empire, extending
  west topresent-day Turkey and south toAfghanistan. Theempire'scenter
  wasthegreat Asian capital ofSamarkand. The shah had apowerful, well-
  trainedarmy,and could mobilize 200,000 waniors within days.
  In1219 Muhammad received anembassyfrom anew tribal leader to
  theeast, Genghis Khan.


TxText:
  The embassy included allsorts ofgiftstothegreat
  Muhammad, representingthefinest goodsfrom Khan's small butgrowing
  Mongol empire. GenghisKhan wanted toreopentheSilk Route toEurope,
  andoffered toshare itwith Muhammad, while promising peacebetween
  thetwoempires.
  Muhammad didnotknow thisupstartfrom theeast, who, itseemed to
  him, wasextremely arrogant totrytotalk asanequaltoone soclearlyhis
  superior. Heignored Khan's offer. Khan tried again: This time hesent a
  caravan ofahundred camels filled with the rarest articles hehadplun-
  dered from China. Before the caravan reached Muhammad, however,
  Inalchik, the governor ofaregion borderingonSamarkand, seized it
  forhimself, and executed itsleaders.'
  Genghis Khan was sure that this was amistake—that Inalchik had
  acted without Muhammad's approval.He sentyetanother mission to
  Muhammad, reiterating hisoffer andasking that thegovernorbepunished.
  This time Muhammad himself had oneoftheambassadors beheaded, and
  sent theother two back with shaved heads-a horrifyinginsult intheMon-
  golcode ofhonor. Khan sent amessage totheshah: “You have chosen war.
  What willhappenwillhappen,and what itistobeweknow not;onlyGod
  knows.” Mobilizing hisforces, in1220 heattacked Inalchik's province,
  where heseized thecapital, captured thegovernor,and ordered him exe-
  cuted byhaving molten silver pouredinto hiseyesand ears.
  Over the nextyear, Khan led aseries ofguern'lla~1ike campaigns
  againstthe sha.h's much larger army,Hismethod wastotally novel forthe
  time—his soldiers could moveveryfast onhorseback, and had mastered
  theartoffiring with bow and arrow while mounted. The speedand flexi-
  bilityofhisforces allowed him todeceive Muhammad astohisintentions
  and thedirections ofhismovements. Eventuallyhemanagedfirst tosur-prison, andputAguirre
  onthebeast. . . .The
  beast war driven on,
  and hereceiver! the
  l£15llt'‥X. . .
  W'l1en freed. Aguirre
  announced hisintarr
  /ion0_/'killing theoffi-
  cial who lmzl St'Ilf€I1C('(l


TxText:
  him, thealcaldri
  Esquivel, Esquiuelly
  term nfoffire l'X[7Ir£?(l
  andhe/led toLima,
  three lmmlred tweruy
  leagues away,but
  within /ifrcen days
  Aguirre hm] mzvkezl
  him there. Theft-ighr
  melt judge i()IlI'll€_W:'(l
  tnQuim, aIripoffour
  /zmzdred l€agN€.\', and in
  twenty days Aguirre
  arn'w=d.
  “When Erquivul /ward
  ofhispresemr,”
  rurconlirig InGzzrcilaso,
  “he made anotl1t>r]'()ur-
  myuffiw: humlreil
  leagues tnCuzco; but
  inafewdays Aguirre
  also arrived, liming
  tmvcllrcrl onfootand
  William' .sI1oc.\', saying
  that (1Wllippedman
  has' nol)u.sir1¢r.s,\' torirlc
  uh()P'.Yt'., ortogowhere
  hewould be sezrtz by
  01/mrs. Inthis way,
  /iguzrrr fnllowmi his
  judge forthree years.
  and/our Inmztlls."
  Wcarying ofthe
  pur.s'uz'I, Esquire]
  remained atCu.'./so, :2
  citymr1erIzlygoverr:.ezI
  /hatlzefclt hewould be
  safefrom Agufrre. He
  look ahouse near /he
  rnrlmdral and never
  \'€I'ltll7'(,'£l outdnorr
  wirlwul aswan! and (1
  dagger. “llnwevcr. on a
  ('£'l'l£lln Momlay, ut
  mum. Aguirre entered
  hislwu.\'(.', andhaving
  walked allover ii.and
  having rrawtr.red u
  corridor. :1mloon, (2
  L'lzurnber.mn1 aninner
  LAW I9 139
  chamber where the
  judge kept hisbooks.
  heatlastfound him
  axlcep over oneofltis
  hm)/<.\', and stahbcd him
  10death. The murderer
  then went out, but
  when hecame tothe
  door ofthehouse, he
  format' that hehad
  forgotten hishat, and
  had thetemerity 10
  return amffetch it.and
  then walked down
  thestreet.”
  'lHE GOLDEN l'lREAVl.'
  SI:F,Kl:llS 01- t~:Luotmuo.
  WALKIER CIIAPMAN.
  1967
  'fill'. (.R()V€ AND
  Tllli I~»Ill'l|'iP
  Atroublesome Crow
  seated herselfonthe
  back ofaSlzccp. The
  Sheep, much against his
  will. carried her back—


TxText:
  ward andforward for (I
  long time, and atlast
  said. “ifyou had
  trcatetl adug inthis
  way. yrtu would have:
  had your desert: from
  hissharp teeth,"Tothis
  theCrow rteplictl, “I
  dexpiyetheweak, and
  yield tothestrong. I
  know whom Imay
  bully,and whom Imust
  firmer; and thtmIhope
  toprolong mylife to t1
  AB, R
  SIXTH ('l:NTlIRY B1,'.
  140 LAW )9round Samarkand, then toseize it.Muhammad fled, and ayear later died,
  his vast empire broken anddestroyed. Genghis Khan was sole master of
  Samarkand, theSilkRoute, and most ofnorthern Asia.
  Interpretation
  Never assume that theperson youaredealing with isweaker orlessimpor-
  tant thanyouare. Some men areslow totake offense, which maymake
  youmisjudgethethickness oftheir skin, and fail towonyabout insulting
  them. But shouldyou offend their honor and their pride, theywill over-
  whelmyouwith aviolence that seems sudden and extreme given their
  slowness toanger. Ifyou want toturn people down, itisbest todo sopo~
  litelyandrespectfully,even ifyoufeel their requestisimpudentortheir
  offer ridiculous. Never reject them with aninsult until you know them bet-
  ter;you maybedealing with aGenghisKhan.
  Transgression II
  Inthelate 1910s some ofthebest swindlers inAmerica formed acon-artist
  ring based inDenver, Colorado. Inthewinter months they would spread
  across thesouthern states, plyingtheir trade. In1920 JoeFurey,aleader of
  thering,wasworking hiswaythrough Texas, making hundreds ofthou-
  sands ofdollars with classic congames. InFort Worth, hemet asucker
  named j.Frank Norileet, acattleman who owned alargeranch. Nortleet
  fellforthe con. Convinced oftheriches tocome, heemptiedhisbank ac»
  count of$45,000 and handed itover toFureyand hisConfederates. Afew
  dayslater they gave him his“millions,” which turned outtobeafewgood
  dollars wrappedaround apacket ofnewspaper clippings.


TxText:
  Fureyand hismen had worked such cons ahundred times before, and
  thesucker wasusuallysoembarrassed byhisgullibilitythat hequietly
  learned hislesson andacceptedthe loss. But Norfleet was notlike other
  suckers. Hewent tothepolice,who told him there waslittlethey could do.
  “Then I'llgoafter those people myselfl”Norfleet told thedetectives. “I'll
  getthem, too,ifittakes therestofmylife.” Hiswife took over theranch as
  Norileet scoured thecountry, looking forothers who had been fleeced in
  the same game.One such sucker came forward, and thetwo men identified
  one ofthe con artists inSanFrancisco, andmanaged togethim lockedup,
  The man committed suicide rather than face along term inprison.
  Norfleet kept going. Hetracked down another ofthe con artists in
  Montana, ropedhim like acalf, anddragged himthrough themuddystreets
  tothetown jail.Hetraveled notonlyacross thecountry but toEngland,
  Canada, and Mexico inSearch ofjoe Furey,and alsoofFurey's right-hand
  man, WB.Spencer. Finding SpencerinMontreal, Norfleet chased him
  through the streets. Spencer escaped but therancher stayedonhistrail and
  caught upwith him inSalt Lake City. Preferring themercy ofthelaw to
  Nortleet's wrath, Spencer turned himself in.=
  Norfleet found FureyinJacksonville, Florida, andpersonallyhauled
  him offtofacejustice inTexas. But hewouldn't stopthere: Hecontinued
  ontoDenver, determined tobreakuptheentire ring. Spendingnotonly
  largesums ofmoney butanother yearofhislifeinthepursuit, hemanaged
  toputallofthe conn'ng's leaders behind bars. Even some hedidn't catch
  hadgrownsoterrified ofhim thattheytooturned themselves in.
  After fiveyearsofhunting, Norfleet hadsingle-handedly destroyedthe
  country's largest confederation ofcon artists. The efiort bankrupted him
  andmined hismarriage,buthedied asatisfied man.
  Interpretation
  Most men accept thehumiliation ofbeing conned with asense ofresigna-
  tion.Theylearn their lesson, recognizingthat there isnosuch thingasa
  freelunch, and thattheyhave usuallybeen brought down bytheir own


TxText:
  greedforeasy money. Some, however, refuse totake their medicine. In
  stead ofreflectingontheir owngullibilityand avarice, theyseethemselves
  astotallyinnocent victims.
  Men like thismayseem tobecrusaders forjusticeandhonesty,but
  theyareactually immoderatelyinsecure. Being fooled, being conned, has
  activated their self-doubt, andtheyaredesperatetorepairthedamage.
  Were themortgageonN0rfleet's ranch, thecollapse ofhismarriage,and
  theyearsofborrowing money andlivingincheaphotels worth hisrevenge
  over hisembarrassment atbeing fleeced? TotheNorfleets oftheworld,
  overcoming their embarrassment isworthanyprice.
  Allpeoplehave insecurities, and often thebestwaytodeceive asucker
  istoplay upon hisinsecurities. Butintherealm ofpower, everythingisa
  questionofdegree, and theperson who isdecidedlymore insecure than
  theaverage mortal presents great dangers.Bewarned: Ifyoupracticede~
  ceptionortrickeryofany sort, study yourmark well. Some people'sinse-
  curityandegofragilitycannot tolerate theslightestoffense. To seeifyou
  aredealingwith such atype,testthem first—make, say,amildjokeattheir
  expense.Aconfidentpersonwilllaugh;anoverlyinsecure onewill react as
  ifpersonallyinsulted. Ifyoususpect youaredealingwith thistype,find an-
  other victim.
  Transgression III
  Inthefifth century B.C., Ch'ung-erh, theprince ofCh'in (inpresent-day
  China), had been forced into exile. Helived modestly——even, sometimes,
  inpoverty—waiting forthetime when hecould return home and resume
  hisprincelylife. Once hewaspassing through the state ofCheng, where
  theruler, notknowing who hewas, treated himrudely.The r1.1ler's minis-
  ter,ShuChan, saw this and said, “This man isaworthy prince. MayYour
  Highnesstreat him with great courtesyandthereby place him under an
  obligation!” But theruler, able toseeonly theprince's lowly station, ig-
  nored thisadvice and insulted theprince again. Shu Chan again warned
  hismaster, saying, “IfYour Highnesscannot treat Ch'ung~erhwith cour-
  tesy, youshould puthim todeath, toavoid calamityinthefuture.” The
  ruleronly scoffed.
  Years later, theprincewasfinallyable toreturn home, hiscircum-
  stances greatly changed. Hedidnotforgetwho had been kind tohim, and
  LAW 19 I41


TxText:
  142jLAW 19who had been insolent, duringhisyears ofpoverty.Least ofalldidhefor»
  gethistreatment atthehands oftheruler ofCheng. Athisfirstopportunity
  heassembled avastarmyand marched onChang, taking eight cities, de~
  straying thekingdom, andsendingtheruler into anexile ofhisown.
  Interpretation
  You can never besure whoyouaredealingwith. Aman who isoflittle im-
  portanceand means todaycan be aperson ofpowertomorrow. Weforget
  alotinourlives, but werarely forgetaninsult.
  How was theruler ofCheng toknow that Prince Ch'ung-erhwas an
  ambitious, calculating, cunning type,aserpent withalong memory? There
  wasreallynoway forhim toknow, you may say-—butsince there was no
  way, itwould have been better nottotemptthefatesbyfindingout. There
  isnothingtobegained byinsultingaperson unnecessarilySwallow the
  impulsetooffend, even iftheother personseems weak. The satisfaction is
  meager comparedtothedanger thatsomedaybeorshewillbeinaposi
  tion tohurtyou.
  Transgresskm IV
  Theyear of1920 had been aparticularly bad oneforAmerican artdealers.
  Bigbuyers«-«the robber-baron generation oftheprevious century-~were
  getting toanagewhere theywere dying offlikeflies, and nonew million»
  aires hademergedtotake their place. Thingswere sobad that anumber of
  themajordealers decided topooltheir resources, anunheard-of event,
  since artdealers usually getalong like cats anddogs.
  Joseph Duveen, artdealer totherichest tycoons ofAmerica, was suf-
  feringmore than theothers thatyear,sohedecided togoalong with this
  alliance. The groupnow consisted ofthefivebiggest dealers inthecountry.
  Looking around for anew client, they decided that their lastbesthopewas
  Henry Ford, then thewealthiest man inAmerica. Ford hadyettoventure
  into theartmarket, and hewas such abigtargetthatitmade sense forthem
  towork together.
  The dealers decided toassemble alist,“The 100Greatest Paintingsin
  theWorld” (allofwhich they happenedtohave instock), and tooffer the
  lotofthem toFord. With onepurchasehecould make himself theworld's
  greatest collector. The consortium worked forweeks toproduceamagnifi-
  centobject:athree-volume setofbooks containing beautiful reproductions
  ofthepaintings,aswell asscholarlytexts accompanyingeach picture.Next


TxText:
  they made apersonalvisit toFord athishome inDearborn, Michigan.
  There theywere surprised bythesimplicity ofhishouse: Mr.Ford was ob'
  viouslyanextremelyunaffected man.
  Ford received them inhisstudy. Looking throughthebook, he ex-
  pressedastonishment anddelight.The excited dealers began imaginingthe
  millions ofdollars that would shortly flow into their coflers. Finally,how—
  ever, Ford looked upfrom thebook andsaid, “Gentlemen, beautiful books
  like these, with beautiful colored pictures like these, must cost anawful
  lot!” “But Mr.Ford!” exclaimed Duveen, “we don'texpect youtobuythese
  books. Wegotthemupespeciallyforyou,toshowyouthepictures.These
  books are apresenttoyou.” Ford seemed puzzled. “Gentlemen,” hesaid,
  “itisextremelynice ofyou, butIreallydon't seehow Icanacceptabeau-
  tiful,expensive present like thisfrom strangers.” Duveen explainedtoFord
  thatthereproductionsinthebooks showed paintings theyhadhopedto
  selltohim. Ford finallyunderstood. “But gentlemen,” heexclaimed, “what
  would Iwant with theoriginal pictures when the ones righthere inthese
  books are sobeautiful?”
  Interpretation
  JosephDuveen pridedhimself onstudying hisvictims and clients inad
  Vance, figuringouttheir weaknesses and thepeculiaritiesoftheir tastes be
  foreheever met them. He was driven bydesperationtodropthis tactic just
  once, inhisassault onHenryFord. Ittook him months torecover from his
  misjudgrnent,both mentallyand monetarily.Ford was theunassuming
  plain—ma.n typewhojustisn't worth thebother. He was theincarnation of
  those literal-minded folk who donotpossess enough imaginationtobede
  ceived. From then on,Duveen saved hisenergiesfortheMellons and Mor-
  gansoftheworld——men crafty enoughforhim toentrapinhis snares.
  KEYS T()POWER
  Theabilitytomeasurepeopleand toknow who you're dealing with isthe
  most importantskill ofallingathering andconserving power. Without it
  youareblind: Notonlywill you offend thewrong people, youwill choose
  theWrong typestowork on,andwillthinkyouareflattering people when
  youareactually insulting them. Before embarkingonany move, take the
  measure ofyourmark orpotential opponent.Otherwiseyou will waste
  time and make mistakes.


TxText:
  Study people's weaknesses, thechinks intheir
  armor, their areas ofboth prideandinsecurity.Know their insand outs be-
  foreyoueven decide whether ornot todeal with them.
  Two final words ofcaution: First, injudgingandmeasuring your oppo~
  nent, never relyonyourinstincts. Youwillmake thegreatestmistakes ofall
  ifyourelyonsuch inexact indicators. Nothingcan substitute forgathering
  concrete knowledge. Studyandspyonyour opponentforhowever longit
  takes; thiswillpayoffinthelongrun.
  Second, never trustappearances. Anyonewith aserpent's heart can
  use ashow ofkindness tocloak it;apersonwho isblusteryontheoutside is
  often reallyacoward. Learn toseethrough appearancesand their contra-
  dictions. Never trust theversion thatpeople give ofthemselves——it isut-
  terlyunreliable.
  LAW 19;143
  Image:The Hunter, He does notlaythe
  same trap for awolf asfor afox. Hedoes
  not setbait where no one will take it.
  He knows hisprey thoroughly,itshabits
  and hideaways,and hunts accordingly.
  Authority:BeConvinced, that there are no
  personssoinsignificantandinconsiderable,
  butmay,some time orother, have itintheir
  powertobeofuse toyou; which theycer-
  tainly willnot,ifyouhave once shown them
  contempt. Wrongsare often forgiven, but
  contemptnever is.Our prideremembers
  itfor ever. (Lord Chesterfield, 1694-1773)
  REVERSAL
  What possible goodcan come from ignoranceabout other people?Leam
  totellthelions from thelambs orpaytheprice. Obeythis law toitsfullest
  extent; ithas noreversal—-do notbother looking for one.
  I44 LAW 19
  LAW
  20
  I)C)PJCYT CXDLJBJIT
  'TC)1&DTY()PJE
  JUDGMENT
  Itisthefoolwhoalwaysrushes totake sides. Donot com-
  mil toanyside orcause butyourself Bymaintaining
  your independence, youbecome the master ofothers——
  playing people againstone another, makingthem
  pursue you.
  '
  I45
  M6?LAW 20PART I:DO NOT COMMIT TOANYONE,
  BUT BECOURTED BYALL
  Ifyouallowpeopletofeeltheypossess youtoanydegree, youloseallpower
  over them. Bynotcommitting your affections, tfwywillonly tryharder to
  winyouover Stayaloofand yougainthepowerthat comes fromtheir at—
  tention andfrustrated desire. PlaytheVirgin Queen:Give them hope but
  never satisfaction.


TxText:
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  When QueenElizabeth Iascended thethrone ofEngland,in1558, there
  was much to-do about herfindingahusband. The issue was debated inPar-
  liament, and was a.main topic ofconversation among Englishmen ofall
  classes; theyoften disagreedastowhom sheshouldmarry,buteveryone
  thoughtsheshould marryassoon aspossible,for aqueenmust have a
  king,and must bear heirs forthekingdom. The debates ragedonforyears.
  Meanwhile the most handsome andeligiblebachelors intherealm-Sir
  Robert Dudley,theEarl ofEssex, SirWalterRa.leigh———vied forElizabetlfs
  hand. Shedidnotdiscourage them, butsheseemed tobeinnohurry,and
  her hints astowhich man might beher favorite often contradicted each
  other. In1566, Parliament sent adelegationtoElizabeth urgingher to
  marrybefore she was toooldtobear children. Shedidnotargue,nordid
  shediscourage thedelegation, butsheremained avirginnonetheless.
  The delicategamethat Elizabeth playedwith her suitors slowlymade
  her thesubject ofinnumerable sexual fantasies and the objectofcultish
  worship.The court physician,Simon Forman, used hisdiarytodescribe
  hisdreams ofdefloweringher. Painters representedher asDiana and other
  goddesses.Thepoet EdmundSpenserand others wrote eulogiestotheVir-
  ginQueen.She was referred toas“tha, wor1d's Empresse,” “that virtuous
  Virgo”who rules theworld and sets the stars inmotion. Inconversation
  with her, hermanymale suitors would employbold sexual innuendo,a
  dare that Elizabeth didnotdiscourage.Shedidallshecould tostirtheir in
  terest andsimultaneously keep them atbay.
  Throughout Europe, kings andprincesknew that amarriage with Eliz-
  abeth would seal analliance between Englandand anynation. Theking of
  Spainwooed her, asdidtheprinceofSweden and thearchduke ofAustria.
  Shepolitely refused them all.
  The great diplomaticissue ofElizabetlfs daywasposed bytherevolt
  oftheFlemish andDutch Lowlands, which were then possessions ofSpain.
  Should England break itsalliance with Spainand choose France asitsmain
  allyontheContinent, thereby encouragingFlemish and Dutch indepen-
  dence? By1570 ithad come toseem that analliance with France would be


TxText:
  England's wisest course. France had twoeligiblemen ofnoble blood, the
  dukes ofAnjouandAlencon, brothers oftheFrench king. Would either of
  them marryElizabeth? Both hadadvantages,and Elizabeth keptthehopes
  ofboth alive. The issue simmered foryears. The duke ofAnjoumade sev-
  eral visits toEngland,kissed Elizabeth inpublic,even called herbypet
  names; sheappearedtorequitehisaffections. Meanwhile, assheflirted
  with the two brothers,atreatywas signedthat sealedpeacebetween
  France and England. By1582 Elizabeth felt she could break offthe
  courtship.Inthe case oftheduke ofAnjouinparticular,shedid sowith
  greatrelief: For the sake ofdiplomacyshe had allowed herself tobe
  courted byaman whosepresenceshe could not stand and whom she
  found physically repulsive.Oncepeacebetween France andEnglandwas
  secure, shedroppedtheunctuous duke aspolitelyasshecould.
  Bythis time Elizabeth was tooold tobear children. She was accord-
  inglyable tolive therestofherlife asshedesired, and shedied theVirgin
  Queen.She left nodirect heir, butruled throughaperiod ofincomparable
  peaceand cultural fertility.“
  Interpretation
  Elizabeth hadgoodreason nottomarry:Shehad witnessed themistakes of
  Mary Queen ofScots, her cousin. Resisting theidea ofbeingruled bya
  woman, theScots expected Marytomanyandmarry wisely.Towed afor-
  eigner would beunpopular;tofavor anyparticularnoble house would
  open upterrible rivalries. IntheendMarychose Lord Damley,aCatholic.
  Indoingsosheincurred thewrath ofScotland's Protestants, and endless
  turmoil ensued.
  Elizabeth knew thatmarriagecanoften lead toafemale ru1er's undo-
  ing:Bymarryingandcommittingtoanalliance with onepartyornation,
  thequeenbecomes embroiled inconflicts that arenotofherchoosing, con~
  flicts which may eventually overwhelm her orlead herinto afutile war.
  Also, thehusband becomes thedefacto ruler, and often tries todoaway
  with hiswife thequeen,asDarnleytried togetridofMary.Elizabeth
  learned thelesson well. She had twogoalsasaruler: toa''oldmarriage and
  toavoid war. Shemanaged tocombine these goals byLnnglingthepossi-
  bility ofmarriageinorder toforgealliances. The moment shecommitted
  toanysinglesuitor would have been the moment shelostherpower. She


TxText:
  had toemanate mystery anddesirability,never discouraging anyone's
  hopes but never yielding.
  Throughthislifelong game offlirtingand withdrawing,Elizabeth
  dominated thecountry and everyman who sought toconquerher. Asthe
  center ofattention, she was incontrol. Keeping herindependenceabove
  all,Elizabeth protectedherpower and made herself anobject ofworship.
  Iwould rather beabeggar andsinglethan aqueen and married.
  Queenl'?l1':alzzth I,1533-161]?
  KEYS 'l'(‥) POWER
  Since power depends greatlyonappearances, you must learn thetricks
  thatwill enhanceyour image. Refusingtocommit toapersonorgroup is
  oneofthese, Whenyou hold yourself back, youincur notangerbut akind
  LAW 20 §147
  148 LAW 20ofrespect.Youinstantlyseem powerfulbecauseyoumake yourselfun-
  graspable, rather than succumbing tothegroup,ortotherelationship,as
  most peopledo.This aura ofpower only growswith time: Asyour reputa-
  tion forindependence grows,more and more people will come todesire
  you, wantingtobethe onewho gets youtocommit. Desire islike avirus: If
  we seethat someone isdesired byother people,wetend tofind thisperson
  desirable too.
  The momentyou commit, themagicisgone.You become likeevery-
  one else. People willtryallkinds ofunderhanded methods togetyouto
  commit. They willgive yougifts,showeryouwith favors, alltoput you
  under obligation. Encouragetheattention, stimulate their interest, butdo
  notcommit atanycost. Acceptthegifts and favors ifyousodesire, butbe
  careful tomaintainyourinner aloofness, You cannot inadvertentlyallow
  yourselftofeelobligatedtoanyone.
  Remember, though: Thegoalisnottoputpeople off, ortomake itseem
  thatyouareincapableofcommitment. Like theVirgin Queen, youneed to
  stirthepot,excite interest, lurepeoplewith thepossibility ofhaving you.
  You have tobend totheir attention occasionally,then——but never toofar:
  The Greek soldier and statesman Alcibiades playedthisgametoper-
  fection. Itwas Alcibiades who inspiredand ledthe massive Athenian at-
  mada that invaded Sicilyin414 BC. When envious Athenians back home
  tried tobringhim down byaccusing him oftrumpedup charges,hede-
  fected totheenemy,theSpartans,instead offacingatrial back home. Then,
  after theAthenians were defeated atSyracuse,heleftSpartaforPersia, even


TxText:
  thoughthepower ofSpartawas now onthe rise. Now, however, both the
  Athenians and theSpartanscourted Alcibiades because ofhisinfluence
  with thePersians; and thePen tans showered him with honors because of
  hispowerover theAthenians and theSpartans.Hemade promisestoevery
  side butcommitted tonone, and intheend heheld allthecards.
  Ifyou aspiretopowerand influence, trytheAlcibiades tactic: Put
  yourselfinthemiddle between competing powers.Lure one side with the
  promise ofyour help;theother side, always wantingtooutdo itsenemy,
  willpursue youaswell. Aseach side vies foryour attention, you will im-
  mediatelyseem aperson ofgreatinfluence anddesirability.Morepower
  will accrue toyouthan ifyouhadrashlycommitted toone side. Toperfect
  this tacticyouneed tokeep yourself inwardlyfree from emotional entan-
  glements,and toview allthose aroundyouaspawnsinyourrise tothetop.
  You cannot letyourselfbecome thelackeyforanycause.
  Inthemidst ofthe 1968 U.S. presidential election, Henry Kissinger
  made aphonecalltoRichard Nixon's team. Kissinger had been allied with
  Nelson Rockefeller, who hadunsuccessfully sought theRepublican nomina-
  tion. Now Kissingeroffered tosupplytheNixoncamp with valuable inside
  information onthenegotiationsforpeaceinVietnam that were then going
  oninParis. Hehad aman onthenegotiatingteam keepinghim informed of
  thelatest developments.The Nixon team gladly acceptedhisoffer.
  Atthe same time, however, KissingeralsoapproachedtheDemocratic
  nominee, Hubert Humphrey,and offered hisaid. TheHumphrey people
  asked him forinside information onNixon and hesuppliedit.“Look,”
  Kissinger toldHurnphrey's people, “I've hated Nixon foryears.” Infact he
  had nointerest ineither side. What hereally wanted was what hegot: the
  promise ofahigh-level cabinet post from both Nixon andHumphrey.
  Whichever man won theelection, Kissingefscareer was secure.
  The winner, ofcourse, wasNixon, andKissinger dulywent ontohis
  cabinet post.Even so,hewas careful never toappear toomuch ofaNixon
  man. When Nixon was reelected in1972, men much more loyaltohim
  thanKissingerwere fired. Kissingerwas also theonlyNixon highofficial to


TxText:
  survive Watergate and serve under the next president, Gerald Ford. By
  maintainingalittle distance hethrived inturbulent times.
  Those who use this strategyoften notice astrange phenomenon:
  Peoplewho rush tothesupport ofothers tend togain littlerespectinthe
  process,fortheir helpissoeasily obtained, while those who stand back
  findthemselves besiegedwith supplicants.Their aloofness ispowerful, and
  everyonewants them ontheir side.
  When Picasso, after early years ofpoverty,had become themost suc-
  cessful aitist intheworld, hedid not commit himself tothis dealer orthat
  dealer, although theynow besiegedhim from allsides with attractive offers
  andgrand promises. Instead, heappearedtohave nointerest intheir ser-
  vices; thistechniquedrove them wild, and asthey foughtover him his
  prices onlyrose. When Henry Kissinger,asU.S.secretaryofstate, wanted
  toreach détente with theSoviet Union, hemade noconcessions orconcil-
  iatory gestures, butcourted China instead. This infuriated and also scared
  theSoviets——-theywere already politically isolated and feared further isola
  tion ifthe United States and China, ,ca.me together. Kissinger'smove
  pushedthem tothenegotiatingtable. The tactic has aparallelinseduction:
  Whenyouwant toseduce awoman, Stendhal advises, court her sister first.
  Stay aloof andpeoplewill come toyou.Itwill become achallenge for
  them towinyouraffections. Aslongasyouimitate thewise Virgin Queen
  andstimulate their hopes, youwill remain amagnet ofattention and desire.
  Image:
  TheVirgin Queen.
  The center ofattention,
  desire, andworship.Never
  succumbingtoone suitor orthe
  other, theVirgin Queen keeps
  them allrevolving around
  herlikeplanets,unable to
  leave herorbit but never
  getting any closer
  toher.Authority:Do not commit
  yourselftoanybodyorany
  thing, forthat istobeaslave,a
  slave toeveryman. . . .Above
  all,keep yourselffree ofcom-
  mitments and obligations——
  theyarethedevice ofanother
  togetyouinto hispower‥ . .
  (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
  LAW 20 149
  '11“ l\!H',.\' HM'
  (,|[0\\.~'. .\\l) TU!' t-(9.\
  731¢'lrilcs am] the rrmvx


TxText:
  made anngn=um'n1
  mmmg zhcmwlves [lust
  ilujv 3'/wuld gohrtivcza
  inout-rytlziivg obttlitzal
  int]1efor¢:1'I. One day
  Hwysaw ujbx that Jim!
  b['t.'iZ WUI1't16,('(I by
  hunter: tying Iiel]If€.s'.\'
  mulrr atrim', andgath-
  ered mmm' it.
  Thy rnzws said. “We
  will' mkc theupper half
  uftlw fax."“'I'£n:Ia nu:
  It(I!(aim the[own
  h1:i_1'.'"x12i1I the lcilzas,
  The[cu?(lughl'd atthis;
  am! mid. “!aIwa_v.s'
  thought thekims u-'ere
  superior increnlirm to
  the crcmix; XIX,s'u<:h tlujv
  muxt geltheuppzr half
  afnzy hm:!_V~ nfwhich
  In]:haul, warh thebrain
  (mil other rte-!t'<'t4!e
  rlu'ng.\~ mr1,_/"arms1!
  portion."
  “Uh, ],'n'.\'. that (Yright,"
  xutot thekites', "we will
  hawthat gunofIhl,'
  fox."“./'\/at cu<11/."st1id
  thermwx, “um must
  have'
  'already
  agr('v1I," Titan :1war
  (time I)<'Iwcen therival
  ]mrliz'.\. and atgreat
  many fvllrmI>r1rI1.<irIm,
  am! thermttuirttrzg few
  z'.s'<'apr-d with zli_I]1'('uIIy.
  Thetaxmutuuwr1'
  them for snnw [l[1]>,\',
  '/50,LAW2nPART 11:DO NOT C.(.)MMl'1' TOANYONE—-
  STAY ABOVE THE FRAY
  Donotletpeople drag youinto their pettyfightsandsquabbles.Seem inter-
  ested and suppcwtive,butfindawaytomnain neutral; letothers do the
  fightingwhileyoustand back, watch and wait. When thefighting patties
  amgoodand tired thvy will beripeforthepicking.You can make itaprac-
  tice,infact,tostirupquarrelsbetween other people, and then offertomedi-
  ate,gaining powerasthego-between.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Inthelatefifteenth century,thestrongest city~statesinItaly-——Venice,Flo-
  rence, Rome, and Milan~—-found themselves constantly squabbling.Hover-
  ingabove their struggleswere thenations ofFrance andSpain, readyto
  grabwhatevertheycould from theweakened Italianpowers.


TxText:
  And trapped
  inthemiddle was thesmall state ofMantua, ruled bytheyoungDuke
  Gianfrancesco Gonzaga.Mantua was strategicallylocated innorthern
  Italy,and itseemed onlyamatter oftime before oneofthepowers swal-
  lowed itupand itceased toexist asanindependent kingdom.
  Gonzagawas afierce warrior and askilled commander oftroops,and
  hebecame akind ofmercenzuy general forwhatever sidepaidhim best. In
  theyear 1490, hemarried Isabella d'Este, daughteroftheruler ofanother
  small Italian duchy,Ferrara. Since henow spentmost ofhistime away
  iron Mantua, itfelltoIsabella torule inhisstead.
  lsabellzfs first true test asruler came in1498, when KingLouis XII of
  France waspreparingarmies toattack Milan. Intheir usual perfidiousfash«
  ion, theItalian states immediatelylooked forwaystoprofitfrom Mila.n's
  difficulties. PopeAlexander VIpromisednot tointervene, thereby giving
  theFrench carte blanche. The Venefians signaledthattheywould nothelp
  Milan, either—and inexchangeforthis,they hoped theFrench would give
  them Mantua. The ruler ofMilan, Lodovico Sforza, suddenlyfound him-
  selfalone and abandoned. Heturned toIsabella d'Este, one ofhisclosest
  friends (also rumored tobehislover), andbeggedher topersuadeDuke
  Gonzaga tocome tohisaid. Isabella tried, butherhusband balked, forhe
  saw Sforza's cause ashopeless. And so,in1499, Louis swoopeddown on
  Milan andtook itwith ease.
  Isabella now faced adilemma: Ifshestayed loyaltoLodovico, the
  French would now move against her. Butif,instead, sheallied herself with
  France, shewould make enemies elsewhere inItaly, compromisingMan-
  tua once Louis eventuallywithdrew. And ifshelooked toVenice orRome
  forhelp, theywould simplyswallow upMantua under thecloak ofcoming
  toher aid. Yet shehad todosomething.Themighty king ofFrance was
  breathing down her neck: She decided tobefxiend him, asshehad be~
  friended Lodovico Sforza before him——-with alluring gifts, witty, intelligent
  letters, and thepossibilityofhercompany,forIsabella was famous asa
  woman ofincomparable beautyand charm.
  In1500 Louis invited Isabella toagreat partyinMilan tocelebrate his
  victory.


TxText:
  Leonardo daVinci built anenormous mechanical lion forthe af-
  fair:When thelionopened itsmouth, itspewed fresh lilies, thesymbols of
  French royalty.AtthepartyIsabella wore one ofher celebrated dresses
  (shehadbyfarthelargest wardrobe ofanyoftheItalian princesses),and
  justasshehadhoped, shecharmed andcaptivated Louis, who ignoredall
  theother ladies vyingforhisattention. She soon became hisconstant com-
  panion,and inexchangeforherfriendshiphepledgedtoprotectMantua's
  independence from Venice.
  As onedanger receded, however, another, more worryingone arose,
  this time from thesouth, intheform ofCesare Borgia Startingin1500,
  Borgiahad marched steadily northward, gobbling upallthesmall king-
  doms inhispathinthe name ofhisfather, Pope Alexander. Isabella under»
  stood Cesare perfectly:He could beneither tnisted 1101' inany way
  offended. Hehad tobecajoledandkeptatarm's length. Isabella began by
  sending him gifts——falcons, prize dogs, perfumes,and dozens ofmasks,
  which sheknew healwayswore when hewalked the streets ofRome. She
  sentmessengers with flattering greetings (althoughthese messengers also
  acted asherspies). At onepoint Cesare asked ifhecould house some
  troopsinMantua; Isabella managedtodissuade himpolitely, knowingfull
  well that once thetroopswere quarteredinthecity, theywould never
  leave.
  Even while Isabella wascharming Cesare, she convincedeveryone
  around her totake care never toutter aharsh word about him, since he
  had spies everywhere and would use theslightest pretextforinvasion.
  When Isabella had achild, sheasked Cesare tobethegodfather.She even
  dangledinfront ofhim thepossibilityofamarriagebetween herfamily
  and his. Somehow itallworked, foralthoughelsewhere heseized every-
  thinginhispath,hesparedMantua.
  In1503 Cesare's father, Alexander, died, and afewyearslater the new
  pope, Julius II,went towar todrive theFrench troops from Italy. When
  theruler ofFe1rara——Alfonso, Isabella's brother—sided with theFrench,
  Juliusdecided toattack andhumble him. Once againIsabella found herself
  inthemiddle: thepopeon one side, theFrench and herbrother onthe
  other.


TxText:
  She dared notallyherself with either, but tooffend either would be
  equallydisastrous. Againsheplayedthedoublegameatwhich shehad be-
  come soexpert. Onthe one hand shegotherhusband Gonzagatofightfor
  thepope, knowinghewould notfight veryhard. On theother shelet
  Frenchtroops pass throughMantua tocome toFerrara's aid. While she
  publicly complained that theFrench had “invaded” herterritory,shepri-
  vately supplied them with valuable information. Tomake the invasion
  plausibletoJulius,she even had theFrench pretendtoplunderMantua. It
  worked once again: ThepopeleftMantua alone.
  In1513, after alengthy siege, Julius defeated Ferrara, and theFrench
  troopswithdrew. Worn outbytheeffort, thepopedied afewmonths later.
  With hisdeath, thenightmarish cycle ofbattles andpetty squabbles began
  torepeatitself.leisurely /kedingonthe
  dead kites and crows.
  and then lefttheplace
  Italy andhearty,
  observing, "The Ivmk
  hem?/it byIlze1]M(lI'I'tf].¥
  of(hemighty."
  INDIAN EARLF3
  Men ofgreat abilities
  areslow :0act.foritis
  easier Inavoid ncca«
  .s'irm.r forcommiltirzg
  yourselfthan to('only
  well nut(Ifacommit-
  mml. Such 0L'L'llSf07lS
  testyourjudgmeut; itis
  safer toavoid them
  than toemerge victurr
  nusfrom them. One
  obligation loads toa
  greaterone. and you
  mme veryneur tnthe
  brink 0/'di.m.\'ter.
  BALTASAR GR/u'1A:\'.
  16014658
  LAW 20 I51
  '11Eli'.l§A<;l EAND T]il-Z.'~'()\X'
  Arteagle built anest on
  atree, and hatched out
  some euglets. And fl
  wild sowbrought her
  litter umier the tree.
  T111'aagfe used tofly
  off'after herprey. and
  bring itback toher
  young. And the sow
  rooted around the tree
  and hunted inthe
  woods, and when night
  came shewould bring
  heryoung something
  toeat.
  And theeagle and the
  sow lived inneighborly
  fashion. And a
  grimalkin laid her
  plum' todestroy the
  eaglezsand thelittle


TxText:
  Sucrking pigr She went
  totheeagle, and said:
  "Eagle, you had better
  nalfly veryfaraway.
  Beware ofthe sow;shc
  ixplanninganevil
  design. She isgoing(0
  undemzine the roots of
  the tree. You seeshe is'
  rootingah?thetime."
  Then thegrmuzlkin
  went tothe sow and
  mid: "Saw, you have
  not 42good tteighbor.
  Last Uvfntng Iheard
  theeagle saying toher
  eagles': 'Mydear (title
  eaglels,1 amgoing to
  treat youtoanice little
  pig. Just assoon asthe
  row isgone, Iwillbring
  youitlittle young
  sucking pig.'"
  From that time the
  eagle ceased tojiy out
  after prey, mad the sow
  did not goany more
  into thr_fnre.vt. The
  euglets and theyoung
  pigs perishedof.§'!l1t'\'fl~
  tion. mm'grimztlkin
  fenstrcionthem.
  mnx.r=.s,
  1,150 ToLSTOY.
  [R28-#1010
  152' LAW 20Agreat deal changedinItaly during Isabella's reign: Popescame and
  went, Cesare Borgiarose and then fell, Venice lost itsempire,Milan wasin
  vaded, Florence fellinto decline, and Rome was sacked bytheHapsburg
  Emperor Charles V.Through allthis, tiny Mantua notonly survived but
  thrived, itscourt theenvyofItaly.Itswealth andsovereigntywould remain
  intact for acenturyafter Isabella's death, in1539.
  Interpretation
  Isabella d'Este understood Italy's politicalsituation with amazing clarity:
  Onceyou took theside ofanyoftheforces inthefield, youwere doomed.
  Thepowerful would takeyou over, theweak would wearyoudown. Any
  new alliance would lead toanewenemy,and asthiscyclestirredupmore
  conflict, other forces would bedragged in,untilyou could nolonger extri-
  cateyourself. Eventually you would collapse from exhaustion.
  Isabella steered herkingdomontheonlycourse that would bring her
  safely through.She would notallow herself tolose herhead through loy~
  altytoaduke oraking. Nor would shetrytostop theconflict thatraged
  around her---that would only drag herinto it.And inanycase theconflict
  was toheradvantage.


TxText:
  Ifdievarious partieswere fightingtothedeath, and
  exhaustingthemselves intheprocess, theywere innopositiontogobble
  upMantua. The source ofIsabella'spowerwas herclever abilitytoseem
  interested intheaffairs and interests ofeach side, while actuallycommib
  tingtono one butherself and herkingdom.
  Onceyoustepinto a.fight that isnotofyourown choosing, youlose all
  initiative. The combatants' interests becomeyour interests; youbecome
  their tool. Learn tocontrol yourself,torestrainyournaturaltendencyto
  take sides andjointhefight. Befriendly andcharmingtoeach ofthe com~
  batants, then stepback astheycollide. V/Wthevery battle they grow weaker,
  whileyou grow strongerwitheverybattleyou avoid.
  When thesnipeand themussel struggle, thefishetman getsthebenefit.
  Ancient Chinese saying
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Tosucceed inthegameofpower, youhave tomasteryouremotions. But
  even ifyou succeed ingainingsuch self-control, youcan never control the
  temperamental dispositions ofthose aroundyou. And thispresentsagreat
  danger. Most people operateinawhirlpool ofemotions, constantlyreact'
  ing,churning upsquabblesand conflicts. Your sell'—contIol andautonomy
  willonly bother and infuriate them. They willmytodrawyou into the
  whirlpool, begging youtotake sides intheir endless battles, ortomake
  peaceforthem. Ifyou succumb totheir emotional entreaties, littlebylittle
  youwillfindyourmind and time occupied bytheirproblems.Donotallow
  whatever compassionandpity you possesstosuckyouin.You can never
  wininthisgame;theconflicts canonlymultiply.
  Ontheother hand, you cannot completelystand aside, forthat would
  cause needless offense. Toplaythegame properly, you must seem inter-
  ested inother people's problems,even sometimes appeartotake their side.
  Butwhile you make outwardgesturesofsupport, you must maintainyour
  innerenergyandsanity bykeeping your emotions disengaged.Nomatter
  how hard people trytopull you in,never letyourinterest intheir affairs
  andpetty squabbles gobeyondthesurface. Give them gifts,listen with a
  sympathetic look, even occasionally play thecharmer-—but inwardly keep
  both thefriendly kingsand theperfidious Borgiasatarm's length. Byrefus~
  ingtocommit and thus maintaining your autonomy youretain theinitia-
  tive: Your moves staymatters ofyourown choosing,not defensive


TxText:
  reactions tothepush-and~pu1l ofthose aroundyou.
  Slowness topick upyour weaponscanbeaweapon itself, especiallyif
  youletother peopleexhaust themselves fighting,then take advantage of
  their exhaustion. Inancient China, thekingdom ofChin once invaded the
  kingdom ofHsing. Huan, theruler ofanearby province, thought he
  should rush toHsing's defense, but hisadviser counseled him towait:
  “Hsingisnotyetgoingtoruin,” hesaid, “and Chin isnotyetexhausted. If
  Chin isnotexhausted, [we] cannot becomeveryinfluential. Moreover, the
  merit ofsupportingastate indangerisnot asgreatasthevirtue ofreviving
  aruined one.” The adviser's argumentwon theday,and ashehadpre-
  dicted, Huan later had theglory both ofrescuing Hsing from thebrink of
  destruction and then ofconqueringanexhausted Chin. Hestayed outof
  thefightinguntil theforces engagedinithad worn each other down, at
  which pointitwas safe forhim tointervene.
  That iswhat holding back from thefrayallows you: time toposition
  yourselftotake advantage ofthesituation once one side starts tolose. You
  canalso take thegameastepfurther, bypromising your support toboth
  sides inaconflict while maneuveringsothat the one tocome outahead in
  thestruggleisyou. This was whatCastn1ccio Castracani, ruler oftheItalian
  town ofLucca inthefourteenthcentury,didwhen hehaddesignsonthe
  town ofPistoia. Asiege would have been expensive, costingboth lives and
  money,butCastruccio knew that Pistoia contained tworival factions, the
  Blacks and theWhites, which hated one another. Henegotiated with the
  Blacks, promisingtohelpthem againsttheWhites; then, without their
  knowledge,hepromisedthe Whites hewould helpthem against the
  Blacks. And Castruccio kepthispromiseswhesent anarmytoaBlack-
  controlled gate tothecity,which the sentxies ofcourse welcomed in.
  Meanwhile another ofhisarmies entered throughaWhite—control1ed gate.
  The two armies united inthemiddle, occupiedthetown, killed theleaders
  ofboth factions, ended theinternal war, andtook Pistoia forCastruccio.
  Preserving your autonomy gives you optionswhen peoplecome to
  blows—~youcanplaythemediator, broker thepeace, while really securing
  yourown interests.


TxText:
  You canpledge support toone side and theother may
  have tocourt you with ahigher bid.Or,likeCastruccio, youcanappearto
  takeboth sides, thenplaytheantagonists againsteach other.
  Dftentimes when aconflict breaks out, youaretemptedtoside with
  thestronger party,orthe onethat offersyouapparent advantages inanal-THE Pliltlli OFE'\'\"Y
  While apoorwoman
  stood inthemarker-
  place selling cheeses,(1
  cat came along and
  carried offu cheese. A
  dogsaw thepilferer
  and Iried tolake the
  cheese away from him.
  The catstood uplathe
  dog. Sotheypitched
  into each other. The
  dog barked and
  mapped;the ca!spa:
  and scratched, butthey
  could bring thebattle
  tonodecision,
  “Let's gotothefoxand
  have him referee the
  mailer," the catfinally
  suggested.
  “Agreed,"said thedog.
  Sotheywen! Inthefox.
  Thefox listened totheir
  arguments with ajurli~
  ciaus air.
  “Foolish animals," he
  chided them, “why
  carryonlike that? If
  both ofyou arewilling,
  I'lldivide thecheese in
  two andyou'll both be
  satisfied."
  “/lgrecrl. "said die cut
  and thedog.
  50thefaxtook outhis
  knife and cuttheltheese
  intwo, but, instead of
  czuting itlengthwise, he'
  Cutitinthewidth.
  "Mylmlfis smaller!"
  protestedthedog.
  Theforlooked judi-
  ciously through his
  .s'pectarle.ratthedog's
  share,
  "You're right, quite
  right!" hedecided.
  Sohewent and bitoff
  apiece ofrhe catk
  share.
  “That will make it
  evem”' hesaid.
  When the cm' saw what
  Ihefoxdidshebegan
  10yowl:
  LAW 20 153
  “Jam! look.' Myport3*
  .\'ma[l4'r noun'"
  Thefoxagain put on
  his\pm'/m,'It'.\'um!
  looked jutliciously41!
  thecalis' .8/luff.
  “Right you are/"mid
  (hvfox. “./last (0
  /Iumzmt, andI'llmake
  itng/tr.“
  And hewent and bit
  0/fa ])l('('i", from[hr
  dog'; vlzeevv
  'I7'Ii.\' wen! mi \'1;long,
  with thefoxnibbling
  ;'5r.\'.tasthe(logic and
  then at/hecat]: simre.


TxText:
  that 1ie*fEna:'!_vareup
  (hewhale cheese brforc'
  theirey<'.s'.
  A'lKEASUi<Y or .lF.WL\H
  F()i,,KL<)Rl:.
  NA'l'iI»\N Atr<\:1;H.1'r)‥
  1948
  154 LAW 20Hence. This isriskybusiness. First, itisoften difficult toforesee which side
  willprevailinthelongrun. But even ifyou guess rightandallyyourself
  with thestronger party, you mayfindyourselfswallowedupand lost, or
  conveniently forgotten, when they become victors. Side with theweaker,
  ontheother hand, andyouaredoomed. Butplayawaiting gameandyou
  cannot lose.
  InFrances JulyRevolution of1830, after three days ofriots, the states-
  man Talleyrand,nowelderly,satbyhisParis window, listeningtothepeel-
  ingbells thatsignaled theriots were over. Turning toanassistant, hesaid,
  “Ah, thebells! We're winning.” “Who's 'we,' manpuma?”the assistant
  asked. Gesturing forthe man tokeep quiet, Talleyrand replied, “Not a
  word! I'lltellyouwho we aretomorrow.” Hewell knew thatonlyfools
  rush into asitualion—tl1a.t bycommitting tooquickly youloseyourma~
  neuverability. Peoplealso respect youless: Perhaps tomorrow, they think,
  youwill commit toanother, dilferent cause, sinceyou gave yourselfsoeas
  ilytothis one. Good fortune isafickle god andwill oftenpass from one
  side totheother. Commitment toone sidedeprives youoftheadvantage of
  time and theluxury ofwaiting.Let others fallinlove with thisgroupor
  that; foryour part don't rush in,don't lose your head.
  Finally,there areoccasions when itiswisest todropallpretence ofap-
  pearing supportiveand instead totrumpet your independenceand self»
  reliance. The aristocraticpose ofindependenceisparticularly important
  forthose who need togain respect. George Washington recognizedthis in
  hiswork toestablish theyoungAmerican republiconfirm groundAs
  president, Washingtonavoided thetemptationofmakinganalliance with
  France orEngland, despitethepressureonhim todo so.Hewanted the
  countrytoearn theworld's respect throughitsindependence. Althougha
  treaty with France mighthave helpedintheshort toxin, inthelongrun he
  knew itwould bemore effective toestablish thenation's autonomy.Eu-


TxText:
  ropewould have toseetheUnited States asanequal power.
  Remember: You have onlysomuchenergyand somuch time. Every
  moment wasted ontheaffairs ofothers subtracts fromyour strength.You
  maybeafraid thatpeoplewill condemn youasheartless, but intheend,
  maintaining your independenceand selfvreliance willgain youmore re
  spectandplace youinaposition ofpower from which youcan choose to
  helpothers onyourown initiative.
  Image: AThicket ofShrubs.
  Intheforest, one shrub
  latches on toanother.
  entzmgling itsIwighboi'
  with itsthorns, the thicket
  slowly extendingitsimpen-
  etrable domain' Onlywhat
  keeps itsclistancze and
  stands apartcan grow and
  rise above the thicket.
  Authority: Regard itas
  morecourageousnot to
  become involved in an
  engagementthan towin
  inbattle, and where there
  isalreadyoneinterfering
  fool, take care that there
  shall notbetwo. (Baltasar
  Gracian, 1601-1658]
  REVERSAL
  Both parts ofthislawwill turn against youifyoutake ittoofar.Thegame
  proposed here isdelicate anddifficult. Ifyouplaytoomany parties against
  oneanother, they will seethroughthe maneuver andwillgang uponyou.
  Ifyoukeep your growing number ofsuitors waiting toolong, youwill in-
  spirenotdesire but distrust. People will start tolose interest. Eventually
  youmay find itworthwhile tocommit toone sidevwif only forappearances'
  sake, toprove youarecapable ofattachment.
  Even then, however, thekeywill betomaintainyourinner indepen-
  dence-—to keep yourselffrom getting emotionallyinvolved. Preserve the
  unspoken optionofbeing able toleave atany moment and reclaim your
  freedom ifthesideyouareallied with starts tocollapse. The friends you
  made while youwere being courted willgive youplenty ofplacestogo
  once youjump ship.
  LAW 20 755
  156;LAW
  21
  PLAY ASUCKER TO CATCH
  ASUCKER-——~SEEM DUMBER
  THAN YOUR MARK
  JUDGMISNT
  No one likesfeeling st-upiderthan thenextperson.The
  hick, tiwn, istomake your victims feel smart——-and not
  just smart, butsmarter than youam. Once convinced of
  this, they will neversuspectthatyou mayhave ulterior
  motives.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Inthewinter of1872, theU.


TxText:
  S. financier Asbury Harpending;wasvisiting
  London when hereceived acable: Adiamond mine had been discovered
  intheAmerican West. The cable came from areliable source—-William
  Ralston, owner oftheBank ofCalifomia—-but Harpendingnevertheless
  took itasapractical joke, probably inspired bythe recent discovery of
  huge diamond mines inSouth Africa. True, whenreportshad first come in
  ofgoldbeingdiscovered inthewestern United States, everyone had been
  skeptical,and those had turned out tobetrue. But adiamond mine inthe
  West' Haipendingshowed thecable tohisfellow financier Baron Roth
  schild (one oftherichest men intheworld), saying itmust be ajoke.The
  baron, however, replied, “Don't betoo sure about that. America isavery
  large country. Ithasfurnished theworld with many surprises already.Per-
  hapsithasothers instore.” Harpending promptlytook thefirstshipback
  totheStates.
  When Harpendingreached SanFrancisco, there was anexcitement in
  theairrecalling theGold Rush days ofthelate 1840s. Two crusty prospec-
  torsnamed Philip Arnold andjohn Slack had been the ones tofind thedi-
  amond mine. Theyhad notdivulgeditslocation, inWyoming, buthad led
  .aliighly respected mining experttoitseveral weeks back, takingacircular
  route sohecould notguesshiswhereabouts. Once there, theexperthad
  watched astheminers dug updiamonds. Back inSan Francisco theexpert
  hadtaken thegemstovarious jewelers,oneofwhom had estimated their
  worth at$15 million.
  Ha:-pending and Ralston now asked Amold and Slack toaccompany
  them back toNew York, where thejewelerCharles Tiffanywould verify
  theoriginalestimates. The prospectors responded uneasily--theysmelled
  atrap: How could theymust these city slickers? Vifhat ifTiffanyand thefi-
  nanciers managedtosteal thewhole mine outfrom under them? Ralston
  tried toallay their fears bygivingthem $100,000 andplacinganother
  $300,000 inescrow forthem. Ifthedeal went through, they would bepaid
  anadditional $300,000. The miners agreed.
  Thelittlegrouptraveled toNew York, where ameetingwasheld atthe
  mansion ofSamuel L.Barlow. The cream ofthecity's aristocracywas inat-


TxText:
  tx-,ndance——General George Brinton McClellan, commander oftheUnion
  forces intheCivil War; General Benjamin Butler; Horace Greeley,editor
  ofthenewspapertheNew Ybrk Tribune; Harpending; Ralston; andTiffany.
  Only Slack and Arnold were missing—-as tourists inthecity,theyhad de-
  cided togosight-seeing.
  When Tiffanyannounced that thegemswere real andworth a.fortune,
  thefinanciers could barely control their excitement. Theywired Roth-
  _,schild andother tycoons totellthem about thediamond mine andinviting
  them toshare inthe investment. Atthe same time, theyalso told the
  prospectorsthatthey wanted one more test:Theyinsisted that aminingex-
  Ipertoftheir choosing accompanySlack andArnold tothesitetoverifyits
  'wealth. The prospectors reluctantly agreed. Inthemeantime, they said,Now. tlnm: isnothing
  ofwhich amun is
  prouder thanofImel-
  iecvuul ubiliIy,for11is
  this that gives him his'
  mmmarzding plan:In
  theanimal world. 1:is
  ane.rz:eerIingIyrush
  thingtoletanyone we
  (ha: you aredecidedly
  3:upcriur10him in[his
  respect, and toletother
  peopleseeittoo. . . .
  Hence, while rank and
  riciies may always
  reckon upon deferen-
  Iial rreamzmr insncirrzy;
  that iss()mc,'2'hiIIg u,hin'z
  inzeitrrctmil abilitycan
  never expect: Tobe
  ignored isthegrecltcsl
  favour rliowri 10it;and
  ifpr-'opts rwlice itatall,
  itislwcausc they
  regard IfasapI'.c'r'e of
  impertmrmrr, orelse as
  $(>metIn'ng tnwhirl: its
  p:n:¢e.v.s'rn'[ms nolegiti-
  marc right, and upon
  which hedares Inpride
  hirIm'If.' and inremind-
  lion and revenge for
  hisconduct, people
  soc-relly Irvam! lzunn'ii-
  alehill! insome other
  way.' andifthey wait to
  dothis, 1'115onlyfor41
  fitting oppm'mm'iy. A
  man may berLHm!11bIv
  asp().s'.riI7lcii1 his
  ilemcunour. andye!
  /mrdlyever getpeople
  tooverlook hiscrime
  inxru/irling imeI[ecm-
  ally above them. Inthe
  Garden ofRoses.


TxText:
  Sadr'
  make-5 thz:remark.-
  "You should know that
  fuoli.s']1 [implyan! a
  humiredfnlzi mon-
  uwerse 10meeting (he
  wire than I/In'wise
  areirutir/:<m'ci /or
  (hecompany of
  mefoolish."
  LAW 21 15?'
  ()n (heother /mm]. Iti.\'
  11rml remrrinwmlulirm
  tobestupizl. For m.s.'tz/1.x'
  wumulz isagrcrtuh/¢' to
  the(Indy‥\'l7itrlmtv the
  mind gum! lofeel its
  \'upz'Vmri!y.'and 41man
  will seek <'Im1])unV
  likely togive him I/nix'
  fwlnzg,usinmmzrvcly
  usheWilluppruuc/1 the
  _firr'plm*vorwalk mthe
  .\'IlVlifhewarns toget
  warm. Bu! llzlr mcam'
  that In:will beills/ikurl
  rmtlttffltttll ufhix supe-
  riority; umi 1'/cl man ix
  /0beIilrml. hemm'!
  really bein/'eriur in
  pain! ofinrcllecl.
  ARIHiZR
  SrII(wl~.N|IAL=|~:R.
  l7h'2*l~l?<(»()
  1581LAW 21they had toreturn toSan Francisco. ThejewelsthatTiffany had examined
  they leftwithHarpendingforsafekeeping.
  Several weeks later,aman named Louis Janin,thebestmining expert
  inthecountry,met theprospectorsinSan Francisco. _]ani.nwas aborn
  skeptic who was determined tomake sure that themine was not afraud.
  Accompanying janinwere Harpending,and several other interested fi~
  nanciers. Aswith theprevious expert,theprospectors ledtheteam through
  acomplexseries ofcanyons, completely confusingthem astotheir where
  abouts. Arriving atthesite, thefinanciers watched inamazement asjanin
  dug the areaup,leveling anthills, turningover boulders, andfindingemer-
  alds, rubies, sapphires,and most ofalldiamonds. Thediglasted eight days,
  andbytheend, was convinced: Hetold theinvestors thattheynow
  possessedtherichest field inmining history. “With ahundred men and
  proper machinery,"hetoldthem, “Iwould guaranteetosend out onemil
  lion dollars indiamondsevery thirty days."
  ReturningtoSan Francisco afewdays later, Ralston, Harpending,and
  companyacted fast toform a$10million corporation ofprivateinvestors.
  First, however, theyhad togetridofArnold and Slack. That meant hiding


TxText:
  their excitement—they certainlydid not want toreveal thefield's real
  value. Sothey played possum. Who knows if_]aninisright, they told the
  prospectors,the minemay notbe asrich aswethink. This just made the
  prospectors angry. Tryingadifferent tactic, thefinanciers told thetwo men
  thatiftheyinsisted onhaving shares inthemine, theywould endupbeing
  fleeced bytheunscrupulous tycoons and investors who would runthe cor-
  poration; better, they said, totake the$700,000 alreadyofferecl—an enor»
  mous sum atthetime—and puttheir greed aside. This theprospectors
  seemed tounderstand, andtheyfinally agreed totake themoney,inreturn
  signing therightstothesite over tothefinanciers, andleaving mapstoit.
  News ofthe minespreadlike wildfire. Prospectorsfanned out across
  Wyoming. Meanwhile Harpendingandgroup began spendingthemillions
  theyhad collected from their investors, buying equipment, hiringthebest
  men inthebusiness, andfurnishing luxurious offices inNew York and San0
  Francisco.
  Afew weeks later, ontheir firsttripback tothesite,theylearned the
  hard truth: Not asinglediamond orrubywas tobefound. Itwas allafake.
  Theywere mined. Harpendinghadunwittinglylured therichest men in
  theworld into thebiggestscam ofthecentury.
  Interpretation
  Arnold and Slack pulled offtheir stupendouscon notbyusingafake engi-
  neer orbribing Tiffany:Alloftheexpertshad been real. Allofthem hon-
  estlybelieved inthe existence ofthemine and inthevalue ofthe gems.
  What had fooled them allwasnothingelse than Arnold and Slack them-
  selves. The two men seemed tobesuch rubes, such hayseeds,sonaive, that
  no one for aninstant had believed them capable ofanaudacious scam.
  The prospectorshadsimplyobserved thelaw ofappearingmore stupid
  than themark-—the deceiver's First Commandment.
  Thelogistics ofthe con werequite simple.Months before Arnold and
  Slack announced the“discovery” ofthediamond mine, theytraveled to
  Europe,where they purchasedsome realgemsforaround $12,000 (partof
  themoney they had saved from their daysasgold miners). Theythen


TxText:
  salted the“mine” with thesegems,which thefirst expert dug upand
  broughttoSan Francisco. Thejewelerswho hadappraisedthese stones, in»
  cluding Tiffany himself, hadgotten caught upinthefever and hadgrossly
  overestimated their value. Then Ralstongavetheprospectors $l00,000 as
  security,andimmediatelyafter their triptoNew York they simplywent to
  Amsterdam, where they bought sacks ofuncutgems,before rammingto
  SanFrancisco. The second time theysalted themine, there weremany
  morejewelstobefound.
  The effectiveness ofthescheme, however, rested not ontricks like
  these but onthefact thatArnold and Slack playedtheir partstoperfection.
  Ontheir triptoNew York, where they mingled with millionaires andty—
  coons, they played uptheir clodhopper image, wearing pantsand coats a
  size ortwo toosmall andacting incredulous ateverything theysaw inthe
  bigcity.No one believed that these country simpletonscould possiblybe
  conning the most devious, unscrupulous financiers ofthe time. And once
  Harpending, Ralston, and even Rothschild acceptedthemine's existence,
  anyonewho doubted itwasquestioningtheintelligence oftheworld's most
  successful businessmen.
  Intheend, Harpending's reputationwas mined and henever recov-
  ered; Rothschild learned hislesson and never fellforanother con; Slack
  took hismoneyanddisappeared from view, never tobefound. Arnold
  simplywent home toKentucky.After all,hissale ofhismining rightshad
  beenlegitimate;thebuyershad taken thebest advice, andifthemine had
  runoutofdiamonds, that was their problem. Arnold used themoneyto
  greatly enlarge hisfarm andopen upabank ofhis own.
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Thefeelingthat someone else ismore intelligent than we are isalmost in-
  tolerable. Weusually trytojustify itindifierentways:“Heonlyhasbook
  knowledge, whereas Ihave realknowledge.”“Herparents paid forherto
  getagoodeducation. Ifmyparents had had asmuchmoney, ifIhad been
  asprivileged‥ ‥”“He's not assmart ashethinks.” Last butnotleast: “She
  mayknow her narrow little field better than Ido,butbeyondthat she's re-
  allynotsmart atall.Even Einstein was aboob outside physics.”


TxText:
  Given how importanttheidea ofintelligence istomost people'svan-
  ity,itiscritical never inadvertentlytoinsult orimpugnaperson's brain
  power.That isanunforgivable sin.Butifyoucanmake thisiron rule work
  foryou,itopens upallsorts ofavenues ofdeception. Sublirninallyreassure
  peoplethattheyare more intelligentthanyou are, oreven thatyouare a
  bitofamoron, andyoucan runringsaround them. Thefeeling ofintellee
  tualsuperiority yougivethem will disarm their suspiciorrmuscles.
  In1865 thePrussian councillor Otto von Bismarck wanted Austria to
  LAW 21;I59
  I603LAW 2]signacertain treaty.The treatywastotallyintheinterests ofPrussia and
  against the interests ofAustria, and Bismarck would have tostrategizeto
  gettheAusmans toagreetoitButtheAustrian negotiator,Count Blorne,
  was anavidcardplayer.Hisparticular gamewasquinze,and he often said
  that hecould judgeaman's character bythewayheplayed quinze.Bis-
  marck knew ofthissaying ofBlome's.
  Thenight before thenegotiationswere tobegin,Bismarck innocently
  engagedBlome inagame ofquinze.The Prussian would later write, “That
  was theverylast time Iever played quinze. Iplayedsorecklesslythat
  everyonewas astonished. Ilostseveral thousand talers [thecurrency ofthe
  time], butIsucceeded infooling [Blome], forhebelieved me tobemore
  venturesome than Iamand Igave way.”Besides appearing reckless, Bis-
  marck alsoplayedthewitless fool, sayingridiculous things andbumbling
  about with asurplus ofnervousenergy.
  Allthis made Blome feel hehadgadiered valuable information. He
  knew that Bismarck wasaggressive———thePrussian alreadyhad that reputa-
  tion, and theway heplayedhad confirmed it.And aggressive men, Blome
  knew, can befoolish and rash. Accordingly,when thetime came toSign
  thetreaty,Blome thought hehad theadvantage. Aheedless fool like Bis-
  marck, hethought, isincapable ofcold—blooded calculation anddeception,
  soheonly glancedatthetreatybefore signingit—he failed toread thefine
  print.Assoon astheink wasdry,ajoyousBismarck exclaimed inhisface,
  “Well, Icould never have believed thatIshould find anAustrian diplomat
  willing tosignthat document!”
  The Chinese have aphrase, “Masqueraclingasaswine tokill the
  tiger.” This refers toanancient hunting techniqueinwhich thehunter


TxText:
  clothes himself inthehide and snout ofapig,and mimics itsgrunting. The
  mighty tigerthinks apigiscominghisway,and letsitgetclose, savoring
  theprospect ofaneasymeal. Butitisthehunter who hasthelastlaugh.
  Masqueradingasaswine works wonders onthose who, liketigers,are
  arrogant and overconfident: The easier they think itistopreyonyou,the
  more easily youcan turn thetables. This trick isalso useful ifyouareambi-
  tiousyetfindyourself low inthehierarchy: Appearing lessintelligentthan
  you are, even abitofafool, istheperfect disguise.Look like aharmlesspig
  and noonewill believe you harbor dangerousambitions. They mayeven
  promote you since youseem solikable, and subservient. Claudius before
  hebecameemperor ofRome, and theprince ofFrance who later became
  Louis XIII, used this tactic when those above themsuspected they might
  have designsonthethrone. Byplayingthefool asyoung men, theywere
  leftalone. When thetime came forthem tostrike, and toactwith vigorand
  decisiveness, they caught everyone oi?-guard.
  Intelligence istheobvious qualitytodownplay, butwhy stop there?
  Taste and sophisticationrank close tointelligenceonthevanity scale;
  make peoplefeeltheyare more sophisticatedthanyouareand their guard
  will come down. AsArnold and Slack knew, anairofcompletenaiveté can
  work wonders. Those fancyfinanciers were laughingatthem behind their
  backs, butwho laughedloudest intheend? Ingeneral, then, alwaysmake
  peoplebelieve theyaresmarter and more sophisticated than youare.They
  willkeep you around becauseyoumake them feel better about themselves,
  andthelonger youarearound, the more opportunities youwillhave todo
  ceive them.
  Im a.ge 2
  The Opossum. Inplaying
  dead, theopossum plays stupid.
  Manyapredatorhas therefore leftit
  alone. Who could believe that such an
  ugly, unintelligent,nervous little creature
  could becapable ofsuch deception?
  Authority:Know how tomake useofstupidity:The wisest man
  playsthis card attimes. There are occasions when thehighest
  wisdom consists inappearingnot toknow—youmust notbeign0—
  rant butcapableofplayingit.Itisnot much good beingwise
  amongfools and saneamong lunatics. Hewhoposesasafool isnot
  afool.


TxText:
  The best waytobewell received byallistoclothe yourself
  intheskin ofthedumbest ofbrutes. (Baltasar Gracién, 1601-1658)
  REVE RSA14
  Toreveal thetrue nature ofyour intelligence rarely pays; you should getin
  thehabit ofdownplayingitatalltimes. Ifpeople inadvertently learn the
  truth—-that youareactuallymuch smarter thanyoulook--«they will admire
  youmore forbeing discreet than formaking your brilliance show. Atthe
  start ofyourclimb tothetop, ofcourse, youcannotplaytoostupid:You
  maywant toletyour bosses know, inasubtleway,thatyouare smarter
  than thecompetitionaroundyou. Asyouclimb theladder, however, you
  should tosome degree trytodampen yourbrilliance.
  There is,however, one situation where itpaystodotheopposite-
  whenyoucan coverupadeception with ashow ofintelligence. Inmatters
  ofsmarts asinmost things, appearancesarewhat count. Ifyouseem to
  haveauthorityandknowledge, people will believe whatyou say.This can
  beveryuseful ingetting yououtofascrape.
  The artdealer JosephDuveen was once attendingasoirée attheNew
  York home ofatycoontowhom hehadrecentlysold aDiirer paintingfor
  LAW 21 I51
  I62 LAW 'llahigh price. Among theguestswas ayoung French artcritic who seemed
  extremely knowledgeableand confident. Wantingtoimpressthis man, the
  tyeoon's daughter showed him theDiirer, which had notyetbeen hung.
  The critic studied itfor atime, then finally said, “You know, Idon't think
  thisDiirer isright.”Hefollowed theyoungwoman asshehurried totell
  herfather what hehad said, and listened asthemagnate, deeply unsettled,
  turned toDuveen for reassurance. Duveen justlaughed.“Howveryamus-
  ing,”hesaid. “Doyourealize, young man, that atleast twentyother art ex-
  pertshere and inEuropehave been taken intoo, and have said that
  paintingisn't genuine?And now you'vemade the same mistake.” His con-
  fident tone and airofauthorityintimidated theFrenchman, whoapolo-
  gizedforhismistake.
  Duveen knew that the artmarket was flooded with fakes, and that
  many paintingshad been falselyascribed toold masters. Hetried hisbest
  todistinguish thereal from thefake, but inhiszeal tosell heoften over-
  playedawork's authenticity.


TxText:
  What mattered tohim was that thebuyerbe-
  lieved hehad boughtaDiii-er, and that Duveen himself convinced
  everyone ofhis“expertness” throughhisairofirreproachable authority,
  Thus, itisimportant tobeable toplaytheprofessorwhennecessary and
  never impose such anattitude foritsown sake.
  LAW
  22
  USE THE SURRENDER
  TACTIC: TRANSFORM
  WEAKNESS INTO POWER
  JUDGMENT
  When youareweaker, never fightforhonor': sake; choose
  surrender instead. Surrender gives youtime torecover;
  time totorment and irritate your conqueror,time towait
  forhispowertowane. Donotgivehim thesatisfaction of
  fighting and defeating you——surrenderfirst. Byturning
  theother cheekyouinfuriateand unsettle him. Make
  surrender atoolofpower.
  153
  'lI'1I".l'|lI 'NI'Vl'| \7\l)
  |'I[la |'|(. '|'l(|'l
  Aman who had
  climbed upon(Icertain
  figtree, was[muting
  thebanghs toward him
  andplmrking theripe
  fruit, which hethen
  putmm hismouth to
  (ie.rIrr>y and gnaw
  with hishard teeth. The
  vlzertnut. seeing this'.
  l().l'Se(l in'long bt'(ltu.'ht'.\'
  and with ttnnultuotts
  VILYIIL' excluintell: "Oh
  Fig! How much less
  protected byzmture you
  arethan I.Seehow my
  mien! offspringare set
  inClose array,'/irst
  clorhzrrl insoft wrap-
  persover which isthe
  hard butsoftly lined
  Itusk. Aml not mntenl
  with this much care,
  nature has also given
  usthese slmrp and
  close-re! Sptne.s',sothat
  thehunt! ofman
  rrammt hurt us."
  Then tlmfigtreebegan
  10laugh. andafter the
  laug/tier itmitt: "You
  know well that man is
  0f.rm,h ingmttity that
  hewill berenve even
  youofyour children.
  But inyour ease hewill
  doitbymetms ofrods
  and stones; and when
  theyarefellc-tl hewill
  trample them Wtfll his
  feetorhitthem With
  .\fI)Il(',.\', sothat your
  of)';-prizzg will emerge
  from their armor
  crushed and niaimed.'
  while Iamlutlched
  carefully byhishands,


TxText:
  and never, like you,
  with r0llgltflt'.XS."
  LLONARDQ DAVINCI.
  14324519
  164 LAW 22TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  The island ofMelos isstrategicallysituated intheheart oftheMediter-
  ranean. Inclassical times, thecityofAthens dominated the seaand coastal
  areas around Greece, butSparta,inthePeloponnese,had been Mel0s's
  original colonizer. During thePeloponnesian War, then, theMelians re-
  fused toallythemselves with Athens and remained loyaltoMotherSparta.
  In416 B.C. theAthenians sent anexpedition againstMelos, Before launch-
  inganall—out attack, however, they dispatchedadelegationtopersuadethe
  Melians tosurrender and become anallyrather than suffer devastation and
  defeat.
  “You know aswell aswedo,” thedelegates said, “that thestandard of
  justice dependsontheequalityofpowertocompel,and that infact the
  strongdowhat theyhave thepowertodoand theweak acceptwhat they
  have toaccept.”When theMelians respondedthat this denied thenotion
  offairplay,theAthenians said that those inpowerdetermined what was
  fair and what was not. The Melians arguedthat thisauthority belongedto
  thegods,not tomortals, “Our opinion ofthegodsand ourknowledgeof
  men,” repliedamember oftheAthenian delegation,“lead ustoconclude
  that itisageneralandnecessarylawofnature torule whatever one can.”
  The Melians would notbudge. Sparta, they insisted, would come to
  their defense. The Athenians countered that theSpartanswere aconserva-
  tive,practical people, andwould nothelpMelos because they hadnothing
  togain and alottolosebydoingso.
  FinallytheMelians begantotalkofhonor and theprinciple ofresisting
  brute force. “Do notbeledastray byafalse sense ofhonor,” said theAthe-
  nians. “Honor often brings men toruin when theyarefaced with anobvi-
  ousdangerthat somehow affects their pride. There isnothing disgracefulin
  giving waytothegreatest cityinHellas when she isoffering yousuch rea-
  sonable terms.” The debate ended. The Melians discussed theissue among
  themselves, and decided totrust intheaidoftheSpartans,thewill ofthe
  gods,and thetightnessoftheir cause. They politely declined theAthenians'
  offer.
  Afewdayslater theAthenians invaded Melos. The Melians fought


TxText:
  nobly,even without theSpartans,who didnot come totheir rescue. Ittook
  several attemptsbefore theAthenians could surround and besiegetheir
  main city,but theMelians finallysurrendered. The Athenians wasted no
  tirne—they puttodeath allthe men ofmilitary agethattheycouldcapture,
  theysold the women and children asslaves, andthey re.-populated theis
  land with their own colonists. Onlyahandful ofMelians survived.
  Interpretation
  The Athenians were one ofthe most eminently practical peopleinhistory,
  andtheymade the most practical argument they could with theMelians:
  Whenyouareweaker, there isnothingtobegained byfightingauseless
  fight. No one comes tohelp theweak—by doingsotheywould only put
  themselves injeopardy.The weak are alone and must submit. Fighting
  gives younothingtogain butmartyrdom,and intheprocessalotofpeople
  who donotbelieve inyourcause will die.
  Weakness isnosin,and can even become astrength ifyou learn how
  toplayitright.Had theMelians surrendered inthefirstplace, theywould
  have been able tosabotagetheAthenians insubtle ways,ormighthave
  gotten what theycould have outofthealliance and then leftitwhen the
  Athenians themselves were weakened, asinfacthappened several years
  later. Fortunes change and themightyareoften broughtdown. Surrender
  conceals great power: Lullingtheenemy intocomplacency,itgives you
  time torecoup,time toundermine, time forrevenge.Never sacrifice that
  time inexchangeforhonor inabattle thatyoucannot win.
  Weakpeoplenever give way when theyoughtto.
  Cardinal tleR212, 16]3-16 79
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Sometime inthe 19205 theGerman writer Bertolt Brecht became aconvert
  tothe cause ofCommunism. From then onhisplays, essays,andpoemsre-
  flected hisrevolutionary fervor, and hegenerallytried tomake hisideolog-
  ical statements asclear aspossible.When Hitler came topowerin
  Germany,Brecht and hisCommunist colleaguesbecame marked men. He
  hadmanyfriends intheUnited States—Amerlcans who sympathized with
  hisbeliefs,aswell asfellow German intellectuals who had lied Hitler. In
  1941, accordingly,Brecht emigratedtotheUnited States, and chose toset-
  tleinLosAngeles, where hehopedtomake alivinginthefilm business.


TxText:
  Over thenext fewyearsBrecht wrotescreenplayswith apointedlyan—
  ticapitalistslant. Hehad little success inHollywood,soin1947, the war
  having ended, hedecided toreturn toEurope.That sameyear, however,
  theUS. Cong;ress'sHouse Un—American Activities Committee beganits
  investigationintosupposedCommunist infiltration inHollywood. Itbegan
  togather information onBrecht, who had soopenly espoused Marxism,
  and onSeptember 19,1947, onlyamonth before hehadplanned toleave
  theUnited States, hereceived asubpoenatoappearbefore thecommittee.
  Inaddition toBrecht, anumber ofother writers, producers, and directors
  were summoned toappearaswell, and thisgroupcame tobeknown asthe
  Hollywood19.
  Before goingtoWashington, theHollywood19met todecide onaplan
  ofaction. Their approach would beconfrontational. Instead ofanswering
  questions about their membership,orlack ofit,intheCommunist Party,
  they would read preparedstatements thatwould challengetheauthority of
  thecommittee andargue that itsactivities were unconstitutional. Even if
  thisstrategymeant imprisonment,itwould gainpublicityfortheir cause.
  Brecht disagreed. What goodwas it,heasked, toplaythemartyrand
  gainalittle public sympathyifintheprocess theylost theabilitytostage
  theirplaysand selltheirscriptsforyearstocome? Hefeltcertain theywereVoltaire wasliving in
  exile inLondon at:1
  time when untifrenclr
  3.-enrimem was in
  itshighest. One day
  walking I/trough the
  streets, hefound himself
  summnderl byan
  tmgry crowd. “Ilrmg
  him. Ilzmg theFrench
  man,”
  llzagv yelled.
  Voltaire calmly
  adrlrresmrl themob with
  thefollowing words:
  "Men ofEngland/ You
  wish tokill mt'because
  Iam aFrmchman. Am
  Ino:ymnirhed enough
  innotMing ham an
  Eirgléxhmarz?"T/tr:
  crowd charred /zis
  thoughtful wnrrlx, and
  escorted himsafely
  back mhislodgings.
  ins, LITTLE. BROWN
  noon orm+:n)o'rF.s.
  CI.lF'l'().\' FADIMAN, I-.t)‥
  1985
  LAW 22 I65
  166 LAW 22allmore intelligent than themembers ofthecommittee. Whylower them-
  selves tothelevel oftheir opponents byarguingwith them? Whynotout
  foxthecommittee byappearingtosurrender toitwhile subtly mocking it?
  TheHollywood19listened toBrecht politely,butdecided tostick totheir
  plan, leaving Brecht togohis ownway.
  The committee finallysummoned Brecht onOctober 30.Theyex-


TxText:
  pectedhim todowhat othersamongtheHollywood19who had testified
  before him had done: Argue, refuse toanswer questions, challengethe
  committee's righttohold itshearing,even yellandhurl insults. Much to
  their surprise, however, Brecht was thevery picture ofCongeniality.He
  wore asuit(somethingherarely did), smoked acigar (hehad heard that
  thecommittee chairman was apassionate cigar smoker), answered their
  questions politely,andgenerallydeferred totheir authority.
  Unlike theother witnesses, Brecht answered thequestion ofwhether
  hebelongedtotheCommunistParty:He was not amember, hesaid,
  which happenedtobethetruth. One committee member asked him, “isit
  trueyouhave written anumber ofrevolutionary plays?” Brecht had writ-
  tenmany playswith overt Communistmessages,but heresponded, “I
  have written anumber ofpoemsand songsandplaysinthefight against
  Hitler and, ofcourse, theycan beconsidered, therefore, asrevolutionary
  because I,ofcourse, was fortheoverthrow ofthatgovernment.” This state
  ment went unchallenged.
  Brecht's Englishwas more than adequate, butheused aninterpreter
  throughouthistestimony,atactic that allowed him toplaysubtlegames
  with language.When committee members found Communist leaningsin
  lines from Englisheditions ofhispoems,hewould repeatthelines inGer
  man fortheinterpreter,who would then retranslate them; and somehow
  theywouldcomeoutinnocuous. Atonepointacommittee member read
  oneofBrechfs revolutionary poemsoutloud inEnglish,and asked him if
  hehad written it.“No,” heresponded, “Iwrote aGermanpoem,which is
  verydifferent from this.” The author's elusive answers baffled thecommit-
  teemembers, buthispolitenessand thewayheyieldedtotheir authority
  made itimpossibleforthem togetangry with him.
  After onlyanhour ofquestioning,thecommittee members had had
  enough.“Thankyou very much,” said thechairman, “You are agoodex-
  ampletothe[other] witnesses.” Notonlydidtheyfreehim, theyoffered to
  helphimifhehad anytrouble with immigrationoficials whomight detain
  him fortheir own reasons. Thefollowing day,Brecht lefttheUnited States,
  never toreturn.
  Interpretation
  TheHollywood 19's confrontational approachwon them alotofsympa~
  thy,andyearslatertheygainedakind ofvindication inpublic opinion.But


TxText:
  theywere also blacklisted, and lost valuableyearsofprofitable working
  time. Brecht, ontheother hand, expressed hisdisgustatthe committee
  more indirectly.Itwas notthat hechanged hisbeliefs orcompromisedhis
  values; instead, during hisshort testimony,hekepttheupperhand byap-
  pearingtoyieldwhile allthetime running circles around thecommittee
  withvague responses, outrightlies that went unchallenged because they
  were wrapped inenigmas,and wordgames.Intheend hekept thefree-
  dom tocontinue hisrevolutionary writing (asopposedtosuffering impris
  onment ordetainment intheUnited States), even while subtly mockingthe
  committee and itsauthoritywith hispseudo-obedience.
  Keepinmind thefollowing: People tryingtomake ashow oftheir au-
  thorityareeasilydeceived bythesurrender tactic. Your outward sign of
  submission makes them feelimportant; satisfied thatyou respect them,
  theybecome easier targetsfor alater counterattack, orforthekind ofindi»
  rectridicule used byBrecht. Measuring your powerover time, never sacri-
  ficelong-term maneuverabilityfortheshort-lived glories ofmartyrdom.
  When thegreatlordpasses,thewisepeasantbowsdeeply andsilently farts.
  Ethiopian prozuzllr
  KEYS T0POWER
  What getsusinto trouble intherealm ofpowerisoften our own overreac~
  tion tothe moves ofour enemies and rivals. That overreaction creates
  problemswewould have avoided had webeen more reasonable. Italso
  has anendless rebound effect, fortheenemythen overreacts aswell, much
  astheAthenians did totheMelians. Itisalwaysourfirst instinct toreact, to
  meet aggression with some other kind ofaggression.But the next time
  someonepushes youandyoufindyourself starting toreact, trythis: Donot
  resist orfight back, butyield,turn theother cheek, bend. Youwillfind that
  thisoften neutralizes their behavior——they expected,even wanted youto
  react with force and sotheyarecaught ofiguardand confounded byyour
  lackofresistance. Byyielding, youinfact control thesituation, because
  yoursurrender ispart ofalarger plantolullthem intobelieving theyhave
  defeated you.
  This isthe essence ofthesurrender tactic: Inwardly youstayfirm, but
  outwardly you bend. Deprived ofareason togetangry, your opponents
  willoften bebewildered instead. And theyareunlikelytoreact with more


TxText:
  violence, which would demand areaction fromyou.Insteadyouareal
  lowed thetime andspacetoplotthe countermoves that willbring them
  down. Inthebattle oftheintelligent against thebrutal and theaggressive,
  thesurrender tactic isthesupreme weapon. Itdoes require self~control:
  Those who genuinelysurrender give uptheir freedom, and maybe
  crushed bythehumiliation oftheir defeat You have toremember thatyou
  only appeartosurrender, like theanimal thatplaysdead tosave itshide.
  Wehave seen that itcan bebetter tosurrender than tofight;faced with
  a.more powerful opponentand asure defeat, itisoften also better tosur-
  render than torunaway. Running away maysaveyouforthetime being,
  but theaggressor willeventuallycatchupwithyou. you surrender in-
  stead, youhave anopportunitytocoilaround your enemyand strike with
  your fangsfrom close up.
  LAW 22 167
  I65 LAW 22In473 B.C., inancient China, King Goujian ofYue suffered ahorrible
  defeat from theruler ofWu inthebattle ofFujiao. Goujianwanted toflee,
  buthehad anadviser who told him tosurrender and toplacehimself inthe
  service oftheruler ofWu, from which positionhecould studythe man and
  plothisrevenge. Decidingtofollow thisadvice, Goujian gave theruler all
  ofhisriches, and went towork inhisconqueror'sstables asthelowest ser-
  vant. Forthreeyearshehumbled himself before theruler, who then, finally
  satisfied ofhisloyalty,allowed him toreturn home. Inwardly, however,
  Goujianhadspentthose threeyears gatheringinformation andplottingre-
  venge.When aterrible drought struck Wu, and thekingdomwas weak
  ened byirmer turmoil, heraised anarmy, invaded, and won with ease.
  That isthepowerbehind surrender: Itgives youthetime and theflexibility
  toplotadevastating counterblow. Had Goujianrunaway,hewould have
  lost this chance.
  When foreigntrade begantothreaten Japanese independenceinthe
  mid—nineteenthcentury,theJapanesedebated how todefeat theforeign-
  ers.One minister, Hotta Masayoshi,wrote amemorandum in1857 that in-
  fluenced Japanese policyforyearstocome: “Iamtherefore convinced that
  ourpolicyshould betoconclude friendly alliances, tosend shipstoforeign
  counhies everywhereand conduct trade, tocopytheforeignerswhere they


TxText:
  are attheir best and sorepairour own shortcomings, tofoster ournational
  strengthandcompleteourarmaments, and sogradually subjecttheforeigrr
  erstoourinfluence until intheend allthecountries oftheworld know the
  blessingsofperfect tranquillityand our hegemonyisacknowledged
  throughouttheglobe.” This isabrilliant application oftheLaw: Use sur-
  render togainaccess toyour enemy.Learn hisways,insinuate yourself
  with himslowly, outwardlyconform tohiscustoms, butinwardlymaintain
  yourown culture. Eventually youwillemerge victorious, forwhile he con—
  sidersyouweak andinferior, and takes noprecautions against you, youare
  using thetime tocatchupandsurpasshim. This soft,penneableform ofin»
  vasion isoften thebest, fortheenemyhasnothingtoreact against, prepare
  for, orresist. And hadjapanresisted Western influence byforce, itmight
  well have suffered adevastating invasion that would have permanentlyal-
  tered itsculture.
  Surrender can also offer away ofmocking your enemies, ofturning
  theirpower against them, asitdidforBrecht. Milan Kundera's novel 7719
  Jake, based ontheauthor's experiencesinapenal campinCzechoslovakia,
  tells thestory ofhow theprison guards organizedarelay race, guards
  against prisoners.Fortheguardsthis was achance toshow offtheir physi-
  calsuperiority.The prisonersknew theywere expectedtolose, sothey
  went out oftheirwaytooblige-—miming exaggeratedexertion while
  barely moving, runningafewyards andcollapsing, limping, joggingever
  soslowlywhile theguards raced ahead atfullspeed.Both byjoiningthe
  race andbylosing igtheyhadobligedtheguards obediently;buttheir
  “overobedience” had mocked theevent tothepointofminingit.Overobe-
  dience—su.rrender—was here awaytodemonstrate superiorityinare-
  verse manner. Resistance would have engagedtheprisonersinthecycleof
  violence, lowering them totheguards'level. Overobeying theguards,how»
  ever, made them ridiculous, yetthey could notrightly punishtheprison»
  ers,who hadonlydone what they asked.
  Power isalwaysinflux—since thegameisbynature fluid, and anarena
  ofconstant struggle,those withpower almost always find themselves even-
  tuallyonthedownward swing. Ifyou findyourself temporarily weakened,
  thesurrender tactic isperfectforraising yourselfup again»-it disguises your
  ambition; itteaches youpatienceand self—control, keyskills inthegame;
  anditputs youinthebestpossible positionfortaking advantage ofyour up-
  pressofssudden slide. Ifyourunawayorfight back, inthelongrunyou


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  cannot win.Ifyousurrender, youwill almost always emergevictorious.
  Image: AnOak
  Tree. The oak
  that resists the
  wind loses its
  branches one
  by one, and
  with nothing
  left toprotect
  it,thetrunk fi-
  nally snaps.
  The oak that
  bends lives long-
  er,itstrunk grow-
  ing wider, its roots
  deeperand more tenacious.
  Authority: Yehave heard that ithath been said, Aneyefor aneye
  and atooth for atooth: ButIsayuntoyou,That yeresist notevil: but
  whosoever shall smite thee onthyright cheek, turn tohim theother
  also. And ifanyman will suethee atthelaw, and takeaway thycoat,
  letthem have thycloak also. And whosoever shallcompelthee to
  goamile, gowith him twain.(Jesus Christ, inMatthew 5:38-41)
  LAW 22 169
  170 LAW 22REVERSAI .
  The point ofsurrenderingistosaveyourhide for alater date whenyou
  can reassert yourself. Itispreciselytoavoid martyrdom that one surren-
  ders, butthere aretimes when theenemy will notrelent, andmartyrdom
  seems theonly wayoutFurthermore, ifyouarewillingtodie, othersmay
  gain powerandinspirationfromyour example.
  Yetmartyrdom,surrender's reversal, isa.messy,inexact tactic, and is
  asviolent astheaggression itcombats. Foreveryfamous martyrthere are
  thousands more who have inspired neither areligionnor arebellion, so
  thatifmartyrdomdoes sometimes grantacertain power, itdoes sounpre-
  dictably. More important, youwill notbearound toenjoythatpower,such
  asitis.And there isfinally somethingselfish andarrogantabout martyrs,
  asiftheyfelttheir followers were lessimportantthan their own glory,
  Whenpowerdesertsyou,itisbest toignorethis Law's reversal. Leave
  martyrdomalone: The pendulumwillswingbackyour way eventually,
  andyoushould stayalive toseeit.
  23
  CONCENTRATE
  Y()[JR.F()R(3ES
  JUDGMENT
  Conserve your forces and energies bykeepingthem
  concentrated attheir strongest point.Yougainmore by
  findingarich mine andmining itdeeper,than byflit—
  tingfromoneshallow mine toanother-—intensity dzfeats
  extensity every time. When looking forsources ofpowerto
  elevateyou,findthe onekeypatnm, the_fatcow whowill
  give you milkforalongtime tocame.
  12'!
  TH] (.'UU.<


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  l; AND
  Till'. IIOHSF
  Agame who was
  plucking grass uponu
  common thought
  her.\'el_faffronter! bya
  horse whofednear her;
  mm'. inhi.\'.s'ing ll('L'(Wll.\',
  thus addressed him: “I
  amcertainlyamore
  noble andperfect
  animal than yozrfor
  tin'whole range and
  extent afyourfarcrtlties
  isconfined toone
  element. Ican walk
  upon thegroom!as
  well (:5you,' Ihave,
  basidtas, wings,with
  which Ican raise
  myself inthe air;and
  when Iplease. Ican
  sportonpomls and
  lakes, and n7f*'.'Sh
  myst,-ifin1119 'ml
  waters: 1enfmirlle
  dlffermzr powers Ufa
  bird, (1fish, am! a
  qumiruped."
  The horse, $tl(5!'!§Izg
  sonrrwhat distltzinjizliy.
  replied: “I:ismic: you
  inhabit three eiemems.
  but you make novery
  disrirzguisiieri/ignrein
  any oneofthem. You
  fly,imlerd; butyour
  flight issoheavy and
  clmnsy, that Von luau-'e
  noright toputyourself
  nn alevel with the[ark
  ortheswallow. You can
  swim onthesurface of
  thewatch», butyou
  Ltmnoi live inthem as
  fishes r1o:you cannot
  find your food inrho!
  riemenl, norgfirlr
  .\'nzoor?:1 y(aitmg the
  bottom ofrite waves.
  Ami when you walk, or
  rather wtlcltlle, upon
  theground, with your
  liroad fret and your
  long neck xlretchred out,TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  InChina intheearlysixth century B.C., thekingdom ofWubeganawas
  with theneighboring norlhem provinces oftheMiddle Kingdom.Wu was
  a.growing power,butitlacked thegreat history andcivilization oftheMid
  dleKingdom, forcenturies the center ofChinese culture. Bydefeating the
  Middle Kingdom, theking ofWuwould instantlyraise hisstatus.
  The warbegan with greatfanfare and several victories, butitsoon
  boggeddown. Avictoryonone from would leave theWu armies vulnera~
  ble onanother. Theking'schief minister andadviser, WuTzu-hsiu, warned
  him that thebarbarous state ofYueh, tothesouth, wasbeginningtonotice


TxText:
  thekingdom ofV\'u's problemsand haddesigns toinvade. Theking only
  laughedatsuch w0rries~one more bigvictory and thegreat Middle King—
  dom would behis.
  Intheyear 490, Wu T212-hsiu sent his sonawaytosafetyintheking-
  dom ofCh'i. Indoingsohesent thekingasignalthat hedisapproved of
  thewar, and that hebelieved theking's selfish ambition wasleading Wu to
  min. Theking, sensing betrayal,lashed out athisminister, accusing him of
  alack ofloyalty and, inafitofanger, ordered him tokillhimself. Wu Tzu-
  hsiu obeyed hisking,butbefore heplungedtheknife into hischest, he
  cried, “Tear outmyeyes,ohKing, andfixthem onthegate ofWu, sothat I
  mayseethetriumphant entry ofYueh.”
  AsWuTzwlrsiu hadpredicted,within afewyearsaYueharmy passed
  beneath thegate ofWu. Asthebarbarians surrounded thepalace,theking
  remembered hisminister's last Words-——~and feltthedead man's disembod-
  iedeyes watching hisdisgrace.Unable tohear hisshame, thekingkilled
  himself, “coveringhisface sothat hewould nothave tomeet thereproaclr
  fulgaze ofhisminister inthenext world.”
  Interpretation
  The story ofWu isaparadigmofalltheempiresthat have come tominby
  overreachlng. Drunk with success and sickwith ambition, such empiresex'
  pandtogrotesque proportionsand meet amin that istotal. This iswhat
  happenedtoancient Athens, which lusted forthefarawayisland ofSicily
  and endeduplosingitsempire.The Romans stretched theboundaries of
  their empiretoencompassvast territories; indoingsotheyincreased their
  vulnerability,and thechances ofinvasion from yetanother barbarian tribe.
  Their useless expansion ledtheir empireinto oblivion.
  FortheChinese, thefateofthekingdom ofWu serves asanelemental
  lesson onwhathappenswhenyoudissipate your forces onseveral fronts,
  losing sight ofdistant dangers forthesake ofpresent gain. “Ifyouarenotin
  danger,” says Sun-tzu, “do notfight.” Itisalmost aphysicallaw: What is
  bloated beyonditsproportions inevitably collapses.The mind must not
  wander from goaltogoal,orbedistracted bysuccess from itssense ofpur-
  poseandproportion. What isconcentrated, coherent, and connected toits
  pasthaspower.What isdissipated, divided, and distended rots and falls to
  theground. Thebigger itbloats, theharder itfalls.


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  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW'
  The Rothschild banking familyhad humble beginningsintheJewish
  ghettoofFrankfurt, Germany.Thecity'sharsh laws made itimpossiblefor
  Jewstomingle outside theghetto, but theJewshad turned this into a
  virtuemit made them self—reliant, and zealous topreservetheir culture at
  allcosts. Mayer Amschel, thefirstoftheRothschilds toaccumulate wealth
  bylending money,inthe lateeighteenth century,well understood the
  powerthat comes from thiskind ofconcentration and cohesion.
  First, Mayer Amschel allied himself with onefamily, thepowerful
  princes ofThom und Taxis. Instead ofspreadinghisservices out, hemade
  himself these princes' primary banker. Second, heentrusted none ofhis
  business tooutsiders, using onlyhischildren and close relatives. The more
  unified andtight-knitthefamily,the more powerfulitwould become. Soon
  MayerAmschel's five sons were runningthebusiness. And when Mayer
  Amschel laydying,in1812, herefused toname aprincipal heir, instead set-
  tingupallofhis sons tocontinue-the fa.mily' tradition, sothattheywould
  stayunited and would resist thedangers ofdillusion and ofinfiltration by
  outsiders.
  Once Mayer Amschel's sons controlled thefamily business, theyde-
  cided that thekeytowealth on a.larger scale was tosecure afoothold inthe
  finances ofEuropeasawhole, rather than being tied toanyonecountryor
  prince. Ofthefivebrothers, Nathan hadalready opened upshop inLon-
  don. In1813 Jamesmoved toParis. Amschel remained inFrankfurt,
  Salomon established himself inVienna, andKarl, theyoungest son, went
  toNaples. With each sphereofinfluence covered, theycould tightentheir
  hold onEurope'sfinancial markets.
  This widespread network, ofcourse, openedtheRothschilds tothe
  verydangerofwhich their father had warned them: diliusion, division, dis-
  sension. Theyavoided thisdanger, and established themselves asthemost
  powerfulforce inEuropeanfinance andpolitics, byonce again resortingto
  thestrategyoftheghetto-——excluding outsiders, concentrating their forces.
  The Rothschiids established thefastest couriersysteminEurope, allowing
  them togetnews ofevents before alltheircompetitors. Theyheld avirtual
  monopolyoninformation. And their internal communications and corre-


TxText:
  spondencewere written inFrankfurt Yiddish, and inacode thatonlythe
  brothers could decipher. There was nopointinstealingthis information—-
  noonecould understand it.“Even theshewdest bankers cannot find their
  waythroughtheRothschild maze,” admitted afinancier who had tried to
  infiltrate theclan.
  In1824 JamesRothschild decided itwas time togetmarried. Thispre-
  sented aproblemfortheRothschilds, since itmeant incorporatinganout-
  sider into theRothschild clan, anoutsider who could betrayitssecrets.
  jarnestherefore decided tomarry within thefamily, and chose thedaugh-
  terofhisbrother Salomon. The brothers were ecstatic—~this was theper-
  fectsolution totheir marriage problems. james'schoice now became the
  family policy:Twoyears later, Nathan married off hisdaughtertofzissirig atewrrvmze
  who passes by,you
  bring upon yourself the
  deri5z'orx ofall belmid-
  err.Iconfess that Iam
  only formed tomove
  upon theground, but
  how graceful ismy
  rmzkef How well tumml
  my lz'mb.r.' How highly
  finished mywhole
  burly! How great my
  strength! Haw aston-
  irhing myspeed/I had
  much rather be
  confinedtoone
  elerm-nt, and be
  arlmirml mthat, than
  be 11goosem011.'”
  mm lzsmom
  um~r:At“cio .-mo
  CHAUCER.
  Du. .l<)H.N Arum,
  l747~»lR22
  Beware t)j'tIi.r.\'i[:aIiIig
  your p(:wer.r: Xtriw:
  consrmnly toconcen-
  trate (hem. Genius
  I/rinks itcan dowizar-
  ever itreps others
  doing. butitissure to
  repent u/every ill-
  jutlgcd outlay.
  JOEIANN VON Gm-:rmz.
  1749-1832
  LAW 23 I73
  Ir-4
  'LAW 23Salornon's son. Intheyears tocome, thefive brothers arranged eighteen
  matches among their cluldren, sixteen ofthese beingcontracted between
  first cousins.
  “We arelike themechanism ofawatch: Each partisessential,” said
  brother Salomon. Asinawatch, every part ofthebusiness moved incon-
  cert withevery other, and theinner workingswere invisible totheworld,


TxText:
  which onlysaw themovement ofthehands. While other rich andpowerful
  families suffered irrecoverable downturns duringthetumultons firsthalfof
  thenineteenth century,thetight-knitRothschilds managednotonlytopre-
  serve buttoexpand their unprecedentedwealth.
  Interpretation
  The Rothschilds were born instrange times. Theycame from aplacethat
  had notchangedincenturies, butlived inanagethatgave birth totheIn-
  dustrial Revolution, theFrench Revolution, and anendless series ofup-
  heavals. The Rothchilds kept the past alive, resisted thepatterns of
  dispersion oftheir eraand forthis areemblematic ofthelawofconcentra-
  tion.
  No one representsthisbetter than _]ames Rothschild, the sonwho es-
  tablished himself inParis. inhislifetime jameswitnessed thedefeat of
  Napoleon,therestoration oftheBourbon monarchy, thebourgeoismonar-
  chyofOrleans, the return toarepublic,andfinallytheenthronement of
  Napoleo1III.French stylesand fashions changedatarelentless pacedur-
  ingallthis turmoil. Without appearingtobe arelic ofthepast, James
  steered hisfamilyasiftheghettolived onwithin them. Hekeptalive his
  clan's inner cohesion andstrength. Only through such ananchoringinthe
  pastwas thefamilyable tothrive amidst such chaos. Concentration was the
  foundation oftheRothschilds'power, wealth, andstability.
  Thebeststmzngyisalways tobevery strong; flrstingeneral,than
  atthedecisive point‥ . .There isnohigher andsimpler lawofstrategy
  than thatafkeeping ones/brcesconcentrated. ‥ .Inshort the
  firstprincipleis:actwith theutmost concentration.
  011War, Carl mm, fllausewitz, 1780-1831
  KEYS TO POWER
  The world isplagued bygreaterandgeater division-——within countries,
  political groups, families, even individuals. We areallinastate oftotal dis-
  traction anddiffusion, hardlyable tokeepourminds inone direction be-
  fore we arepulledinathousand others. The modern world's level of
  conflict ishigher than ever, and wehave internalized itinour own lives.
  The solution isaform ofretreat inside ourselves, tothepast,tomore
  concentrated forms ofthought and action. AsSchopenhauer wrote, “Intel-
  lect isamagnitudeofintensity,not amagnitude ofextensity.” Napoleon
  knew thevalue ofconcentrating yourforces attheenemy's weakestspot——
  itwasthe secret ofhis success onthebattlefield. Buthiswillpower and his
  mind were equally modeled onthis notion.


TxText:
  Single-mindedness ofpurpose,
  total concentration onthegoal, and the useofthese qualifies against peo
  plelessfocused, peopleinastate ofdistraction—such anarrow will find its
  markeverytime and overwhelm theenemy.
  Casanova attributed his success inlifetohisabilitytoconcentrate on a
  single goalandpushatituntil ityielded. Itwas hisabilitytogive himself
  overcompletelytothe women hedesired that made him sointenselyse-
  ducfive. For the weeks ormonths that one ofthese women lived inhis
  orbit, hethoughtofnoone else. When hewasimprisonedinthetreacher-
  ous“leads” ofthedoge's palaceinVenice, aprisonfrom which noone had
  everescaped,heconcentrated hismind onthesingle goalofescape, day
  after day. Achange ofcells, which meant that months ofdigginghad all
  been fornaught, did notdiscourage him; hepersistedandeventuallyes-
  caped.“Ihave always believed,” helater wrote, “that when amangetsit
  intohishead todosomething, and when heexclusively occupieshimself in
  thatdesign,hemust succeed, whatever thediliiculties. That man will be-
  come Grand Vizier orPope.”
  Concentrate C1asingle goal,asingle task, and beat itinto submission.
  Intheworld ofpower youwillconstantlyneed helpfrom other people,
  usuallythose more powerfulthanyou.The fool flitsfrom onepersontoan-
  other, believing that hewill survive byspreadinghimself out.Itisacorol-
  laryofthelawofconcentration, however, that muchenergyissaved, and
  more powerisattained, byaffixing yourselftoasingle, appropriatesource
  ofpower. The scientist Nikola Tesla. mined himself bybelievingthat he
  somehow maintained hisindependence bynothavingtoserve asingle
  master. He even turned down P.Morgan, who offered him arich con-
  tract. Intheend, Tesla's “independence”meant that hecould dependon
  nosingle patron,but wasalways havingtotoady uptoadozen ofthem.
  Later inhislifeherealized hismistake.
  Allthegreat Renaissance paintersand writers wrestled with thisprob-
  lem, none more sothan thesixteenth-centurywriter Pietro Aretino.
  Throughout hislifeAretino suffered theindignitiesofhavingtopleasethis
  princeand that. Atlast, hehad hadenough,and decided towoo Charles
  V,promisingtheemperortheservices ofhispowerful pen.Hefinallydis-
  covered the freedom that came from attachment to asinglesource of
  power.


TxText:
  Michelangelofound this freedom with Pope Julius II,Galileo with
  theMedicis. Intheend, thesingie patron appreciates your loyaltyand be-
  comes dependentonyour services; inthelongrun the master serves the
  slave.
  Finally, poweritself alwaysexists inconcentrated forms. Inany orga-
  nization itisinevitable for asmall youptohold thestrings. And often itis
  notthose with thetitles. Inthegameofpower, onlythefool llails about
  without fixing histarget. You must find outwho controls theoperations,
  who isthereal director behind the scenes. AsRichelieu discovered atthe
  beginningofhisrise tothetopoftheFrench politicalscene duringthe
  LAW 23 I75
  I76 LAW 23early seventeenth century, itwas notKing Louis XIII who decided things,
  itwas theking'smother. And soheattached himself toher, andcatapulted
  throughtheranks ofthecourtiers, allthewaytothetop.
  Itisenoughtostrike oilonce—yourwealth andpowerareassured for
  alifetime.
  Image: The Arrow. You cannot hittwo targets
  with one arrow. Ifyour thoughts stray, you
  miss theenemy'sheart. Mind and
  arrow must become one. Only
  with such concentration of
  mental and physical
  powercanyourarrow
  hitthetargetand
  pierce the
  heart.
  Authority:Prize intensitymore than extensity.Perfection re»
  sides inquality,notquantity.Extent alone never rises above
  mediocrity,and itisthemisfortune ofmen with wide general
  interests that while theywould like tohave theirfingerinevery
  pie,theyhave one innone. Intensity gives eminence, and rises
  totheheroic inmatters sublime. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
  REVERSAI.
  There aredangersinconcentration, and moments whendispersionisthe
  proper tactical move. Fighting theNationalists forcontrol ofChina, Mao
  Tse~tungand theCommunists foughtaprotractedwar onseveral fronts,
  using sabotage and ambush astheir mainweapons. Dispersalisoften suit-
  able fortheweaker side; itis,infact, acrucial principle ofguerrilla warfare.
  When fightingastronger army, concentrating your forces only makes you
  aneasier ta.rget—bettertodissolve into thesceneryand frustrateyour
  enemywith theelusiveness ofyour presence.
  Tying yourself toasinglesource ofpower has onepreeminent danger:


TxText:
  Ifthatperson dies, leaves, orfalls fromgrace, yousuffer. This iswhat hap-
  penedtoCesare Borgia,who derived hispowerfrom hisfather, Pope
  Alexander VI.Itwas thepopewho gave Cesare armies tofight with and
  wars towageinhis name. When hesuddenlydied (perhapsfrom poison),
  Cesare was asgoodasdead. Hehad made fartoomanyenemies over the
  years,and was now without hisfather's protection. Incases whenyou may
  need protection, then, itisofien wise toentwine yourselfaround several
  sources ofpower.Such amove would beespecially prudentinperiods of
  great tumult and violent change,orwhen yourenemies are numerous. The
  more patrons and masters youserve theless risk yourunifone ofthem
  falls frompower.Such dispersionwill even allow youtoplayone off
  againsttheother. Even ifyou concentrate onthesinglesource ofpower,
  youstill must practice caution, and1cepare forthedaywhen yourmaster
  orpatronisnolongerthere tohelp you.
  Finally, beingtoosinglerminded inpurposecanmake youanintolera~
  blebore, especiallyinthe arts. The Renaissance painterPaolo Uccello was
  soobsessed with perspectivethat hispaintings look lifeless and contrived.
  Whereas Leonardo daVinci interested himself ineverything«-architec-
  ture,painting, warfare, sculpture,mechanics. Diffusion was the source of
  hispower.Butsuch geniusisrare, and the restofusarebetter offerringon
  thesideofintensity.
  LAW 23 1??'
  24
  PLAYITUEPERFECT
  COUKHER
  JUDGMENT
  Theperfectcourtier thrives inaworld where everything
  revolves (mmmlpowerandpolitical dexterity. Hehas
  mastered theartof2'ndz'rection; heflutters, yieldstosupe—
  riors, and assertspowerover others inthe mostoblique
  and gracefulmzmnex Learn and applythelaws of
  ctourtiershipand there will benolimit tohowfaryoucan
  ziseinthemun'.
  I78'
  COURT .'3(C)ClE'l'Y
  Itisafactofhuman naturethatthestructure ofacourt societyforms itself
  aroundpower. Inthepast,'the court gatheredaround theruler, and had
  many functions: Besides keepingtheruler amused, itwas away tosolidify
  thehierarchyofroyalty, nobility,and theupper classes, and tokeepthe
  nobility both subordinate and close totheruler, sothat hecould keepan
  eyeonthem. The court serves powerinmany ways,but most ofallitglori-


TxText:
  llestheruler, providinghim with amicrocosmic world that must snuggle
  toplease him.
  Tobe acourtier was adangerous game. Anineteentl1—centuryArab
  traveler tothe court ofDarfur, inwhat isnow Sudan, reportedthat
  courtiers there had todowhatever thesultan did:Ifhewere injured, they
  had tosuffer the same injury;ifhefelloffhishorse duringahunt, they fell,
  too.Mimicrylikethisappearedincouirs allover theworld. More trouble
  some was thedangerofdispleasingthe ruler-—-onewrongmove spelled
  death orexile. The successful courtier had towalk atightrope, pleasing but
  notpleasingtoomuch, obeying butsomehow distinguishinghimself from
  theother courtiers, while also never distinguishinghimself sofar asto
  make theruler insecure.
  Great courtiers throughout historyhave mastered the science ofma-
  nipulating people. Theymake thekingfeel more kingly; theymakeevery-
  oneelse feartheirpower. Theyaremagiciansofappearance, knowing that
  most things atcourt arejudged byhow theyseem. Great coui-tiers aregrate
  citrus andpolite;theiraggressionisveiled and indirect, Masters ofthe
  word, theyneversaymore thannecessary, gettingthe most outofacorn-
  plimentorhidden insult. Theyaremagnets ofpleasure—peoplewant tobe
  around them because theyknow how toplease, yettheyneither fawn nor
  humiliate themselves. Great courtiers become theking's favorites, enjoying
  thebenefits ofthatposition. Theyoften end upmore powerfulthan the
  ruler, fortheyarewizards intheaccumulation ofinfluence.
  Many todaydismiss court life asarelic ofthepast,ahistorical curios-
  ity.They reason, accordingtoMachiavelli, “asthough heaven, the sun, the
  elements, and men hadchanged theorder oftheir motions andpower,and
  were different from what theywere inancient limes.” Theremaybeno
  more SunKings butthere arestillplenty ofpeoplewho believe the sun re-
  volves around them. Theroyalcourt mayhave more orlessdisappeared,
  oratleast lost itspower, but courts and courtlers still exist becausepower
  stillexists. Acourtier israrelyasked tofalloff ahorseanymore, but the
  lawsthatgoverncourt politicsare astimeless asthelaws ofpower.There is
  much tobeleamed, then, from greatcourtiers pastandpresent.
  THE LAWS OFCOURT POLITICS
  Avoid Ostentation. Itisnever prudenttoprattleonabout yourselforcall


TxText:
  toomuch attention toyouractions. The moreyoutalk aboutyour deedsTill': T\\'(> l3l)(«.«
  Barlms-, thefaithful
  yard-dog who serves
  hisniurrcr zealously.
  Izappmx toseehixold
  zzcqimimuncc' Juiljmc,
  thecurly lzapzlzrg, st'au.'a'
  atthewindow on a.vofr
  down curlimlr. Siclling
  _]'umlIy upit)hm;like u
  child (0uparczm, heall
  but weeps with
  cnmmm; and them
  under thew1'mlnw, ha
  whim-'.s', wags histail.
  and bmmdx about.
  "What sortoflife do
  you lead, now'.
  loujozuka, ever since
  the master' took you
  into hismanvlan.' You
  remmzl-wr, nodoubt.
  how weuflen used to
  suffer hunger ourinthe'
  yard. What isyour
  prexmr service like?"
  “I;would beasinin
  me tomurmur againvl
  mygood farm/w."
  answers .ll7ujImtku.
  "':vl_v muster cmmol
  make enough 0]max, I
  liveanudu riclws and
  plenty, and Ian!and
  drink ojfsilver. Ifrolic
  with I/1['mastrr, and,if
  Igeztired, Itake my
  elm: onu7rp€lS orrm (1
  soficouch.Anz1Iww do
  you getem?"“I?"
  replica" Burbo.t_ letting
  hasmildangle like :1
  whip, zmclhanging his
  head. “Ilive“ asIMel!
  todo. 1sufflar from
  cold andhunger; and
  Iwre. wlzilv gzmrclirzg
  myrrzastcriv Ilatdste, I
  have tosleep atme[our
  ofrho wall, ("MI Iget
  drenched intherain.
  Andiflbark atthi-
  wrong time, Iam
  whip/)i'd. But how did
  you. Jaujau, who were
  LAW 24 179
  sosmall and weak, gm'
  taken intofavor, while
  Iiump outofmyskin
  tonopurpose?
  What ivityou do?"
  “'What isityou do?'A
  pretty questirm toask/”
  replies! ./Uujllll. mock-
  ingly. “Iwalk upmz my
  him! lugs."
  FABLFS,
  lV/\N KRIl.()l~'|'.
  17684844
  ItH'itwise' thing tobe
  1,11)!/'Ir.'; mrtwquently, it
  isastupid thingtoher
  rude. Tomake reizmnies
  byunnece tryand
  wilfulnzcivil
  asirzxanc a])I'(]CL((lI1[,'
  astosciyour house on
  fin'.


TxText:
  ForpoIiIe*rws's is
  like amuIzter—an
  tlvowcrlly _/21/31' cuin,
  Wllh which itisfrmlish
  tobestrrtgy. Ascm'il>l¢'
  man will hej[('.l1.t'.rUl[.\'
  inline useof”‥ . .Wax,
  a.\'lll7.\'laI1( euulumlly
  hard and l7¥'i1llt', can be
  nzadr' softby1hz:applz-
  mrirm oft: little
  warmth, sothat itwill
  Irzkv anyshape you
  [)leusz'. Inthe same
  way, bybeilzg polite
  andfriendly. youcan
  make people plirzlilc
  um]ulrliging. even
  though theyareaptto
  bezrrabherl and malev-
  olent. Henitc polircrmrs
  istohuman nature
  what warmth istowax.
  ARTHUR
  S('ll()PFNHAUl:R,
  1788-1860
  130 LAW 23the more suspicion youcause. You also stirupenough envy among your
  peerstoinduce treacheryandbackstabbing. Becareful, ever socareful, in
  trumpeting yourown achievements, and alwaystalk less about yourself
  than about other people. Modestyisgenerally preferable.
  Practice Nonchalance. Never seem tobeworking toohard. Your talent
  mustappeartoflownaturally, with anease that makes peopletakeyoufor
  ageniusrather than aworkaholic. Even when somethingdemands alotof
  sweat, make itlook effortless——people prefertonot seeyourblood andtoil,
  which isanother form ofostentation. Itisbetter forthem tomarvel athow
  gracefully youhave achievedyour accomplishmentthan towonder whyit
  took somuch work.
  BeFrugal with Flattery. Itmayseem thatyour superiorscannot get
  enough flattery, but toomuch ofeven agood thingloses itsvalue. Italso
  stirsupsuspicion among your peers.Learn toflatter indirectly—bydown-
  playing yourown contribution, forexample, tomakeyour master look bet-
  ter.
  ArrangetoBeNoticed. There isa.paradox:You cannot display yourself
  toobrazenly, yetyoumust also getyourselfnoticed. Inthe court ofLouis
  XIV, whoever thekingdecided tolook atroseinstantlyinthecourt hierar-
  chy.You stand nochance ofrising iftheruler does not noticeyouinthe
  swamp ofcourtiers. This taskrequiresmuch art.Itisoften initiallyamatter
  ofbeing seen, intheliteral sense. Pay attention toyour physical appear-
  ance, then, andfind awaytocreate adis1inctive—-asubtly distinctive-style
  andimage.


TxText:
  Alter Your Style and Language Accordingtothe Person You Are
  Dealing With. The pseudo-beliefinequa.lity——theidea thattalkingand
  acting the sameway witheveryone,nomatter what their rank, makesyou
  somehow aparagon ofcivilization—is aterrible mistake. Those belowyou
  will take itasaform ofcondescension, which itis,and those aboveyouwill
  beofiended, although they maynotadmit it.You must change your style
  and your way ofspeakingtosuit each person. This isnotlying,itisacting,
  andactingisanart, not agiftfrom God. Learn the art.This isalso true for
  thegreat variety ofcultures found inthemodern court: Never assume that
  your criteria ofbehavior andjudgmentareuniversal. Notonlyisaninabil-
  itytoadapttoanother culture theheight ofbarbarism, itputs youatadis-
  advantage.
  Never Bethe Bearer ofBad News. Thekingkills themessengerwho
  bringsbad news: This isacliche butthere istruth toit.You must struggle
  andifnecessarylieand cheat tobe sure that thelotofthebearer ofbad
  news falls on acolleague,never onyou. Bring only goodnews andyour
  approachwillgladden yourmaster.
  Never Afiect Friendliness and Intimacy with Your Master. Hedoes
  notwant afriend for asubordinate, hewants asubordinate. Neverap-
  proachhim inaneasy, friendly way,oract asifyouare onthe best of
  ten'ns—that ishisprerogative. Ifhechooses todeal withyouonthislevel,
  assume awarynhumminess. Otherwise errintheopposite direction, and
  make thedistance betweenyouclear.
  Never Criticize Those Above You Directly.Thismayseem obvious,
  butthere areoften times when some sort ofcriticism isnecessary—to say
  nothing,ortogivenoadvice, wouldopen youtorisks ofanother sort. You
  must learn, however, tocouchyouradvice and criticism asindirectlyand as
  politelyaspossible.Think twice, orthree times, before deciding youhave
  made them sufficientlycircuitous. Err ontheside ofsubtletyandgentleness.
  BeFrugalinAsking Those Above You forFavors. Nothingimitates a
  master more than havingtorejectsomeone's request Itstirsupguiltand
  resentment. Ask forfavors asrarelyaspossible,and know when tostop.
  Rather thanmaking yourselfthesupplicant,itisalways better toearnyour


TxText:
  favors,sothat theruler bestows them willingly.Most important:Donotask
  forfavors onanother person's behalf, least ofallafriend's.
  Never joke About AppearancesorTaste. Alivelywitand ahumorous
  dispositionareessential qualifiesfor agood courtier, and there aretimes
  when vulgarityisappropriateand engaging.But avoidanykind ofjoke
  about appearanceortaste, twohighlysensitive areas, especiallywith those
  aboveyou.Donot even tryitwhenyouareawayfrom them. You willdig
  yourowngrave.
  DoNot Bethe Court Cynic. Expressadmiration forthegood work of
  others. Ifyouconstantlycriticizeyour equalsorsubordinates some ofthat
  criticism will ruboffonyou, hoveringoveryoulike agraycloud wherever
  you go.People willgroanateach newcynical comment, andyou will irn'~
  tatethem. Byexpressingmodest admiration forother people'sachieve-
  ments, youparadoxicallycall attention toyourown. Theabilitytoexpress
  wonder andamazement, and seem likeyoumean it,isarare anddyingtal-
  ent,but one stillgreatlyvalued.
  BeSelf-observant. The mirror isamiraculous invention; without ityou
  would commit greatsinsagainst beautyand decorum. You also need amir-
  rorforyouractions. This can sometimes come from other people telling
  youwhat theyseeinyou,butthat isnotthe most trustworthy method: Ybu
  must bethemirror, training your mind totrytoseeyourselfasothers see
  you.Areyouactingtooobsequious? Areyoutryingtoohard toplease?Do
  youseem desperateforattention, giving theimpressionthatyouare onthe
  decline? Beobservant about yourselfandyou will avoid amountain of
  blunders.
  LAW 24'131
  182 LAW '24Master Your Emotions. As anactor inagreat play, youmust learn tocry
  andlaughoncommand and when itisappropriate.You must beable both
  todisguise your angerand frustration and tofake yourcontentment and
  agreement. You must bethe master ofyourown face, Call itlying ifyou
  like; butifyouprefertonotplaythegame and toalwaysbehonest and up-
  front, donotcomplainwhen others callyou obnoxious andarrogant.
  FittheSpirit ofthe Tunes. Aslight affectation ofapastera can be
  charming,aslongasyouchoose aperiod atleast twenty years back; wear-
  ingthefashions oftenyears ago isludicrous, unlessyouenjoytherole of
  courtjester.Yourspiritandwayofthinking must keep upwith thetimes,
  even ifthe times offendyoursensibilities. Betooforward-thinking,how-
  ever, and noonewill understandyou.


TxText:
  Itisnever agoodidea tostand out
  toomuch inthis area; youarebest offatleast beingable tomimic thespirit
  ofthetimes.
  Be aSource ofPleasure. This iscritical. Itisanobvious lawofhuman
  nature that wewill fleewhat isunpleasantanddistasteful, while charm and
  thepromise ofdelightwilldraw uslikemoths toaflame. Make yourselfthe
  flame andyou will rise tothetop.Since life isotherwise sofullofunpleas-
  antness andpleasuresoscarce, you will be asindispensableasfood and
  drink. Thismayseem obvious, butwhat isobvious isoften ignoredorun-
  appreciabed.There aredegreestothis: Not everyonecanplaytherole of
  favorite, fornoteveryoneisblessed with charm and wit. But we can all
  control ourunpleasant qualitiesand obscure them whennecessary.
  Aman who knows thecourt ismaster ofhisgestures, qfhis eyesand
  ofhisface;heispmjrmml, imfienetrable; hrdiisimulates badoffices,
  smiles athisenemies, amtmls hisinflation, disguiseshispassions,
  belies hisheart, speaksand actsagainsthisfeelings.
  jamdeLaB'r14y£'re, I645~]696
  SCENES OFCOURT LlFE:ExemplaryDeeds and Fatal Mistakes
  Scene 1
  Alexander theGreat, conqueror oftheMediterranean basin and theMid-
  dleEastthroughtoIndia, had had thegreat Aristotle ashistutor and men-
  tor,andthroughouthisshort lifeheremained devoted tophilosophyand
  hismaster's teachings.He once complainedtoAristotle thatduringhis
  long campaignshehad noone with whom hecould discuss philosophical
  matters. Aristotle responded bysuggestingthat hetake Callisthenes,afor-
  mer pupil ofAristotle's and apromising philosopherinhis own right,
  alongonthenext campaign.
  Aristotle had schooled Callisthenes intheskills ofbeingacourtier, but
  theyoungman secretly scoffed atthem. Hebelieved inpure philosophy,in
  Imadorned words, inspeakingthenaked truth. IfAlexander loved learning
  somuch, Callisthenes thought, hecould notobjecttoone who spoke his
  mind. DuringoneofAlexander's major campaigns,Callisthenes spokehis
  mind one toomanytimes andAlexander had himputtodeath.
  Interpretation
  Incourt, honesty isafool'sgame.Never be soself-absorbed astobelieve
  thatthemaster isinterested inyourcriticisms ofhim, nomatter how accu-
  ratetheyare.
  Scene II
  BeginningintheHan Dynasty two thousand years ago, Chinese scholars
  compiledaseries ofwritingscalled the27Histories, anofficial biography of


TxText:
  each dynasty, including stories, statistics, census figures, and war chroni-
  cles. Each historyalso contained achaptercalled “Unusual Events,” and
  here, amongthelistings ofearthquakesandfloods, there would sometimes
  suddenly appear descriptions ofsuch bizarre manifestations astwo—headed
  sheep, geese flying backward, stars suddenly appearingindifferent parts of
  thesky,and soon.Theearthquakescould behistorically verified, butthe
  monsters and weird natural phenomenawere clearlyinserted onpurpose,
  andinvariably occurred inclusters. What could this mean?
  The Chineseemperorwas considered more than aman—he was a
  force ofnature. Hiskingdomwas the center oftheuniverse, and every-
  thing revolved around him. Heembodied theworld's perfection.Tocriti-
  cizehim oranyofhisactions would have been tocriticize thedivine order.
  Nominister orcourtier dared approachtheemperor with even theslightest
  cautionaryword. Butemperorswere fallihle and thekingdomsuffered
  greatly bytheir mistakes. Inserting sightings ofstrange phenomenainto the
  court chronicles was theonly waytowarn them. Theemperorwould read
  ofgeese flyingbackward and moons outoforbit, and realize that he was
  beingcautioned. His actions were unbalancingtheuniverse and needed to
  change.
  interpretation
  ForChinese courtiers, theproblem ofhow togive theemperoradvice was
  animportantissue. Over theyears,thousands ofthem had died trying to
  warn orcounsel their master. Tobemade safely,their criticisms had tobe
  indirect--yet iftheywere tonindirect theywould not beheeded. The
  chronicles were their solution: Identifynoonepersonasthe source ofcriti«
  cism, make theadvice asimpersonalaspossible,butlettheemperorknow
  thegravity ofthesituation.
  Your master isnolonger the center oftheuniverse, buthestillimag-
  inesthateverythingrevolves around him. Whenyoucriticize him he sees
  theperson criticizing,not thecriticism itself. Like theChinese courtiers,
  youmust find awaytodisappearbehind thewarning. Usesymbols and
  other indirect methods topaintapicture oftheproblemstocome, without
  putting your neck ontheline.
  LAW 24'183
  I84 LAW 24Scene III
  Early inhiscareer, theFrench architect JulesMansart received commis-
  sions todesign minor additions toVersailles forKing Louis XIV.


TxText:
  Foreach
  designhewould drawuphisplans, makingsuretheyfollowed Louis's in-
  structions closely.Hewould then present them toHisMajesty.
  The courtier Saint-Simon described MansaIt's techniqueindealing
  with theking: “His particularskill was toshow theking plansthatpur»
  poselyincluded something imperfectabout them, often dealingwith the
  gardens, which were not Mansart's specialty.The king,asMansart ex-
  pected, would puthisfinger exactlyontheproblemandproposehow to
  solve it,atwhich pointMansart would exclaim foralltohear that hewould
  never have seen theproblemthat thekinghad somasterfully found and
  solved; hewould burst with admiration, confessingthat next tothekinghe
  was but alowly pupil.”Atthe ageofthirty, having used these methods
  time and time again,Mansart received aprestigious royalcommission: Al:
  thoughhe was less talented and experienced than anumber ofother
  French designers,hewas totake chargeoftheenlargement ofVersailles.
  He was theking's architect from then on.
  Interpretation
  As ayoung man, Mansart had seen howmany royalcraftsmen inthe sen
  vice ofLouis XIV had losttheir positions notthroughalack oftalent but
  throughacostlysocial blunder. Hewould notmake that mistake. Mansart
  alwaysstrove tomake Louis feel better about himself, tofeed theking's
  vanityaspubliclyaspossible.
  Never imagine that skill and talent areallthat matter. Incourt the
  courtier's artismore importantthan histalent; never spendsomuch time
  onyourstudies thatyouneglect your social skills. And thegreatest skill of
  allistheabilitytomake the master look more talented than those around
  him.
  Scene IV
  Jean-Baptiste Isabeyhad become theunofficial painteroftheNapoleonic
  court. During theCongress ofVienna in1814, after Napoleon, defeated,
  had been imprisonedontheisland ofElba, theparticipantsinthese meet-
  ings,which were todecide thefateofEurope,invitedIsabeytoimmortal-
  izethehistoric events inanepic painting.
  When Isabeyarrived inVienna, Talleyrand,themain negotiatorfor
  theFrench, paidtheartist avisit. Consideringhisrole intheproceedings,
  the statesman explained,heexpectedtooccupycenter stageinthepaint-
  ing.Isabey cordially agreed.


