# texts

TxText:
  Afewdayslater theDuke ofWellington,the
  main negotiator fortheEnglish, also approached Isabey, and said much
  the same thingthatTalleyrand had. The everpolite Isabey agreedthat the
  greatduke should indeedhethe center ofattention.
  Back inhisstudio, Isabey ponderedthedilemma. Ifhegavethespot-
  lighttoeither ofthetwo men, hecould create adiplomatic rift,stirring up
  allsorts ofresentment atatime whenpeaceand concord were critical.
  When thepaintingwasfinally unveiled, however, both Talleyrandand
  Wellingtonfelthonored and satisfied. The work depictsalarge hall filled
  withdiplomatsandpoliticians from allover Europe.011 one side theDuke
  ofWellingtonenters theroom, and alleyesareturned toward him; heis
  the“center” ofattention. Intheverycenter ofthepainting, meanwhile, sits
  Talleyiand.
  Interpretafion
  Itisoften verydifficult tosatisfy themaster, buttosatisfytwo masters in
  onestroke takes thegenius ofagreat courtier. Such predicamentsare comw
  mon inthelifeofacourtier: Bygiving attention toone master, hedis-
  pleases another. You must find awaytonavigate thisScyllaandCharybdis
  safely. Masters must receive their due; never inadvertentlystirupthe re
  sentment ofone inpleasinganother.
  Scene V
  George Brummell, also known asBeau Brummell, made hismark inthe
  late 1700s bythesupreme elegance ofhisappearance,hispopularization of
  shoe buckles (soon imitated byallthedandies). and hiscleverway with
  words. HisLondon house was thefashionable spot intown, andBrunnnell
  wastheauthorityonallmatters offashion. Ifhedisliked your footwear,
  youimmediately gotridofitandbought whatever hewaswearing. Heper-
  fected theartoftyingacravat; Lord Byronwas said tospend manyanight
  infront ofthemirror tryingtofigure outthe secret behind Brummell'sper-
  fectknots.
  One ofBrummell's greatestadmirers was thePrince ofWales, who
  fancied himself afashionable youngman. Becoming attached tothe
  prince'scourt (and provided with aroyal pension),Brummell was soon so
  sureofhis' own authoritythere that hetook tojokingabout theprince's
  weight, referringtohishost asBigBen. Since trimness offigurewas anim~
  portant qualityfor a.dandy,this was awitheringcriticism. Atdinner once,
  when the service was slow, Brummell said totheprince,“Doting, Big


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  Ben” Theprince rang,butwhen thevalet arrived heordered the man to
  show Brummell thedoor and never admit him again.
  Despite fallinginto theprince's disfavor, Brummell continued totreat
  everyonearound him with the same arrogance. Without the Prince of
  Wales' patronagetosupport him, hesank into horrible debt, buthemain
  tained hisinsolent manners, andeveryonesoon abandoned him. Hedied
  inthemost pitiahle poverty, alone andderanged.
  Interpretation
  Beau Brummell's devastatingwit was one ofthequalifies that endeared
  him tothePrince ofWales. Butnot even he,thearbiter oftaste andfashion,
  could getawaywith ajokeabout theprince's appearance,least ofalltohis
  face. Never jokeabout aperson's plumpness,even indirectly—and particu*
  larly when heisyourmaster. Thepoorhouses ofhistoryarefilled withpeo-
  plewho have made suchjokesattheir master's expense.
  LAW 24'185
  1.516 LAW 24Scene VI
  PopeUrban VIII wanted toberemembered forhisskills inwriting poetry,
  which unfortunatelywere mediocre atbest. In1629 Duke Francesco
  d'Este, knowing thepope's literary pretensions,sent thepoet Fulvio Testi
  ashisambassadortotheVatican. One ofTes|i's letters totheduke reveals
  whyhe was chosen: “Once ourdiscussion was over, Ikneeled todepart,
  but His Holiness made asignaland walked toanother room where he
  sleeps,and after reachingasmall table, hegrabbedatbundle ofpapersand
  thus, turningtomewith asmiling face, hesaid: 'We want Your Lordshipto
  listen tosome ofourcompositions.' And, infact, heread metwoverylong
  Pindaricpoems,one inpraise ofthemost hoiy Virgin, and theother one
  about Countess Matilde.”
  Wedonotknow exactlywhat Testi thought ofthesevery long poems,
  since itwould have been dangerous forhim tostate hisopinion freely,
  even inaletter. But hewent ontowrite, “I,followingthemood, com-
  mented oneach line with theneeded praise, and, after having kissed His
  Holiness's foot forsuch anunusual sign ofbenevolence [thereading ofthe
  poetry],Ileft.”


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  Weeks later, when theduke himself visited thepope,he
  managedtorecite entire verses ofthepope's poetry andpraised itenough
  tomake thepope “sojubilantheseemed tolose hismind.”
  Interpretation
  Inmatters oftasteyoucan never betooobsequiouswithyourmaster. Taste
  isone oftheego's pxickliest parts;never impugnorquestion themaster's
  taste-——his poetryissublime, his dress impeccable,and his manner the
  model forall.
  _Scene VII
  One afternoon inancient China, Chao, ruler ofHan from 358 to333 B.C.,
  gotdrunk and fellasleepinthepalace gardens.The court crown-keeper,
  whose sole task was tolook after theruler's head apparel, passed through
  thegardensand saw hismastersleepingwithout acoat. Since itwasgetting
  cold, thecrowrrkeeper placedhisown coat over theruler, and left.
  When Chan awoke and saw the coat upon him, heasked his axten»
  '
  dants, “Who putmore clothes onmybody?” “The crowmkeeper,” they
  replied.The ruler immediatelycalled forhisofiicial coat—keeper and had
  him punishedforneglecting hisduties. He also called forthe crown-
  keeper,whom hehad beheaded.
  Interpretation
  Donotoverstep your bounds. Dowhatyouareassignedtodo, tothebest
  ofyour abilities, and never domore. Tothink thatbydoingmoreyouare
  doing better isacommon blunder. Itisnever goodtoseem tobetrying too
  ha.rd——-it isasifyouwere covering upsome deficiency. Fulfillingatask that
  hasnotbeen asked ofyoujust makes people suspicious. Ifyouare acrown-
  keeper,beacrowmkeeper.Save yourexcessenergyforwhenyouarenot
  inthecourt.
  Scene VIII
  Oneday,foramusement, theItalian Renaissance painterFraFilippo Lippi
  (1406-1469) and some friends went sailing inasmall boat offAncona.
  There theywere captured bytwo Moorish galleys, which hauled them off
  inchains toBarbary,where theywere sold asslaves. Foreighteen long
  months Filippo toiled with nohope ofreturning toItaly.
  Onseveral occasions Filipposaw the man who hadbought himpass
  by,and onedayhedecided tosketch this man's portrait, using burnt
  coal~charcoal—from thefire. Still inhischains, hefound awhite wall,


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  where hedrew afull—length likeness ofhisowner inMoorish clothing.The
  owner soon heard about this, for noone had seen such skill indrawingbe-
  fore intheseparts;itseemed like amiracle,3.giftfrom God. Thedrawing
  sopleasedthe owner that beinstantly gave Filippohisfreedom and em—
  ployedhim inhiscourt. Allthebigmen ontheBarbarycoast came tosee
  themagnificentcolorportraitsthat FraFilippothen proceededtodo,and
  finally,ingratitudeforthehonor inthiswaybrought upon him, Filippcfs
  owner returned theartist safelytoItaly.
  lnterpretation
  Wewho toilforother peoplehave allinsomewaybeen captured bypi-
  rates and sold intoslavery.Butlike FraFilippo (iftoalesser degree),most
  ofuspossesssome gift,some talent, anabilitytodosomething better than
  other people.Makeyourmaster agiftofyourtalents andyou will rise
  above other courtiers. Lethim take thecredit ifnecessary, itwillonlybe
  temporary:Use him asastepping stone, away ofdisplaying yourtalent
  andeventually buying your freedom from enslavernent.
  Scene IX
  Alfonso IofAragononce had aservant who told theking that thenight
  before hehad had adream: Alfonso had given him agiftofweapons,
  horses, and clothes. Alfonso, agenerous, lordly man, decided itwould be
  amusingtomake this dream come true, andpromptly gavethe servant
  exactlythese gifts.
  Alittle while later, the same servant announced toAlfonso that hehad
  hadyetanother dream, and inthis one Alfonso hadgivenhim aconsider-
  able pileofgold florins. The kingsmiled and said, “Don't believe in
  dreams from now on;theylie.”
  interpretation
  Inhistreatment oftheservant's firstdream, Alfonso remained incontrol.
  Bymakingadream come true, heclaimed agodlike powerforhimself, if
  inamild and humorousway.Inthesecond dream, however, allappear-
  ance ofmagicwasgone;this wasnothingbut anuglycongameonthe set»
  vant's part.Never askfortoomuch, then, andknow when tostop. Itisthe
  master's prerogativetogive——to givewhen hewants and what hewants,
  and todo sowithout prompting.Donotgive him thechance toreject your
  requests. Better towinfavors bydeserving them, sothattheyarebestowed
  without your asking.
  LAW 24 157
  18!?'


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  LAW 24Scene X
  The great English landscape painterM.W.Turner (1775-1851)was
  known forhis useofcolor, which heappliedwith abrilliance and astrange
  iridescence. The color inhispaintingswas sostriking,infact, that other
  artists never wanted hiswork hungnext totheirs: Itinevitablymadeevery-
  thing around itseem dull.
  ThepainterSirThomas Lawrence once had themisfortune ofseeing
  Turner's masterpiece Cologne hanginginanexhibition between two works
  ofhis own. Lawrence complained bitterlytothegallery owner, whogave
  him nosatisfaction: After all, someone': paintingshad tohang next to
  Tumer's. ButTurner heard ofLawrence's complaint,and before theexhibi-
  tionopened,hetoned down thebrilliant golden skyinCologne, makingitas
  dull asthecolors inLawrence's works. Afriend ofTumer's who saw the
  painting approachedthe artist with ahorrified look: “What haveyoudone
  toyour picture!”hesaid. “Well, poorLawrence was sounhappy,”Turner
  replied,“and it'sonly lampblack. It'llwash offafter theexhibition.”
  Interpretation
  Many ofacourtier's anxieties have todowith themaster, with whom most
  dangerslie.Yetitisamistake toimaginethat the master istheonlyone to
  determine your fate. Your equalsand subordinates play integral partsalso.
  Acourt isavast stew ofresentments, fears, andpowerful envy. You have to
  placate everyonewho might someday harmyou, deflecting their resent-
  ment andenvyanddivertingtheir hostilityonto other people.
  Turner, eminent courtier, knew that hisgoodfortune and fame de
  pendedonhisfellow paintersaswell asonhisdealers andpatrons.How
  manyofthegreathave been felled byenvious colleagues! Better temporar-
  ilytodullyourbrilliance than tosuffer theslingsand arrows ofenvy.
  Scene XI
  Winston Churchill was anamateur artist, and after World WarIIhispaint-
  ingsbecame collector's items. The American publisher Henry Luce, in
  fact, creator ofTime andL2)?magazines, keptoneofChurchill's landscapes
  hanginginhisprivateoffice inNew York.
  On atourthroughtheUnited States once, Churchill visited Luce inhis
  office, and the two men looked atthepainting together.Thepublisherre-


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  marked, “It's agood picture,butIthink itneeds somethinginthe fore-
  ground-—a sheep, perhaps.” Much toLuce's horror, Churcl1ill's secretary
  called thepublisherthenext dayand asked him tohave thepaintingsent
  toEngland.Luce did so,mortified that hehadperhapsoffended theformer
  prime minister. Afewdays later, however, thepaintingwasshipped back,
  butslightlyaltered: asingle sheepnow grazed peacefullyinthefore
  ground.
  Interpretation
  Instature andfame, Churchill stood head and shoulders above Luce, but
  Luce wascertainlyaman ofpower,solet usimagineaslight equalitybe-
  tween them. Still, what didChurchill have tofear from anAmerican pub
  lisher? Whybow tothecriticism ofadilettante?
  Acourt-—-in this case the entire world ofdiplomatsand international
  statesmen, and also ofthejournalistswho court them--is aplace ofmutual
  dependence.Itisunwise toinsult orolifend the taste ofpeople ofpower,
  eveniftheyarebelow orequaltoyou.If3.man likeChurchill canswallow
  thecriticisms ofaman likeLuce, heproveshimself acourtier withoutpeer.
  (Perhapshiscorrection ofthepainting impliedacertain condescension as
  well, buthediditsosubtlythat Luce didnotperceive anyslight.)lmitate
  Churchill: Put inthesheep. Itisalways beneficial toplaytheobliging
  courtier, even when youarenotservingamaster.
  THE DELEGATE GAME OFCOURTIERSHIP: AWarning
  Talleyraudwas the consummate courtier, especiallyinservinghismaster
  Napoleon.When the two men were first gettingtoknow each other,
  Napoleononce said inpassing, “Ishall come tolunch atyourhouse oneof
  these days.” Talleyrancl had ahouse atAuteuil, inthesuburbs ofParis. “I
  should bedelighted,man général,” the minister replied, “and since my
  house isclose totheBois deBoulogne, youwill beable toamuse yourself
  with abitofshooting intheafternoon.”
  “Idonotlikeshooting,”saidNapoleon, “But Ilovehunting.Are there
  anyboars intheBois deBoulogne?” Napoleoncame from Corsica, where
  boar huntingwas agreat sport. Byasking ifthere were boars in atParis
  park,heshowed himself still a.provincial, almost atube. Talleyranddidnot
  laugh, however, but hecould not resist apractical jokeonthe man who
  was now hismaster inpolitics, althoughnotinblood andnobility,since


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  Talleyrandcame from anold aristocratic family.ToNapoleorfs question,
  then, hesimply replied, “Very few, mangénéml,butIdaresayyouwill man-
  agetofind one.”
  ItwasarrangedthatNapoleon would arrive atTalleyrand's house the
  following dayatseven AM. andwould spendthemorningthere. The “boar
  hunt” would take placeintheafternoon. Throughoutthemorningthe ex-
  cited general talked nothingbutboar hunting. Meanwhile, Talleyrandsee
  cretlyhad hisservantsgotothemarket, buy two enormous black pigs,and
  take them tothegreat park.
  After lunch, the hunters and their hounds setoffforthe Bois de
  Boulogne.Atasecret signal from Talleyrand, the servants loosed oneofthe
  pigs.“Isee aboar,” Napoleon cried joyfully, jumpingonto hishorse togive
  chase. Talleyrand stayed behind. Ittook half anhour ofgalloping through
  theparkbefore the“boat” wasfinally captured. Atthemoment oftriumph,
  however, Napoleonwasapproached byone ofhisaides, who knew the
  creature could notpossiblybe atboar, and feared thegeneralwould be
  ridiculed once thestory gotout:“Sir,” hetoldNapoleon, “yourealize of
  course that this isnot abear but apig.”
  Flyinginto arage, Napoleon immediatelysetoffatagallopforTal-
  leyrand'shouse. Herealized alongthewaythat hewould now bethebutt
  ofmanyajoke,and thatexplodingatTalleyrandwould onlymake him
  LAW 24'
  199
  190 LAW 24more ridiculous; itwould bebetter tomake ashow ofgood humor. Still, he
  didnothide hisdispleasurewell.
  Talleyrand decided totrytosoothe thegeneral's bruised ego. Hetold
  Napoleonnot togoback toParis yet-«heshould again gohunting inthe
  park.There weremanyrabbits there, andhunting them had been a.fa-
  vorite pastime ofLouis XVI. Talleyrandeven offered toletNapoleonuse a
  setofguns that had once belongedtoLouis. With much flatteryandcajol—
  ery, heonce again gotNapoleontoagreetoahunt.
  The partyleftfortheparkinthe late afternoon. Alongtheway,
  Napoleon toldTalleyrand, “Pm notLouis XVI, Isurelywon't kill even one
  rabbit.” Yetthat afternoon, strangely enough,theparkwasteemingwith
  rabbits. Napoleon killed atleastfifty ofthem, and hismood changed from
  angertosatisfaction. Attheend ofhiswild shooting spree, however, the
  same aideapproachedhim andwhispered inhisear, “Totellthetruth, sir,I


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  ambeginningtobelieve these arenotwild rabbits. Isuspect that rascal T31»
  leyrandhasplayed another jokeonus.” (The aide wasright: Talleyrand
  had infact sent hisservants back tothemarket, where theyhadpurchased
  dozens ofrabbits and then had released them intheBois deBoulogne.)
  Napoleon immediatelymounted hishorse andgalloped away,this
  time returning straighttoParis. Helater threatened Talleyrand,warned
  him not totell asoul what hadhappened; ifhebecame thelaughingstock
  ofParis, there would behell topay.
  Ittook months forNapoleontobeable totrust Talleyrand again,and
  henever totally forgavehim hishumiliation.
  Interpretation
  Courtiers arelike magicians: They deceptively playwithappearances,
  only letting those around them seewhat theywant them tosee. With so
  much deceptionandmanipulation afoot, itisessential tokeep peoplefrom
  seeing yourtricks andglimpsing your sleight ofhand.
  TalleyrandwasnormallytheGrand Vlfizard ofCourtiership, and but
  forNapoleoifs aide, heprobablywould have gotten away completelywith
  both pleasinghismaster andhavingajokeatthegenerafs expense. But
  courtiershipisasubtle art,andoverlooked traps andinadvertent mistakes
  can ruinyour best tricks. Never riskbeing caughtinyour maneuvers;
  never letpeopleseeyour devices. Ifthathappens youinstantly passinpeo
  ple's perceptionsfrom acourtier ofgreatmanners toaloathsome rogue. It
  isadelicategame youplay; applythe utmost attention tocovering your
  tracks, and never letyourmaster unmask you.
  LAW
  25
  RE~CREATE YOURSELF
  jUDGMEN'I'
  Do netacceptthe roles that society foistsonyou.
  Re-create yourself byforginganew identity,one that
  commands attention and never bores theaudience. Be
  themaster ofyourownimagerather than lettingothers
  define itjbr yaw. Inemyzmate dramatic devices intoyour
  public gesturesand actionswyour power will been-
  hanced andyourcharacter will seem largerthan lie.
  1791
  The man who intend;
  [0make 1111.:fortunein
  this anciem capfml of
  theworld [Rome] mam
  beachameleon.m.s'cep-
  ribleofreflecting the
  colors aftheazmo~
  sphere that mrrnunzls
  him—-(1 Proteus apt to
  assume every fomz,
  every shape. Hemust
  besupple, flexible,
  insinuating, close,
  inscrutable, often base,
  sometimes sincere.


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  somesimes perfidious,
  always concealinga
  par!ofhisknowledge,
  indulging inbut one
  toneofvoice, patient,
  aperfectmaster ofhis
  UWII COIJIUEHGIICE', 05'
  cold aticewhen any
  other man would beall
  fire; andifunforzw
  rrdtely heisnotreligious
  atheart—a very
  common occurrence
  forasoul possessing
  theabove requisites-
  hemust have religion
  inhismind, that isto
  Say,onhisface,onhis
  lips, inhismanners; he
  must suffer quie1l_ v,if
  he be anhonest man,
  thenecessity ofknow-
  inghimself anarmnz
  hypocrite. The man
  whoxe sou! would
  loathe such alife
  should leave Rome and
  seek hisfortuneelse-
  where. Idonotknow
  whether Iampraising
  orexcusing myself',but
  ofallthose quahtiex I
  possesred butone-
  namely, flexibility.
  MEMOIRS,
  GIOVANNI CASANOVA,
  17254798
  192 LAW 25OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW I
  JuliusCaesar made hisfirstsignificant mark onRomansocietyin65B.C.,
  when heassumed thepost ofaedile, theofficial incharge ofgraindistribu-
  tion andpublic games.Hebeganhisentrance into thepublic eyebyorga~
  nizingaseries ofcarefullycrafted and well~timedspectac|es——wi1d—beast
  hunts, extravagant gladiator shows, theatrical contests. On several occa-
  sions, hepaidforthesespectaclesoutofhis own pocket.Tothe common
  man, JuliusCaesar became indeliblyassociated with these muclrloved
  events. Asheslowlyrose toattain theposition ofconsul, hispopularity
  amongthe masses served asthefoundation ofhispower. Hehad created
  animageofhimself asagreat publicshowman.
  In49B.C., Rome was onthebrink ofacivil war between rival leaders,
  Caesar andPompey. Attheheight ofthetension, Caesar, anaddict ofthe
  stage,attended atheatrical performance,andafterward, lostinthought, he
  wandered inthedarkness back tohiscampattheRubicon, therivet that
  divides Italyfrom Gaul, where hehad been campaigning.Tomarch his
  armyback intoItalyacross theRubicon would mean thebeginning ofa
  war withPompey.
  Before hisstaff Caesar argued both sides, formingtheoptions like an
  actor onstage,a.precursor ofHamlet. Finally,toputhissoliloquytoan
  end, hepointedtoaseemingly innocent appaxitionattheedge ofthe
  river——a verytallsoldier blastingacall on atrumpet,then goingacross a


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  bridgeover the Rubicon————a.nd pronounced, “Let usacceptthis asasign
  from theGods andfollow where they beckon, invengeanceonourdouble»
  dealingenemies. The dieiscast.” Allofthishespoke portentouslyand dra-
  matically, gesturing toward theriver andlookinghisgeneralsintheeye.
  Heknew that these generalswere uncertain intheirsupport,but his ora-
  tory overwhelmed them with asense ofthedrama ofthemoment, and of
  theneed toseize thetime. Amore prosaic speech would never have had
  the same effect. The generalsrallied tohis cause; Caesar and hisarmy
  crossed theRubicon andbythefollowing yearhadvanquished Pompey,
  making Caesar dictator ofRome.
  Inwarfare, Caesar always playedtheleadingman with gusto.He was
  asskilled ahorseman asany ofhissoldiers, and took prideinoutdoing
  them infeats ofbraveryand endurance, Heentered battle astzide the
  strongest mount, sothat hissoldiers would seehim inthethick ofbattle,
  urging them on,always positioning himself inthecenter, agodlike symbol
  ofpowerand amodel forthem tofollow, Ofallthearmies inRome, Cae-
  sar's was themost devoted andloyal.Hissoldiers, likethe common people
  who had attended hisentertainments, had come toidentifywith him and
  with his cause.
  After thedefeat ofPompey,theentertainmentsgrewinscale. Nothing
  like them had ever been seen inRome. The chariot races became more
  spectacular,thegladiator fightsmore dramatic, asCaesar staged fightsto
  thedeathamongtheRoman nobility.Heorganizedenormous mock naval
  battles onanartificial lake. Playswere performedineveryRoman ward. A
  giantnew theater was built thatsloped dramatically down theTarpeian
  Rock. Crowds from allover theempireflocked tothese events, theroads to
  Rome lined with visitors' tents. And in45B.C.,timing hisentry into thecity
  formaximum effect andsurprise,Caesar brought Cleopatraback toRome
  after hisEgyptian campaign,and staged even more extravagant public
  spectacles.
  These events were more than devices todivert the masses; theydra~
  maticallyenhanced thepublic'ssense ofCaesar's character, and made him
  seem larger than life.


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  Caesar was the master ofhispublic image, ofwhich
  hewasforever aware. When heappearedbefore crowds hewore themost
  spectacular purplerobes. Hewould beupstaged byno one. He was notori-
  ouslyvain about hisappearance—itwas said that one reason heenjoyed
  being honored bytheSenate andpeoplewas that onthese occasions he
  could wear alaurel wreath, hiding hisbaldness. Caesar was amasterful or-
  ator. Heknew how tosayalotbysayingalittle, intuited the moment to
  end aspeechformaximum effect. He never failed toincorporateasurprise
  into hispublic appearances—a startlingannouncement that would
  heightentheir drama.
  Immensely popular among theRoman people,Caesar was hated and
  feared byhisrivals. Ontheides ofMarch——March 15—in theyear44B.C.,
  agroup ofconspiratorsledbyBrutus and Cassius surrounded him inthe
  senate and stabbed him todeath. Even dying, however, hekept his sense of
  drama. Drawingthetopofhisgownover hisface, heletgoofthecloth's
  lower partsothat itdraped hislegs, allowing him todiecovered and de-
  cent. AccordingtotheRoman historian Suetonius, hisfinal words tohis
  oldfriend Brutus, who was about todeliver asecond blow, were inGreek,
  and asifrehearsed fortheendofaplay:“You too, mychild?”
  Interpretation
  The Roman theater was anevent forthe masses, attended bycrowds
  unimaginable today. Packed into enormous auditoriums, the audience
  would beamused byraucous comedyormoved byhigh tragedy.Theater
  seemed tocontain the essence oflife, initsconcentrated, dramatic form.
  Like areligious ritual, ithad apowerful, instant appealtothe common
  man.
  JuliusCaesar wasperhapsthefirstpublic figuretounderstand thevital
  linkbetweenpower and theater. This was because ofhis own obsessive in»
  terest indrama. Hesublimated this interest bymaking himself anactor and
  director ontheworld stage. Hesaid hislines asiftheyhad beenscripted;
  hegestured and moved throughacrowd with aconstant sense ofhow he
  appearedtohisaudience. Heincorporated surpriseinto hisrepertoire,
  building drama into hisspeeches, staginginto hispublic appearances.His
  gestureswere broad enoughforthe common man tograsptheminstantly.
  Hebecameimmensely popular.'


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  Caesar settheideal forallleaders andpeopleofpower.Like him, you
  must leam toenlarge your actions through dramatic techniques such as
  LAW 25 19.?
  194 LAW 25surprise, suspense,the creation ofsympathy,andsymbolicidentification.
  Also likehim, youmust beconstantlyaware ofyouraudience——of what
  willpleasethem and what willbore them. You must arrange toplace your-
  self atthecenter, tocommand attention, and never tobeupstagedatany
  cost.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW II
  Intheyear 1831, ayoungwoman named Aurore Dupin Dudevant lefther
  husband andfamilyintheprovincesand moved toParis. Shewanted tobe
  awriter; marriage,shefelt, was worse than prison,foritleftherneither the
  time nor thefreedom topursueherpassion. InParis shewould establish
  herindependenceand make herliving bywriting.
  Soon after Dudevant arrived inthecapital, however, shehad tocon
  front certain harsh realities. Tohaveanydegree offreedom inParisyou
  had tohave money. For awoman, moneycould onlycome throughmar»
  rlageorprostitution.No woman had ever come close tomakingaliving by
  writing. Women wrote asahobby, supported bytheir husbands, orbyan
  inheritance. Infact when Dudevant first showed herwriting toaneditor,
  hetoldher, “You should make babies, Madame, notliterature,”
  ClearlyDudevant had come toParis toattempttheimpossible. Inthe
  end, though,she came upwith astrategytodowhat nowoman had ever
  donew-a strategytore-create herself completely, forgingapublic imageof
  her own making.Women writers before herhad been forced into aready-
  made role, that ofthe second-rate arfist who wrote mostly forother
  women. Dudevant decided thatifshehad toplayarole, shewould turn the
  game around: She would playthepart ofaman.
  In1832 apublisher acceptedDudevanfs firstmajor novel, Indium.
  She had chosen topublishitunder apseudonym, “George Sand,” and all
  ofParis assumed thisimpressivenew writer was male. Dudevant had
  sometimes worn men's clothes before creating “George Sand” (she had al-
  waysfound men's shirts andridingbreeches more comfortable); now, as
  apublic figure, sheexaggeratedtheimage.


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  She added longmen's coats,
  gray hats, heavy boots, anddandyishcravats toherwardrobe. She smoked
  cigars and inconversation expressedherself like aman, unafraid todomiv
  nate theconversation ortouse a.saucyword,
  This strange“male/female” writer fascinated thepublic. And unlike
  other women writers, Sand found herselfacceptedinto theclique ofmale
  artists. Shedrank and smoked with them, even carried onaffairs with the
  most famous artists ofEurope—Musset, Liszt, Chopin. Itwas shewho did
  thewooing,and also theabandoning-—she moved onatherdiscretion.
  Those who knew Sand well understood that her malepersona pro-
  tected her from thepublic's prying eyes.Out intheworld, sheenjoyed
  playingtheparttotheextreme; inprivatesheremained herself. She also
  realized that the character of“George Sand” couldgrowstale orpre-
  dictable, and toavoid this shewouldeverynow and then dramaticallyalter
  thecharacter shehad created; instead ofconductingaffairs with famous
  men, shewould begin meddlinginpolitics, leading demonstrations, inspir-
  ingstudent rebellions. No onewould dictate toherthelimits ofthecharac-
  tershehad created. Long after shedied, and after most peoplehadstopped
  readinghernovels, thelarger-than—life theatricality ofthat character has
  continued tofascinate andinspire.
  Interpretation
  ThroughoutSand's public life,acquaintancesand other artists who spent
  time inhercompanyhad thefeeling theywere inthepresence ofaman.
  Butinherjournals and toherclosest friends, such asGustave Flaubert, she
  confessed that shehad nodesire tobe aman, but wasplayingapartfor
  public consumption.What shereallywanted was thepowertodetermine
  her own character. She refused thelimits hersocietywould have setonher.
  Shedid not attain her power, however, bybeing herself; instead she cre-
  ated apersonathat shecould constantly adapttoher own desires,aper-
  sona that attracted attention andgaveherpresence.
  Understand this: The world wants toassign youarole inlife. And
  onceyou acceptthat roleyouaredoomed. Yourpowerislimited tothe
  tinyamount allotted totheroleyouhave selected orhave been forced to
  assume.


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  Anactor, ontheother hand, plays manyroles. Enjoythatprotean
  power,andifitisbeyond you,atleastforgeanewidentity,one ofyour
  ownmaking,one that hashad noboundaries assignedtoitbyanenvious
  andresentful world. This actofdefiance isPromethean: Itmakesyoure»
  sponsibleforyourown creation.
  Your newidentitywillprotect youfrom theworld precisely because it
  isnot“you”;itisacostumeyouputonand take off.You need nottake it
  personally.Andyournewidentitysetsyouapart, gives you theatrical pres-
  ence. Those intheback rows can seeyouand hearyou.Those inthefront
  rows marvel atyour audacity.
  Donotpeople talk insociety ofaman beingagreat actor? They donot mean by
  that that he/"eels,butthat heexcels insimulating, though hefeels nothing.
  I)»m,i.r I)iderot, 1713-1 784
  KEYS TOPOWER
  The characteryouseem tohave been born with isnotnecessarilywhoyou
  are;beyond the characteristicsyou have inherited, your parents, your
  friends, andyour peershave helpedtoshape your personality.The
  Promethean task ofthepowerfulistotake control oftheprocess,tostopal-
  lowing others thatabilitytolimit andmold them. Remake yourselfinto a
  character ofpower. Workingonyourselflikeclay should beone ofyour
  greatestand most pleasurablelifetasks. Itmakesyouinessence ana11ist—
  anartist creating yourself.
  Infact, theidea ofself—creation comes from theworld ofart.Forthou-
  LAW 25 195
  196 LAW 25sands ofyears, only kingsand thehighestcourtiers had thefreedom to
  shape their public imageand determine their ownidentity. Similarly, only
  kingsand thewealthiest lords could contemplate their own imageinart,
  andconsciously alter it.The rest ofmankind played thelimited role that
  societydemanded ofthem, and had little selficonsciousness.
  Ashift inthis condition can bedetected inVelézquez's painting La:
  Marinas, made in1656. The artistappearsattheleftofthecanvas, standing
  before apaintingthat heisintheprocess ofcreating. butthat has itsback
  tous——-we cannot seeit.Beside him stands aprincess, herattendanw, and
  oneofthecourt dwarves, allwatching him work. Thepeople posing forthe
  paintingarenotdirectly visible, but wecan seethem intiny reflections ina


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  mirror ontheback wal]—-—the king and queen ofSpain, who must besitting
  somewhere intheforeground,outside thepicture.
  The painting representsadramatic change inthedynamics ofpower
  and theabilitytodetermine one's own positioninsociety.ForVelazquez,
  theartist, isfarmore prominently positioned than theking andqueen. Ina
  sense heismore powerfulthan they are, since heisclearly the one control»
  lingtheirnage--their image. Velazqueznolongersaw himself astheslav-
  ish,dependentartist. Hehad remade himself into aman ofpower. And
  indeed thefirstpeople other than aristocrats toplay openly with their
  imageinWesternsocietywere artists andwriters, and later ondandies and
  bohemians. Todaytheconcept ofselflcreation hasslowly filtered down to
  the restofsociety,and has become anideal toaspireto.Like Velazquez,
  youmust demand foryourselfthepowertodetermine your positioninthe
  painting,and tocreate yourownimage.
  The first stepintheprocess ofself—creation isself-consciousness-
  beingaware ofyourselfasanactor andtaking control ofyour appearance
  and emotions. AsDiderot said, thebad actor isthe one who isalwayssin-
  cere. Peoplewho wear their hearts ontheir sleeves outinsocietyare tire-
  some andembarrassing. Their sincerity notwithstanding, itishard totake
  them seriously.Those whocryinpublic maytemporarily elicit sympathy,
  but sympathysoon turns to scorn and irritation attheir self-
  obsessiveness-«~theyarecryingtogetattention, wefeel, and amalicious
  part ofuswants todenythem thesatisfaction.
  Good actors control themselves better. Theycanplay sincere and
  heartfelt, canaffect atear and acompassionate look atwill, buttheydon't
  have tofeel it.Theyexternalize emotion inaform that others can under-
  stand. Methodactingisfatal inthereal world. Noruler orleader could
  possibly playthepartifalloftheemotions heshowed had tobereal. So
  learn self-control. Adopttheplasticity oftheactor, who canmold his orher
  face totheemotion required.
  The second stepintheprocess ofselflcreation isaVariation onthe
  George Sand strategy: the creation ofamemorable character, one that
  compels attention, that stands out above theother playersonthestage.
  This was thegame Abraham Lincoln played.The homespun,common


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  country man, heknew, was akind ofpresidentthatAmerica had never had
  butwould delightinelecting. Although manyofthese qualifiescame natu-
  rallytohim, heplayedthem up--thehatandclothes, thebeard. (Nopresi-
  dent before him had worn abeard.) Lincoln was also thefirstpresidentto
  usephotographstospreadhisimage, helpingtocreate the icon ofthe
  “homespun president.”
  Good drama, however, needs more than aninteresting appearance,or
  asingle stand-out moment. Drama takes placeover time—~it isanunfold-
  ingevent Rhythmandtimingarecritical. One ofthe most important ele
  ments intherhythmofdrama issuspense. Houdini forinstance, could
  sometimes completehisescapeacts inseconds——but hedrew them out to
  minutes, tomake theaudience sweat.
  Thekeytokeepingtheaudience ontheedgeoftheir seats isletting
  events unfold slowly, then speedingthemupattheright moment, accord-
  ingtoapatternandtempothatyoucontrol. Great rulers from Napoleon to
  MaoTseturighave used theatrical timingtosurpriseand divert theirpub
  lic.Franklin Delano Roosevelt understood theimportance ofstaging polio»
  calevents inRparticular order andrhythm.
  Atthetime ofhis1932 presidential election, theUnited States was in
  themidst ofadire economic crisis. Banks were failingatanalarmingrate.
  Shortlyafter winning theelection, Roosevelt went into atkind ofretreat.
  Hesaidnothingabout hisplansorhiscabinet appointments, He even re~
  fused tomeet thesitting president, Herbert Hoover, todiscuss the transi-
  tion.Bythetime ofRoosevelt's inauguration thecountrywas inastate of
  highanxiety.
  Inhisinaugural address, Roosevelt shifted gears.Hemade apowerful
  speech, makingitclear thatheintended tolead thecountryinacompletely
  newdirection, sweeping awaythetimid gestures ofhispredecessors.From
  then onthepace ofhisspeechesandpublicdecisions——cabinet appoint-
  ments, bold legislatiori—~unfoldedatanincredibly rapid rate. Theperiod
  after theinaugurationbecame known asthe“Hundred Days,”and itssuc-
  cessinalteringthecountry'smood partlystemmed from Roosevelfs clever
  pacingand useofdramatic contrast. Heheld hisaudience insuspense,
  then hitthem with aseries ofbold gesturesthat seemed allthe more mo-
  mentous because theycame from nowhere. You must learn toorchestrate
  events inasimilar manner, never revealingallyourcards atonce, but un-
  foldingthem inawaythatheightens their dramatic effect.


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  Besides coveringamultitude ofsins,gooddrama canalso confuse and
  deceive your enemy. During World WarII,theGerman playwright Bertolt
  Brecht worked inHollywoodasascreenwriter. After the war hewas called
  before theHouse Committee onUn-American Activities forhissupposed
  Communist sympathies.Other writers who had been called totestify
  plannedtohumiliate thecommittee members with anangryemotional
  stand. Brecht was wiser: Hewould play thecommittee like aviolin, charmv
  ingthem while fooling them aswell. Hecarefullyrehearsed hisresponses,
  andbrought alongsome props, notablyacigaronwhich hepuffed away,
  knowingthehead ofthecommittee hked cigars. And indeed heproceeded
  LAW 25 197
  tobeguile thecommittee with well—crafted responsesthat were ambiguous,
  funny,anddouble—edged.Instead ofanangry,heartfelt tirade, heran cir-
  cles around them with astaged production,andtheylethim offscot-free.
  Other dramatic effects foryour repertoire include thebeau geste,an
  action ataclimactic moment thatsymbolizes your triumphoryour bold-
  ness. Caesar's dramatic crossing oftheRubicon was abeaugeste——amove
  that dazzled thesoldiers andgave him heroic proportions.You must also
  appreciatetheimportance ofstageentrances and exits. When Cleopatra
  first met Caesar inEgypt,she arrived rolledupinacarpet,which she
  arrangedtohave unfurled athisfeet. George Washingtontwice leftpower
  with flourish and fanfare (firstasageneral,then asapresidentwho refused
  tositfor athird term), showingheknew how tomake the moment count,
  dramaticallyandsymbolically.Your own entrances and exits should be
  crafied andplannedascarefully.
  Remember that overactingcan becounte1productive—itisanother
  way ofspendingtoo much effort tryingtoattract attention. The actor
  Richard Burton discoveredearlyinhis career thatbystanding totallystill
  onstage,hedrew attention tohimself andawayfrom theother actors. Itis
  lesswhatyoudothat matters, clearly,than howyoudoit—your graceful-
  ness andimposingstillness onthesocialstagecount for more than overdo»
  ingyour partandmoving around toomuch.
  Finally:Learn toplay many roles, tobewhatever the moment re»
  quires. Adapt yourmask tothesituation-be proteaninthefacesyouwear.


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  Bismarck playedthisgametoperfection:To aliberal hewas aliberal, toa
  hawk he was ahawk. Hecould not begrasped,and what cannot be
  graspedcannot beconsumed.
  I m age :
  The Greek Sea—God Proteus.
  Hispowercame from hisabilityto
  change shapeatwill, tobewhatever the
  moment required.When Menelaus, brother
  ofAgarnemnon, tried toseize him, Proteus
  transformed himself into alion, then aserpent,a
  panther,aboar, running water, andfinallyaleafytree.
  Authority:Know how tobeallthingstoall men. Adiscreet Proteus—a
  scholaramong scholars, asaint amongsaints. That istheartofwinningover
  everyone,forlike attracts like. Take note oftemperamentsandadapt your
  self tothat ofeachperson youmeet—follow thelead ofthe serious and
  jovialinturn, changing yourmood discreetly. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
  198 LAW 25
  REVERSAL
  There canreallybenoreversal tothiscritical law: Bad theater isbad the-
  ater. Even appearingnatural requiresa.rt—in other words, acting.Bad act-
  ingonlycreates embarrassment. Of course you should not be too
  dramatic—avoid thehistfionic gesture. Butthat issimplybad theaterany-
  way,since itviolates centuries-old dramatic laws against overacting.In
  essence there isnoreversal tothis law.
  LAW 25 199
  LAW
  26
  KEEP YOUR HANDS CLEAN
  JUDGMENT
  You must seem aparagon ofcivilityandefficienr.y.'
  Your hands am: never soiledbymistakes and nasty
  deeds. Maintain suck aspotless appearance byusing
  others asscapegoatsandcatiwpamstodisguise your
  involvemmt.
  200
  PART I-.CONCEAL YOUR MIS'I'AKES-~
  HAVE ASCAPEGOAT AROUND TOTAKE THE BLAME
  Ourgoodname andreputation dependmore onwhat weconceal than on
  what wereveal. Everyonemakes mistakes, but those who aretrulyclever
  managetohide them, and tomake sure someone else isblamed. Aconve-
  nientscapegoatshould alwaysbekeptamzmdforsuch moments.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW 1
  Near theend ofthesecondcentury A.D., asChina's mighty Han Empire
  slowly collapsed,thegreat generalandimperialminister Ts'ao Ts'ao
  emergedasthemost powerfulman inthecountry. Seekingtoextend his
  powerbase and toridhimself ofthelastofhisrivals, 'Is'ao Ts'aobegana


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  campaigntotake conlrol ofthestrategicallyvital Central Plain. Duringthe
  siegeofakeycity,beslightlymiscalculoted thetiming forsupplies ofgrain
  toarrive from thecapital. Ashewaited fortheshipmenttocome in,the
  armyranlow onfood, and Ts'ao Ts'ao was forced toorder thechief of
  commissariat toreduce itsrations.
  Ts'ao Ts'ao keptatight rein onthearmy,and ran anetwork ofinform-
  ers.Hisspiessoon reported that the men were complaining, grumbling
  that hewasliving well while they themselves hadbarely enoughtoeat.
  PerhapsTs'ao Ts'ao waskeepingthefood forhimself, they murmured. If
  thegrumbling spread,Ts'ao Ts'ao could have amutinyonhishands. He
  summoned thechief ofcommissariat tohistent
  “Iwant toaskyoutolend mesomething,and youmust notrefuse,”
  Ts'ao Ts'ao told thechief. “What isit?”thechief replied. “Iwant theloam of
  yourhead toshow tothetroops,” said Ts'ao Ts'a.o. “But I'vedope nothing
  wrong!”cried thechief. “Iknow,” said Ts'ao Ts'ao with asigh, “but ifIdo
  notputyoutodeath, there will be amutiny. Do notgrieve-—a.fter you're
  gone,I'lllook afteryour family.”Putthisway, therequest leftthechief no
  choice, soheresigned himself tohisfate and was beheaded thatvery day.
  Seeinghishead onpublic display,thesoldiers stopped grumbling. Some
  sawthrough Ts'ao Ts'ao's gesture,butkept quiet,stunned and intimidated
  byhisviolence. And most acceptedhisversion ofwho was toblame, pre-
  ferringtobelieve inhiswisdom and fairness than inhisincompetenceand
  cruelty.
  Interpretation
  Ts'ao Ts'ao came topowerinanextremelytumultuous time. Inthestruggle
  forsupremacyinthecrumblingHan Empire,enemies hademerged from
  allsides. The battle fortheCentral Plain hadprovenmore difficult than he
  imagined, and moneyandprovisionswere aconstant concern. Nowonder
  thatunder such stress, hehadforgotten toorder suppliesintime.
  Once itbecame clear that thedelaywa.s acritical mistake, and that the
  armywasseething with mutiny,Ts'ao 'Is'ao had twooptions: apologyand
  excuses, orascapegoat.


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  Understandingtheworkings ofpowerand the im—(IIIEIM .lU~:'E'lfili
  Agreat calarnity hefcll
  the (own ofChelm one
  day. The mwn zrablrler
  murrlered oneufltix
  customers. Sohewas
  brought before the
  judge. who xemenzretl
  him 10diebyhanging.
  When theverdict was
  read aIownsmcm arose
  and cried am,“Ifyour
  Humor ple:2.\ex~)-oz:
  have semertcerl todeath
  thetown cobbler! He is
  theonlyone we've got.
  IIyouhang him who
  will mend ourshoes?"
  “Who? Who?"cried all
  thepeople ofChelm
  with one voice.
  Thejudge nodtlecl in
  agreement and recon-
  sidered hisverdict.
  “Good people of
  Chelm,"hesaid,“what
  you .s'a_,v istrue. Since
  wehave onlyoneml)-
  hler itwould beagreat
  wrong against me wm—
  munlry tolet/ilm die.
  Aszlwre are two
  mofers inthe town In
  oneofthem belzcmged
  inxlearl."
  A|'RliASl;RY or JEWISH
  rm.Ki,0Ri'-‥
  NA'1'HA.~ AL:s1'isi~.L. 2:13‥
  1948
  LAW 26 201
  202 LAW 20portance ofappearancesashedid, Ts'ao Ts'ao did nothesitate for amo-
  ment: Heshoppedaround forthemost convenient head and had itserved
  upimmediately.
  Occasional mistakes are inevitable——the world isjusttoo nnpre
  diciable. Peopleofpower, however. areundone notbythemistakes they
  make, butbytheway theydeal with them. Like surgeons, theymust cut
  awaythe tumor with speedandfinality.Excuses andapologiesaremuch
  tooblunt tools forthis delicate operation;thepowerfulavoid them. By
  apologizing you open upallsorts ofdoubts about your competence, your
  intentions, anyother mistakesyou maynothave confessed. Excuses satisfy
  no one andapologiesmakeeveryoneuncomfortable. The mistake does
  notvanish with anapology;itdeepensand testers. Better tocutitoffin-
  stantly, distract attention from yourself,and focus attention on aconve
  nientscapegoatbefore peoplehave time toponder your responsibilityor
  your possible incompetence.
  Iwould rather betray thewhole world than lettheworld betrayme.
  (.'u7mul '13"ua 'I'5'ao, 1:.A12. 155-220


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  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW 11
  Forseveral yearsCesare Borgia campaignedtogaincontrol oflarge parts
  ofItaly inthe name ofhisfather, PopeAlexander. IntheyearI500 he
  managed totake Romagna, innorthern Italy. The regionhad foryears
  been ruled byaseries ofgreedymasters who hadplundereditswealth for
  themselves. Without policeoranydisciplining force, ithad descended into
  lawlessness, whole areas being ruled byrobbers andfeudingfamilies.
  Toestablish order, Cesare appointedalieutenant general oftheregion-—
  RemixrodeOreo, “acruel and vigorous man,” accordingtoNiccolo
  Machiavelli. CesaregavetheOrco absolute powers.
  With energy andviolence, deOrco established asevere, brutal justice
  inRornagna,and soon riditofalmost allofitslawless elements. But inhis
  zeal hesometimes went toofar,and after acouple ofyearsthelocalpopu-
  lation resented and even hated him. InDecember of1502, Cesare took dc»
  cisive action. Hefirst letitbeknown that hehad notapprovedofdeOrco's
  cruel and violent deeds, which stemmed from thelieutenanfs brutal na-
  ture. Then, onDecember 22,heimprisonedcleDrco inthe town ofCe-
  sena, and thedayafter Christmas thetownspeople awoke tofind astrange
  spectacleinthemiddle ofthepiazza:doOrco's headless body,dressed ina
  lavish suitwith apurple cape,thehead impaled beside iton apike,the
  bloodyknife and executioner's block laid outbeside thehead. AsMachi-
  avelli concluded hiscomments ontheaffair, “The ferocity ofthis scene left
  thepeopleatonce stunned and satisfied.”
  Interpretation
  Cesare Borgiawas amaster playerinthegame ofpower. Always planning
  several moves ahead, hesethisopponentsthecleverest traps.For this
  Machiavelli honored him above allothers inThePrince.
  Cesare foresaw thefuture with amazing clarityinRomagna'. Onlybru-
  taljusticewould bring order totheregion. The processwould take several
  years, and atfirst thepeoplewould welcome it.But itwould soon make
  many enemies, and the citizens would come toresent theimposition of
  such unforgiving justice, especially byoutsiders. Cesare himself, then,
  could notbe seen astheagent ofthisjustice-—the people'shatred would
  cause toomany problemsinthefuture.


TxText:
  And sohechose the one man who
  could dothedirty work, knowing inadvance that once thetask was done
  hewould have todisplaydeOrco's head on apike.The scapegoatinthis
  case had been plannedfrom thebeginning.
  With Ts'ao Ts'ao, thescapegoatwas anentirelyinnocent man; inthe
  Romagna,hewas theoffensiveweaponinCesare's arsenal that lethim get
  thedirtywork done without bloodyinghis own hands. With this second
  kind ofscapegoatitiswise toseparate yourselffrom thehatchet man at
  some point, either leaving himdanglinginthewind or,like Cesare, even
  making yourselfthe one tobring him tojustice.Notonlyareyoufree ofin-
  volvement intheproblem, youcanappearasthe onewho cleaned itup.
  The Athenians regularlymaintained anumber ofdegradedand useless
  being:atthepublic expense;and whenanycalamity,such asplague,
  drought,orfamine, befellthecity. . .[these smpegoats]were ledabout . . A
  and then sacrificed, appznvntly bybeingstoned outside: thecity.
  The Golden Bough. Sirjames Gemge Frazer, 1854-19-71
  KEYS TO POWER
  The useofscapegoatsisasold ascivilization itself, andexamples ofitcan
  befound incultures around theworld. The main idea behind these sacri-
  fices istheshifting ofguilt and sintoanoutside fig'ure—object, animal, or
  man—which isthen banished ordestroyed.The Hebrews used totake a
  livegoat (hence theterm “scapegoat”) uponwhose head thepriestwould
  layboth hands while confessing the sins oftheChildren ofIsrael. Having
  thus had those sins transferred toit,thebeast would beledawayand aban-
  doned inthewilderness. With theAthenians and theAztecs, thescapegoat
  washuman, often apersonfed and raised forthepurpose.Since famine
  andplaguewere thoughttobevisited onhumans bythegods,inpunish'
  ment forwrongdoing,thepeoplesuffered notonlyfrom thefamine and
  plaguethemselves butfrom blame andguilt. Theyfreed themselves ofguilt
  bytransferringittoaninnocentperson, whose death was intended tosat-
  isfythedivinepowersand banish theevilfrom their midst.
  Itisanextremelyhumanresponsetonotlook inward after amistake
  orcrime, butrather tolook outward and toaffix blame andguilton acon-
  venient object. When theplaguewas ravaging Thebes, Oedipuslooked


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  everywhereforitscause, everywhere exceptinside himself and his own sin
  ofincest, which had sooffended thegodsand occasioned theplague.This
  profoundneed toexteriorize one's guilt,toprojectitonanotherpersonor
  object,has animmensepower,which theclever know how toharness. Sar-
  LAW 26 203
  204 LAW 20'rifice isaritual, perhapsthemost ancient ritual ofall;ritual too isawell-
  spring ofpower. Inthekilling ofdeOrco, note Cesa.re's symbolicand ritu-
  alistic display ofhisbody. Byframing itinthis dramaticwayhefocused
  guiltoutward The citizens ofRomagna responded instantly.Because it
  comes sonaturallytoustolook outward rather than inward, wereadilyac~
  ceptthescapegoat's guilt.
  The bloodysacrifice ofthescapegoatseems abarbaric relic ofthe
  past,but thepracticelives ontothisday,ifindirectlyandsymbolically;
  since power dependsonappearances,and those inpowermust seem never
  tomake mistakes, the useofscapegoatsisaspopularasever. What modern
  leader will take responsibilityforhisblunders? He searches out others
  toblame, ascapegoattosacrifice. When Mao Tse-tung'sCultural Rev—
  olution failed miserably,hemade noapologiesorexcuses totheChinese
  people; instead, like Ts'ao Ts'ao before him, heoffered upscapegoats,in»
  cludinghisown personal secretaryandhiglrrankingmember oftheParty,
  Ch'enPo-ta.
  Franklin D.Roosevelt had areputationforhonestyand fairness.
  Throughout hiscareer, however, hefacedmanysituations inwhich being
  the niceguywould have spelled political d.isaster—yethecould not be
  seen astheagentofanyfoul play.Fortwenty years, then, hissecretary,
  Louis Howe, playedtherole deOrco had. Hehandled thebackroom deals,
  themanipulation ofthepress,theunderhandecl campaignmaneuvers. And
  whenever amistake was committed, oradirtytrick contradictingRoo-
  sevelt's carefully crafted image became public,Howe served asthescape-
  goat,and never complained.
  Besides conveniently shifting blame,ascapegoatcan serve asawarn-
  ingtoothers. In1631 aplotwas hatched tooust France's Cardinal Riche-
  lieu frompower,aplotthat became known as“The DayoftheDupes.” It
  almost succeeded, since itinvolved theupperechelons ofgovernment,in«
  cludingthequeenmother. Butthroughluck and his own connivances,
  Richelieu survived.
  One ofthekeyconspiratorswas aman named Marillac, thekeeperof


TxText:
  theseals. Richelieu could notimprisonhim without implicating thequeen
  mother, anextremely dangerous tactic, sohetargeted Marillac's brother, a
  marshal inthearmy.This man had noinvolvement intheplot. Richelieu,
  however, afraid that other conspiracies mightbeintheair,especiallyinthe
  army,decided toset anexample.Hetried thebrother ontrurnped«up
  chargesand had him executed. Inthiswayheindirectly punishedthereal
  perpetrator,who hadthoughthimself protected,and warnedanyfuture
  conspiratorsthat hewould notshrink from sacrificingtheinnocent topro-
  tect his ownpower.'
  Infactitisoften wise tochoose themost innocent victim possibleasa
  sacrificial goat. Such people will notbepowerful enoughtofight you,and
  their naive protests maybe seen asprotestingtoomuch—maybeseen, in
  other words, asasignoftheir guilt.Becareful, however, not tocreate a
  martyr. Itisimportantthatytmremain thevictim, thepoorleader betrayed
  bytheincompetence ofthose around you. Ifthescapegoat appearstoo
  weak and hispunishmenttoocruel, you mayendupthevictim ofyour
  own device. Sometimesyoushould find amore powerful scapegoatm-one
  who willelicit lesssympathyinthelongrun.
  Inthisvein, historyhas time and againshown thevalue ofusinga
  close associate asascapegoat.This isknown asthe“fall ofthefavorite.”
  Most kingshad apersonalfavorite atcourt, aman whom they singled out,
  sometimes for noapparent reason, and lavished with favors and attention.
  Butthis court favorite could serve as atconvenient scapegoatincase ofa
  threat totheking's reputation. Thepublicwould readilybelieve inthe
  scapegoat's guilt-—why would thekingsacrifice hisfavorite unless hewere
  guilty?And theother couxtiers, resendul ofthefavorite anyway, would re-
  joiceathisdownfall. Theking, meanwhile, would ridhimself ofaman who
  bythat time hadprobably learned toomuch about him, perhaps becoming
  arrogantand even disdainful ofhim. Choosingaclose associate asascape-
  goat hasthe same value asthe“fall ofthefavorite.” Youmay lose afriend
  oraide, butinthelong—termscheme ofthings,itismore importanttohide
  your mistakes than tohold ontosomeone who onedaywillprobablyturn
  against you. Besides, youcanalways find a.new favorite totake hisplace.
  Image:The Innocent Goat. On


TxText:
  theDayofAtonement, thehigh
  priest brings thegoat into the
  temple, placeshishands onits
  head, and confesses thepea»
  ple's sins, transferring guilt to
  theguiltless beast, which is
  then led tothewilderness and
  abandoned, the people'ssins
  and blame vanishingwith him.
  Authority: Follyconsists not incommitting Folly,but inbeing
  incapable ofconcealingit.All men make mistakes, butthe wise
  conceal theblunders theyhave made, while fools make them pub~
  lic.Reputation dependsmore onwhat ishidden than onwhat is
  seen. Ifyoucan't begood,becareful. (Baltasar Grecian, 16014658)
  LAW 26 2/15
  llll'.\i1)\K|-ZV «'l\|5
  'lHI- (',,\'l
  Amonkey and cat, in
  ruguery andfun
  Sworn brothel-,9 twain.
  lmzh owned a('L')iI7II1(lI'I
  masten
  Wlmtever mischief in
  thelttmse was donut
  ByPug and Tom
  was crmtriverl carh
  dimstur. . 4.
  One winter's daywas
  seen thishopeful pair
  Close inmekitchen
  fire,asusual, posted.
  Amongst therr-d-hot
  rrmrlv thecook with
  rare
  Hm! plat, '(Isornr' nice
  plump chesmuia' tobe
  rrI(1.s'l:'€(¥'.
  From whence in.vmvke
  apmzgerir odor rI).§'€,
  Whose oziy/'ragraru:o
  struck thermmkuy'.9
  t1()A'¢¢.
  “'l'om!"suy.v slyl'u],*.
  "pray amid notyou
  and!
  Share this dessert the
  muk isjrluzsed to
  cater?
  Had I.\'H(']: claws as
  yours. l'r1'quickly' try:
  I4'.',1l] me a!IamI——'1wi1I
  be acoup—rie—rnaitre.“
  Sosaid. heseized his
  colleagues ready paw,
  Puller! our thefruit,
  :2()6 LAW 26PART II:MAKE USE OFTHE CAT'S»l'AVV
  Inthefable,theMonkey grabsthepawofhisfriend,theCat, and uses itto
  fishchestnuts outofthefire,thusgettingthenuts hecraves, without hurt-
  inghimself
  Ifthere issomething unpleasantorunpopularthat needs tobedone,
  itisfortooriskyforyoutodothework yourselfYou need ancatty-[Jaw-—
  someone who does thedirty, dangerousworkforyou.The cat'5«paw grabs


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  whatyou need, hurts whomyouneed hurt, andkeeps people from noticing
  that youarethe oneresponsible. Let someone else betheexecutioner orthe
  bearer ofhad news, whileyoubring zmlyjoy andglad tidings.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAVV I
  In59B.C., thefuturequeen Cleopatra ofEgypt,then tenyears old, wit~
  nessed theoverthrow and banishment ofherfather, Ptolemy XII, atthe
  hand ofhis elder daughters-«herown sisters. One ofthedaughters,
  Berenice, emergedastheleader oftherebellion, and toensure that she
  would now ruleEgypt alone, sheimprisoned herother sisters and mur-
  dered her own husband. Thismayhave beennecessaryasapractical step
  tosecure herrule. Butthat amember oftheroyal family,aqueennoless,
  would soovertlyexact such violence onher own family horrified her sub-
  jectsand stirreduppowerful opposition.Fouryearslater thisopposition
  was able toreturn Ptolemytopower,and hepromptlyhad Berenice and
  theother elder sisters beheaded.
  In51B.C.Ptolemy died, leaving fourremainingchildren asheirs. As
  was thetradition inEgypt, theeldest son, Ptolemy XIII (only ten atthe
  time), married theelder sister, Cleopatra (now eighteen),and thecouple
  took thethrone togetherasking and queen. None ofthefour children felt
  satisfied with this; everyone, including Cleopatra, wanted morepower.A
  struggle emergedbetween CleopatraandPtolemy,earl: tryingtopushthe
  other totheside.
  In4815.0., with thehelpofagovernment faction that fearedCleopa-
  tra's ambitions, Ptolemywas able toforce hissister toflee thecountry,
  leavinghimself assole ruler. Inexile, Cleopatraschemed. She wanted to
  rule alone and torestore Egypttoitspastglory,agoalshefelt none ofher
  other siblings could achieve; yetaslongastheywere alive, shecould not
  realizeherdream. And theexample ofBerenice had made itclear that no
  one would serve aqueenwho was seen murdering her own kind. Even
  Ptolemy XIII had not dared murder Cleopatra, althoughheknew she
  would plot againsthim from abroad.
  Within ayearafter Cleopatra's banishment, theRoman dictator Julius


TxText:
  Caesar arrived inEgypt,determined tomake thecountryaRoman colony.
  Cleopatrasawherchance: Reentering Egyptindisguise,shetraveled hun-
  dreds ofmiles toreach Caesar inAlexandria. Legendhasitthat she had
  herself smuggledinto hispresence rolled upinside acarpet,which was
  gracefullyunfurled athisfeet,revealingtheyoung queen. Cleopatraimme
  diatelywent towork ontheRoman. Sheappealedtohislove ofspectacle
  andhisinterest inEgyptian history,andpouredonherfeminine charms.
  Caesar soon succumbed and restored Cleopatratothethrone.
  Cleopatra's siblingsseethed—she had outrnaneuvered them. Ptolemy
  XIII would not wait toseewhat happenednext: From hispalacein
  Alexandria, hesummoned agreat armytomarch onthecity and attack
  Caesar. Inresponse,Caesar immediately putPtolemy and the rest ofthe
  familyunder house arrest. ButCleopatra's youngersister Arsinoeescaped
  from thepalaceandplaced herself atthehead oftheapproaching Egyptian
  troops, proclaiming herself queen ofEgypt. Now Cleopatra finallysaw her
  chance: She convinced Caesar torelease Ptolemyfrom house arrest, under
  theagreement that hewould broker a.truce. Ofcourse sheknew hewould
  dotheopposite—thathewould fight Arsinoe forcontrol oftheEgyptian
  army.Butthis was toCleopatra's benefit, foritwould divide theroyalfam-
  ily.Better still, itwould give Caesar thechance todefeat andkillher sib-
  lingsinbattle.
  Reinforced bytroops from Rome, Caesar swiftlydefeated therebels.
  IntheEgyptians' retreat, Ptolemydrowned intheNile. Caesarcaptured
  Arsinoe and had her sent toRome asaprisoner.Healso executed the nu»
  merous enemies who hadconspired against Cleopatra, andimprisoned
  others who hadopposedher. Toreinforce herpositionasuncontested
  queen, Cleopatranow married theonly sibling left,Ptolemy XIV—only
  eleven atthetime, and theweakest ofthelot.Fouryearslater Ptolemy
  mysteriously died, ofpoison.
  In41B.C., Cleopatra employedon asecond Roman leader, Marc
  Antony,the same tactics shehad used sowell onJulius Caesar. After se-
  ducing him, shehinted tohim that her sister Arsinoe, still aprisonerin
  Rome, had conspiredtodestroy him. Marc Antonybelieved her and
  promptlyhad Arsinoe executed, thereby getting ridofthelastofthesib
  lingswho hadposedsuch athreat toCleopatra.
  Interpretation


TxText:
  LegendhasitthatCleopatra succeeded through herseductive charms, but
  inrealityherpowercame from anabilitytogetpeopletodoherbidding
  without realizing theywere being manipulated.Caesar andAntonynot
  onlyridherofher most dangerous siblings—PtolemyXIII and Arsinoe—
  theydecimated allofherenemies, inboth thegovernmentand themili-
  tary.The two men became hercat's—paws. Theyentered thefireforher,
  didtheuglybutnecessary work, while shielding herfrom appearingasthe
  destroyer ofherlsiblingsand fellow Egyptians. And intheend, both men
  acquiescedtoherldesire toruleEgyptnot asaRoman colony but asanin-
  dependent allied kingdom. And they didallthisforherwithout realizing
  how shehadmanipulatedthem. This was persuasion ofthesubtlest and
  mostpowerfulkind.and rra/mmer/l itinhis
  jaw.
  Now (.'(lIVll' theslzining
  Mislrms of(hefarm/.
  Ami uffin hrlste the
  mo marauclerv
  scampercd.
  Tomforhisshare of
  theplunder had the
  pain.
  VWtil.\'l Pug his/mlan:
  with therlairztim
  pampered.
  h\BLhS.
  Jam: 1)]:LA FUN IAIN!-_',
  16214695
  T|lIi(lR()\3;-ill-1.\'. TIIF
  (.()I3Rr\. «VD Till",
  l,«\(.|\'M.
  Once u[Ir)r111time there
  war itCrow and /tiswife
  who had built (1next in
  11lzanymi tree./1 big
  wzake crawled into [he
  hollow Irurtk and are
  upmychicks asthey
  were hmclwd. The crow
  did not want tomove.
  since heloved the tree
  dearly, Sohewent to
  hisfriend thejackalfor
  advire. Aplan nfaclizm
  was zlewlved. The crow
  and hiswifeflew about
  inimplemenmlimz.
  Asthewife approached
  tipond, she saw the
  women oftheking'5
  court bathing, Willi
  pearls, rzecklaccs, gems,
  garments.and :1golden
  rhum laying on/he
  5/mrrr. T/11-' crow-hen
  seized thegulrlerr chain
  inherbeak andflew
  toward thebtmytm tree
  wirh Iheeunuchs in
  pursuit. When she
  reached the tree. she
  dropped thechain mm
  (hehole. Asthekings'
  LAW 26 207
  men climbed (he tree
  forther-ham, theysaw
  theswelling hood of
  thecobra. Sothey
  killed (hesnake with
  «Imr ci'uh€, f('Ifi(7\/(J6!


TxText:
  thegolden cimin, and
  went back tothepond.
  Am! the ('row and
  hiswife iéved /mppiiy
  ever after.
  A'I'A1,e mom THE
  PAN('HA'|'AN ma,
  mx:sz'rnr 'min.
  RF mzm
  Tm: ('RAFT ourrowan,
  R.G HS .1979
  HUW T17
  |iRU.\I)( .\.\"l' Vl'.\X 5
  When Omar. sonof
  al-Khallab, wax'
  crmverml I0Islam, he
  wanted the news ofhit
  conversion toreach
  everyone quickly. Hr-
  went toseeJamil. ran
  ofMax'mar ul-Jumalu.
  The latter was re-
  nowneci for thespeed
  with which hepassed
  on,m'ret.s. [filewas
  mlrlanyllziizg inconfi-
  dmce, heleteverymze
  know about itimmedi-
  ately.Omar mil! to
  him: “Ihaw i!(N'l>II'lU a
  Musiirrz. Do notsay
  arivrhirzg. Keep itdark.
  [)0 notmmnbn itin
  from ofanyone,"
  Jamil wen: outinto the
  .'x'N'<'ex and began simul-
  ing; atthetopof/iis
  mire.' "Do you believe
  that Omar, sonofal-
  Kiumair. has not
  become aMuslim?
  Well, donot believe
  that.' Iamtelling you
  that hehas!"
  206i LAW 26Aqueenmust never dirtyherhands with ugly tasks, nor can aking ap
  pearinpublic with blood onhisface. Yetpowercannot survive without the
  constant squashing ofenemies-«there willalwaysbedirty little tasks that
  have tobe done tokeep youonthethrone. Like Cleopatra, youneed a
  Ca.t's-paw.
  This willusually beaperson from outside your immediate circle, who
  will therefore beunlikelytorealize how heorshe isbeing used. You will
  find these dupes everywhere——peoplewho enjoy doing you favors, espe
  ciallyifyouthrow them aminimal bone ortwo inexchange.But asthey
  accomplishtasks thatmayseem tothem innocent enough,oratleast com-
  pletely justified, theyareactually clearing thefield foryou, spreadingthe
  informationyoufeed them, undermining people theydonot realize are


TxText:
  your rivals, inadvertently furthering your cause, dirtying their hands while
  yours remain spotless.
  DBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW 11
  Inthelate 1920s, civil warbroke outinChina astheNationalist andCom
  munist parties battled forcontrol ofthecountry. In1927 Chiang Kai—shek,
  theNationalist leader, vowed tokilleverylastCommunist, and over the
  next fewyears henearly accomplishedhistask, pushinghisenemies hard
  until, in1934-1935, heforced them into theLong March, asix-thousand
  mile retreat from thesoutheast totheremote northwest, throughharsh ter-
  rain, inwhich most oftheir ranks were decimated. Inlate 1936 Chiang
  plannedone lastoffensive towipethem out, buthewascaught inamutiny:
  His own soldiers capturedhim and turned him over totheCommunists.
  Now hecould only expecttheworst.
  Meanwhile, however, theJapanese begananinvasion ofChina, and
  much toChiang's surprise,instead ofkillinghim theCommunist leader,
  Mao Tse~tung, proposedadeal: The Communists would lethimgo,and
  would recognizehim ascommander oftheir forces aswell ashis,ifhe
  would agreetofight alongsidethem against their commonenemy. Chiang
  hadexpectedtorture and execution; now hecould not believe hisluck.
  How soit these Reds had become. Without havingtofightarearguardac-
  tion against theCommunists, heknew hecould beat theJapanese,and
  then afewyearsdown theline hewould turn around anddestroytheReds
  with ease, Hehadnothingtolose andeverythingtogain byagreeingto
  their terms.
  The Communists proceededtofight theJapaneseintheir usual fash~
  ion, with hit»and-run guerrilla tactics, while theNationalists foughtamore
  conventional war. Together,alter several years, theysucceeded inevicting
  theJapanese. Now, however, Chiang finally understood what Mao had re-
  allyplanned.His ownarmyhad met thebnmt oftheJapanese artillery,
  wasgreatly weakened, and would take afewyearstorecover. The Com~
  munists, meanwhile, had notonly avoided anydirect hits from thejapa~
  nese, they had used thetime torecoup their strength,and tospreadout
  andgainpocketsofinfluence allover China. Assoon asthe waragainstthe
  Japanese ended, thecivil war started aga.


TxText:
  in—but this time theCommunists
  envelopedtheweakened Nationalists andslowlybeat them into submis-
  sion. TheJapanese had served asMao's cat's-paw, inadvertently ploughing
  thefields fortheCommunists andmaking possibletheir victoryover Chi-
  angKai~shel<.
  Interpretation
  Most leaders who had taken aspowerfulanenemyasChiang Kai-shek
  prisonerwould have made sure tokillhim. But indoingsotheywould
  have lost thechance Maoexploited.Without theexperienced Chiangas
  leader oftheNationalists, thefighttodrive theJapaneseoutmighthave
  lasted much longer,with devastatingresults. Mao was fartooclever tolet
  anger spoilthe chance tokill two birds with one stone. Inessence, Mao
  used twocat's-pawstohelp him attain total victory. First, hecleverlybaited
  Chiangintotaking chargeofthe waragainsttheJapanese.Mao knew the
  Nationalists ledbyChiangwould domost ofthehard fighting and would
  succeed inpushingtheJapaneseoutofChina, iftheydidnothave tocon-
  cern themselves with fightingtheCommunists atthe same time. The Na-
  tionalists, then, were thefirstcat's—paw,used toevict theJapanese.But
  Mao also knew that intheprocessofleadingthe waragainst theinvaders,
  theJapanese artilleryand airsupportwould decimate theconventional
  forces oftheNationalists, doing damage itcould take the Communists
  decades toinflict. Whywaste time and lives iftheJapanese could dothe
  jobquickly? Itwas this wisepolicy ofusingonecat's—pawafter another that
  allowed theCommunists toprevail.
  There aretwo uses ofthecat's—paw:tosaveappearances,asCleopatra
  did, and tosaveenergyand effort. The latter case inparticular demands
  thatyouplanseveral moves inadvance, realizingthat atemporarymove
  backward (letting Chiang go,say)can lead toagiant leap forward. Ifyou
  aretemporarilyweakened and need time torecover, itwill often serveyou
  well touse those aroundyouboth asascreen tohideyourintentions and
  asacat's~pawtodoyourwork foryou.Look for apowerfulthird partywho
  shares anenemywithyou(iffordifferent reasons), then take advantage of
  their superior powertodeal blows which would have costyoumuch more
  energy,sinceyouareweaker. You can even gently guidethem into hostili-
  ties.


TxText:
  Alwayssearch outtheoverly aggressiveaspotential cat's-paws—they
  areoften more thanwillingtogetinto afight,andyoucan choose justthe
  rightfightforyour purposes.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW III
  KuriyamaDaizen was anadept ofCha-no—yu (Hot Water forTea, the
  Japaneseteaceremony)and astudent oftheteachings ofthegreattea mas-
  terSen noRikyu.Around 1620 Daizen learned that afriend ofhis,
  Hoshino Soemon, had borrowed alargesum ofmoney (300ryo)tohelpaThe news ofOmafs
  c0nveP.s'i(m toIslam
  wasspread everywliere.
  And that wasjuxl what
  heintended.
  1‥'Ill'l'l.l RUSF3
  OOK OFARABIF
  WISDOM AN!) (]llll.l-Z.
  1HlR'I'El:N'1n L'l:Nl'LRY
  Al'(>0|. A\lJ \VIhliMM
  Awise man,
  walking alone,
  Wm' being bothered by
  afoolthrowmgmom,-s
  athishead.
  Turning /0face him,
  hesaid:
  “My dear chap, wrll
  thrown!
  Please llCL'€])l rlxese
  fewfnmcs.
  Yuzfve worked hard
  enough10getnmrc
  than mere thanks.
  Every effort deserves'
  itsreward.
  But seethat man over
  there? He canafford
  More than Iran.
  PI'('.\'L'Il1 him with some
  afyourstones: lhc>y'll
  earn agood wage."
  Lurrad bythehail,
  thestupid mun
  Romafflo repeal
  theoulmgz-,
  Ontheother worthy
  citizen.
  '1us[me hewant '1
  paid inmoney
  forhis xtnnrs.
  Upruslzczl
  serving—mcn.
  Amt seized him and
  thrmlmd hm: and
  broke allhishomes.
  Inthe courts 0fkings
  (here arepests like this',
  devoid ofreuse:
  7'lzey 'IImakr: their
  LAW 26 209
  mnszrrr laugh atyour
  expen.w.
  To.s'u'm(:r: thzrir ('fl('klI',,
  should you hand out
  rough
  Pzinixhmmt? Maybe
  you 'renor .vtmn,g
  mouglt.
  Bauer persuade them
  toattack
  Samebolly efxv, who
  am more than pay
  iherrt back.
  .\ELE('l'EU FABLES.
  JrAV or;LAFnx'miNIv'.
  1621-1695
  IHi'.|\|)l,\\ Bllll)
  Amerrlmm kip! abird
  inacage. lie wasgoing


TxText:
  toIndia, me[midfrom
  wliich shehirrl zwmt'.
  and asked itwlwtiier /11:
  maid bring anyimng
  backfor2!.Thebird
  [1$'f((.'(l forin'frecdrml,
  Inn was refused. Sohe
  u.\'l<cr! rimrm'rr/rant to
  visit :1jmlglt: IllIndia
  and announce his
  caplivily lothe[rev
  birds whn were there.
  The mnrtrhrlrit rift] S17.
  and no .S'(I(IHk'!' had he
  sprxicm wlmn :1wild
  bird, just like his own.
  fell senseless no:of:1
  mac antotheground.
  Tim merchant Ilzoughr
  that this must byarole»
  riveafliix own bird,
  und/bl:xml rlmt he
  slzould have mural t/tis
  detlrh.
  When hegothome, the
  hm! a.i'k¢=zl' him whrrtller
  hehadbrought good
  news from India,
  "No.".wr1'r1 the
  anew'chzm!_ “Ifeel that
  mynews: ishim. (Me of
  2!!) LAW 26relative who had fallen into debt. Butalthough Soemon hadmanagedto
  bail out hisrelative, hehadsimply displacedthe burden onto himself.
  Daizen knew Soemon well—-he neither cared notunderstood much about
  money, and could easily getinto trouble through slowness inrepaying the
  loan, which had been made byitwealthymerchant calledKawachiya
  Sanemon. YetifDaizen offered tohelp Soemon payback theloam, he
  would refuse, outofpride, andmighteven beoffended.
  One dayDaizen visited hisfriend, and after touring thegarden and
  lookingatSoemon's prized peonies, theyretired tohisreceptionroom.
  Here Daizen saw apainting bythemaster Kano Tennyu. “Ah,” Daizen ex-
  claimed, “asplendid piece ofpainting‥ . .Idon't know when Ihave seen
  anythingIlike better.” After several more bouts ofpraise, Soemon had no
  choice: “Well,” hesaid, “sinceyou like itsomuch, Ihope you will dome
  thefavor ofacceptingit.”
  Atfirst Daizen refused, but when Soemon insisted hegavein.The
  next daySoemon inturn received apackagefrom Daizen. Inside itwas a


TxText:
  beautiful and delicate vase, which Daizen, inanaccompanying note, asked
  hisfriend toacceptasatoken ofhisappreciationforthepainting that Soe~
  mon had sograciously given him theday before. Heexplainedthat the
  vase had been made bySen noRikyu himself, and bore aninscription
  from Emperor Hideyoshi. IfSoemon didnot care forthe vase, Daizensug~
  gested, hemight make agiftofittoanadherent ofCha«no—yu—-perhaps
  themerchant Kawachiya Sanemon, who had often expressedadesire to
  possessit.“Ihear,” Daizen continued, “he has afinepiece offancy paper
  [the3()()~ryo I.O.U.] whichyouwould much like. Itispossible youmight
  arrangeanexchange.”
  Realizingwhat hisgracious friend wasupto,Soemon took the vase to
  thewealthylender. “However didyou getthis,” exclaimed Sanemon,
  when Soemon showed him the vase. “Ihave often heard ofit,butthis isthe
  first time Ihave ever seen it.Itissuch atreasure that itisnever allowed
  outside thegate!” Heinstantlyoffered toexchange thedebt note forthe
  flower vase, and togiveSoemon 300ryomore ontopofit.ButSocmon,
  who did not care formoney, onlywanted the debt note back, and
  Sanemon gladly gave ittohim. Then Soemon immediatelyhunied to
  Daizen's house tothank him forhisclever support
  Interpretation
  Kuriyama Daizen understood that thegrantingofafavor isnever simple:
  Ifitisdone withfuss andobviousness, itsreceiver feels burdened byan
  obligation. This may give thedoor acertain power,butitisapowerthat
  willeventually self-destruct, foritwill stirupresentment and resistance. A
  favor done indirectlyandelegantlyhas ten times morepower. Daizen
  knew adirect approach would only have offended Soemon.Bylettinghis
  friend givehim thepainting, however, hemade Soemon feel that hetoo
  hadpleasedhisfriend with agift.Intheend, allthree parties emerged from
  the encounter feeling fulfilled intheir own way.
  Inessence, Daizen made himself thecat's-paw,thetool totake the
  chestnuts outofthefire. Hemust have felt some paininlosing the vase, but


TxText:
  hegained notonlythepainting but, more important,thepower ofthe
  courtier. The courtier uses hisgloved hand tosoften anyblows against him,
  disguise hisscars, and make the actofrescue more elegant and clean. By
  helping others, thecourtier eventually helps himself. Daizen's example
  providestheparadigm foreveryfavor done between friends and peers:
  neverimpose your favors. Search outways tomake yourselfthecat's—paw,
  indirectly extricating yourfriends from distress withoutimposing yourself
  ormakingthem feelobligatedtoyou.
  One should not betoostmightfnrward.Goand seethefzmesz.
  Thestraighttrees arecutdown, thecrooked ones areleftstanding.
  Kuulilya, Indian fzhiloroplmgthird centuryIi.(1'.
  KEYS TO POWER
  Asaleaderyou may imaginethat constant diligence,and theappearance
  ofworkingharder thananyone else, signify power. Actually, though, they
  have theoppositeeffect: They implyweakness. Whyareyouworkingso
  hard? Perhaps youareincompetent,and have toputinextra effort justto
  keep up;perhaps youare one ofthose peoplewho does notknow how to
  delegate,and has tomeddle ineverything.Thetruly powerful,ontheother
  hand, seem never tobeinahurryoroverburdened. While others work
  theirfingerstothebone, theytake their leisure. Theyknow how tofind the
  rightpeopletoputintheeffort while theysave theirenergyandkeeptheir
  hands outofthefire.Similarly, you may believe thatbytakingonthedirty
  work yourself, involving yourself directlyinunpleasant actions, youim-
  pose your powerand instill fear. Infact you make yourselflookugly,and
  abusive ofyour high position. Truly powerful people keep their hands
  clean. Only good things surround them, and theonly announcements they
  make areofglorious achievements.
  You will often find itnecessary, ofcourse, toexpend energy,ortoef
  fact anevil butnecessaryaction. Butyoumust neverappeartobethis ac-
  tion's agent. Find 3.cat's—paw. Developthe arts offinding, using, and, in
  time, getting ridofthese peoplewhen their cat's-pawrole has been ful-
  filled.
  Onthe eveofanimportantriver battle, thegreat third—centuryChi
  nese strategist Chuko Liangfound himself falselyaccused ofsecretly work
  ingfortheother side.


TxText:
  Asproofofhisloyalty,hiscommander ordered him
  toproduce 100,000 arrows forthearmy within three days,orbeputto
  death. Instead oftrying tomanufacture the arrows, animpossible task,
  Liang took adozen boats and had bundles ofstraw lashed totheir sides. In
  thelateafternoon, when mist alwaysblanketed theriver, hefloated the
  boats toward theenemy camp. Fearingatrap from thewily Chuko Liang,
  theenemydid notattack thebarelyvisible boats with boats oftheir own,your rclalinm
  collapsed tum',fell atmy
  feet when Immziunwl
  your captivity."
  Aswon asthese wurtls
  were xlmken the
  merclumt ivbird
  mllapx::(l andfell to
  thebottom oftheurge.
  “The news aflzis kirxxv
  man '3(loath haskilled
  him, run.”/huught the
  merchant. Sorrowful!)
  hepicked upthebird
  and putitonHlze
  wirzduw.\ill. Alonce
  thebird ruvwcd mm'
  flew to 41nextrby mac.
  “Now you know."1/24:
  bird mul, “(hm what
  youI/laugh:was rlimse
  (or was infactgood
  news forVIM'.Ami how
  therrmmlge, the
  suggc.sIioIz ofhow In
  behtzvc ineI!'dt'!' tofret'
  m_yseIfiwas rmnsmzzml
  tomethrough you, my
  captur. "And heflaw
  mmy, freeatlast.
  m1_|=s <>r"m1«_
  DFRVISHEES.
  l|)l[lIiS SH/\u,1967
  LAW 26 211
  l),\\'lD XVI) Il.\'l'|l*1llV,|i\
  .4![he tumofthe year,
  what; kmgx take the
  fluid, David scm ,/oab
  outwith hisother offi-
  wrs and alltheLwaeliu'
  forces, and they
  rxtvtzged Amman and
  laid .V'i('gl'InRubhah,
  while David nzmuinetl
  inJerm-alum. Om'
  evening David gotup
  front hismud: and, as
  hewaikrd about on[he
  ruofof thepulaw, he
  sawfrom thFri—' a
  wmmm bathéng am!
  xhe was very beautiful.
  He vmr rninquire who
  slit' was: and the answer
  came, “It muse' he
  Ihztlzx/zeba. daughter of
  Elium andwifeof
  Uriah theHirriw, .
  David wrote aletter to


TxText:
  Joub and sent Uriah
  with it.HPwmm in(11?
  lrtrnr: “Put Uriah
  opposite theenemy
  where thefighléng is
  fiercest ant? thanfit]!
  buck, and lcswe him :0
  meet hisdeath. ". ‥
  Joab ‥ .xfmitzned
  Uriah :1: orpoint where
  heknew Ilzry would
  put upaxtouljighi. The
  men oflhe (fly ta/lied
  amand or|g1zgr,'rl.h)uh.
  and some ofDavid':-
  guards fell; Uriah I/ze
  Hzlme was zzlvo killed.
  Jouh sem David a
  dis';m1Ch wirh allthe
  news ofrhe battle. . . ,
  When I_:'rwh'.\' wife
  hoard [hm herhusband
  was' clvsad, sizemrmrnezt
  forhim; and when the
  period ofmrzuming
  M15 oval: David set»:
  forherandbrought her
  into hmhouse. She
  became hiswife and
  bore him aSOIL.
  oron waxru.
  25AM1.r.L. ll--I2
  212 LAW 26but showered them with arrows from thebank. AsLiang'sboats inched
  closer, theyredoubled therain ofarrows, which stuck inthethick straw.
  After several hours, the men hidingonboard sailed the vessels quickly
  downstream, where Chuko Liangmet them and collected his 100,000
  arrows.
  Chuko Liang would never dowork that others could doforlu'm—-he
  wasalways thinking uptricks like this one. The keytoplanningsuch a
  strategyistheabilitytothink farahead, toimagine waysinwhich other
  peoplecanbebaited intodoing thejobforyou.
  Anessential element inmaking thisstrategy work istodisguise your
  goal, shrouding itinmystery,like thestrange enemyboats appearing
  dimlyinthemist. When yourrivals cannot besure what youareafter, they
  will reaxzt inwaysthat often workagainstthem inthelongrun. Infactthey
  willbecome your ca3.'s-paws. Ifyoudisguise your intentions, itismuch eas-
  iertoguidethem into moves thataccomplish exactlywhatyouwant done,
  butprefernot todoyourself.Thismay require planningseveral moves in
  advance, like abilliard ball that bounces offthe sides afew times before
  headinginto theright pocket;


TxText:
  The early-twentieth-centuryAmerican con artist Yellow Kid Weil
  knew that nomatter how skillfully hehorned inontheperfect wealthy
  sucker, ifhe, astranger, approachedthis mandirectly,thesucker mightbe-
  come suspicious.SoWeil would find someone thesucker alreadyknew to
  serve asacat's—paw——-someonelower onthe totem polewho was himself
  anunlikely target,and would therefore belesssuspicious.Weil would in-
  terest this man inascheme promisingincredible wealth. Convinced the
  scheme was forreal, thecat's—pawwould often suggest, without prompting,
  that hisboss orwealthyfriend should getinvolved: Havingmore cash to
  invest, this man would increase the sizeofthepot.making biggerbucks for
  allconcerned. The cat's-pawwould then involve thewealthysucker who
  had been Weil'-s targetallalong,butwho would notsuspectatrap,since it
  was histrustysubordinate who hadropedhim in.Devices like this are
  often thebestwaytoapproachaperson ofpower:Use anassociate orsub
  ordinate tohookyou upwithyour primary target. The cat's-pawestalr
  lishes your credibilityand shieldsyou from theunsavory appearanceof
  beingtoopushyinyour courtship.
  The easiest and most effectivewaytouse acat's-pawisoften toplant
  information with him that hewill thenspreadtoyour primary target. False
  orplanted information isapowerful tool, especiallyifspread byadupe
  whom noonesuspects.Youwillfind itvery easytoplayinnocent and dis-
  guise yourselfasthe source.
  The strategic therapistDr.Milton H.Erickson would often encounter
  among hispatientsamarried coupleinwhich thewife Wanted thetherapy
  butthehusband absolutelyrefused itRather than wasting energy tryingto
  deal with the man directly,Dr.Erickson would seethewife alone, and as
  shetalked hewould interject interpretations ofthehusband's behavior that
  heknew would rilethehusband upifheheard them. Sure enough,thewife
  would tellher husband what thedoctor had said. After afew weeks the
  husband would he sofurious hewould insist onjoininghiswife inthe ses-
  sions sohecould setthedoctor straight.


TxText:
  Finally, you maywell find cases inwhich deliberately offering yourself
  asthecat's-paw willultimately gain yougreat power.This isthe ruse ofthe
  perfectcourtier. ItssymbolisSirWalter Raleigh, who once placedhis own
  cloak onthemuddy groundsothatQueenElizabeth would notsullyher
  shoes. Astheinstrument that protectsamaster orpeer from unpleasant
  ness ordanger, yougain immense respect,which sooner orlater willpay
  dividends. And remember: Ifyoucanmakeyourassistance subtle andgra—
  cious rather than boastful andburdensome, your recompense will bethat
  much the more satisfyingandpowerful.
  Image:The Cat's-Paw.
  Ithaslongclaws tograb
  things. Itissoft and
  padded.Take hold ofthe cat
  and use itspawtopluck
  thingsoutofthelire, toclaw
  your enemy,toplaywith the
  mouse before devouringit.
  Sometimesyou hurt the
  cat, but most often it
  doesn't feel athing.
  Authority:Doeverything pleasant yourself, everything unpleas-
  amthrough third parties. Byadoptingthefirst courseyouwin
  favor, bytaking thesecondyoudeflect illwill. lmp()l'laI1l.affairs
  often requirerewards andpunishments.Letonlythegoodcome
  fromyouand theevil from others. (Baltasar Graciém, lti0l—l658)
  LAW 26 213
  214 LAW 26REVERSAI.
  The cat's~pawand thescapegoatmust beused with extreme caution and
  delicacy. Theyarelike screens that hide yourown involvement indirty
  work from thepublic; ifatanymoment the screen islifted andyouare
  seen asthemanipulator,thepuppet master, the whole dynamicaims
  around—yourhand will beseen everywhere, andyou will beblamed for
  misfortunesyou mayhave hadnothing todowith. Once thetruth isre
  vealed, events willsnowball beyond yourcontrol.
  In1572, QueenCatherine de'Médicis ofFrance conspiredtodoaway
  with Gaspard deColigny,anadmiral intheFrenchnavyand aleading
  member oftheHuguenot (French Protestant) community. Coliguywas
  close toCatherine's son, Charles IX,and shefeared hisgrowinginfluence
  ontheyoung king.Soshearrangedfor amember oftheGuise family,one
  ofthemost powerful royal clans inFrance, toassassinate him.
  Secretly, however, Catherine had another plan:She Wanted theHu-


TxText:
  guenotstoblame theGuises forkillingoneoftheir leaders, and totake re
  venge.With oneblow, shewould erase orinjuretwothreatening rivals,
  Colignyand the Guisefamily.Yetboth planswentawry.The assassin
  missed histarget, only wounding Coligny; knowing Catherine ashis
  enemy,hestrongly suspected itwas shewho had setuptheattack onhim,
  and hetold thekingso.Eventuallythefailed assassination and theargu-
  ments that ensued from itsetoff achain ofevents that ledtoabloodycivil
  war between Catholics and Protestants, culminating inthehorrifyingMas
  sacre ofSt.Bartholomew's Eve, inwhich thousands ofProtestants were
  killed.
  Ifyouhave touse acat's—paworascapegoatinanaction ofgreatcon-
  sequence,beverycareful: Too much can gowrong. Itisoften wiser touse
  such dupesinmore innocent endeavors, where mistakes ormiscalculations
  will cause noserious harm.
  Finally, there are moments when itisadvantageoustonotdisguise
  your involvement orresponsibility,butrather totake theblame yourself
  for some mistake. Ifyouhavepowerand are secure init,youshould some
  times play thepenitent: With asorrowful look, youaskforforgiveness
  from those weaker thanyou. Itistheployofthekingwho makes ashow of
  hisown sacrifices forthegood ofthepeople. Similarly, upon occasionyou
  maywant toappearastheagent ofpunishmentinorder toinstill fear and
  tremblinginyoursubordinates. Instead oftheca.t's~paw you show your
  own mightyhand asathreatening gesture. Play such acard sparingly. If
  youplayittoooften, fearwill turn into resentment and hatred. Beforeyou
  know it,such emotions willsparkavigorous oppositionthatwillsomeday
  bring youdown. Get inthehabit ofusingacat's-paw——itisfarsafer.
  LAW
  27
  PLAY ON PEOPLE'S NEED
  TO BELIEVE TO CREATE A
  CULTLIKE FOLLOWING
  JUDGMENT
  People have ana-uerwhelmingdesire tobelieve insome»
  thing. Become thefocal point ofsuch desirebyqflmng
  them acause, anewfaithtofollow. Keep yourwords
  vague butfull £_1f[l7'()miSI?,' emphasizeenthusiasm over m-
  tionality and clear thinking.Give yournewdisciplesrit-
  uals topeifom, ask them tomake sacrificesonyour
  behaifl Intheabsence oforganized religionandgrand,
  emeses, yournew beiief system willbring you imtald
  powex


TxText:
  Itwus Intheclzarlatarzir
  uzlvanmgrt that theindi-
  viduals prezlisposed to
  rredulily skortid marital
  ply, that thegroupsof
  hisadherents should
  enlargelomas:
  proportions, guarantee-
  ing anever greater
  scope forhism'umpIi.s:
  And this was infact to
  occur, ll.l'science was
  popularizied, from the
  Remzzsmnce ondown
  rhrouglz wcceeding
  cenrlzriirs. With the
  imrnense growth of
  krmwlredgreand its
  wrtead tlmmgli prinI~
  inginmmlenri times,
  the rrxmw ofthehalf
  edzwulvd, theeagerl_v
  gullible prey ofihe
  qllack, also increu.s'e¢1,
  [Iemrrze indeed a
  nmjorify; roal power
  could bf'based ontheir
  wixfzns. <)])ini(ms, pref-
  erences. and rejections.
  The ch/Ir/mun's empire
  accordingly widwied
  with themodern
  tlfiyseminizliorr of
  knowledge;.s'irrn* hf'
  opcramrlonlhrebasis
  ofh'Clt!I1C(', however
  much heperverted ii,
  prottzwing gold with a
  Icriznit/ue borrowed
  from clicrrilstry and his
  womlorful balsums
  with /herl[)[)[II£Itui' of
  mctlidne, hecould not
  appeal10mtcmirely
  ignomrzl foe'/c. '1"/te illit~
  emze would bu
  protected ugaim! lulr
  uh.snrdlrim' bytheir
  hetIl1Iz_V common sense.
  llis choicest umiimz.-e
  would beztompoxcaf of
  the5't'I7lllll('I1)!('. thme
  who had exclzangecl
  thvir crmmzvn sense /2):
  Lllitlle dixlorred infer.
  marina and Imrl
  216 LAW 27THE SCIENCE OFCl-IARLATANISM,
  OR HOW TOCREATE ACULT lNFIVE EASY STEPS
  Insearching,asyou must, forthemethods that will gain you the most
  powerfortheleast effort, youwillfind thecreation ofacultlike following
  one ofthe most elfective. Havingalarge following opens upallsorts of
  possibilitiesfordeception;notonly willyourfollowers worship you, they
  will defendyoufromyourenemies andwillvoluntarilytake onthework of
  enticing others tojoin your fledgling cult. This kind ofpowerwillliftyouto
  another realm: You will nolonger have tostruggleorusesubterfugetoen-
  forceyour will. You areadored and candonowrong.


TxText:
  Youmightthink itagargantuantask tocreate such afollowing,butin
  fact itisfairly simple. Ashumans, wehave adesperateneed tobelieve in
  something, anything.This makes useminently gullible: Wesimplycannot
  endure long periodsofdoubt, oroftheemptinessthat comes from alack of
  something tobelieve in.Dangleinfront ofussome new cause, elixir, get-
  rich-quick scheme, orthelatest technologicaltrend orartmovement and
  weleap from thewater asone totake thebait. Look athistory: The chroni-
  clesofthe new trends and cults that have made amass followingforthem-
  selves could fill alibrary. After afewcenturies, afewdecades, afewyears,
  afewmonths, theygenerallylook ridiculous, but atthetime theyseem so
  attractive, sotranscendental, sodivine.
  Alwaysinarush tobelieve insomething,wewill manufacture saints
  and faiths outofnothing. Donotletthisgullibility gotowaste: Makeyour»
  selftheobject ofworship.Make peopleform acultaround you.
  The great European Charlatans ofthesixteenth and seventeenth ten»
  turies mastered theartofcultmaking. They lived, aswedonow, inatime
  oftransformation: Organized religionwas onthewane, science ontherise.
  Peoplewere desperatetomllyaround anew cause orfaith. The Charlatans
  had begun bypeddlinghealth elixirs and alchernic shortcuts towealth.
  Moving quicklyfrom town totown, they originallyfocused onsmall
  groups—until, byaccident, theystumbled on atruth ofhuman nature:
  Thelarger thegroup they gatheredaround themselves, theeasier itwas to
  deceive.
  The charlatan would station himself on ahigh wooden platform (hence
  theterm “mountebank”) and crowds would swarm around him. Inagroup
  setting, peoplewere more emotional, less able toreason. Had thecharlatan
  spokentothem individually, theymight have found himridiculous, butlost
  inacrowd they gotcaught upinacommunal mood ofraptattention. Itbe
  came impossibleforthem tofind thedistance tobeskeptical, Anydeficien-
  cies inthecharlatan's ideas were hidden bythezeal ofthe mass. Passion
  and enthusiasm swept throughthecrowd like acontagion,andtheyreacted
  violently toanyonewho dared tospreadaseed ofdoubt. Bothconsciously
  studyingthisdynamicover decades ofexperimentand spontaneously
  adaptingtothese situations asthey happened,thecharlatans perfectedthe
  science ofattractingandholdingacrowd, moldingthecrowd into followers


TxText:
  and thefollowers into acult.
  Thegimmicks oftheCharlatans mayseem quaint today, but there are
  thousands ofcharlatansamongusstill,usingthe same tried~a:nd—true meth~
  odstheir predecessors refined centuries ago,only changing the names of
  their elixirs andmodernizing thelook oftheir cults. Wefind these latter»
  daycharlatans inallarenas oflife-~business, fashion, politics,art.Many of
  them, perhaps,arefollowinginthecharlatan tradition without having any
  knowledge ofitshistory,butyoucan hemore systematicand deliberate.
  Simplyfollow thefivesteps ofcultmaking that ourcharlatan ancestorsper-
  fected over theyears.
  Step1:Keep ItVague; Keep ItSimple.Tocreate acultyou must first
  attract attention. This you should donotthrough actions, which are too
  clear andreadable, butthrough words, which arehazyanddeceptive.Your
  initial speeches, conversations, and interviews must include two elements:
  onthe one hand thepromise ofsomething greatandtransformative, and
  ontheother a.totalvagueness. This combination willstimulate allkinds of
  hazy dreams inyour listeners, who will make their own connections and
  seewhat theywant tosee.
  Tomakeyour vagueness attractive, usewords ofgreatresonance but
  cloudy meaning, words fullofheat and enthusiasm. Fancytitles forsimple
  thingsarehelpful,asarethe useofnumbers and thecreation ofnew words
  forvague concepts. Allofthese create theimpression ofspecialized knowl
  edge, giving youaveneer ofprofunclity. Bythe same token, trytomake the
  subjectofyourcult new andfresh, sothat fewwillunderstand it.Done right,
  thecombination ofvague promises, cloudy' butalluring concepts,andfiery
  enthusiasm will stirpeople'ssouls and agroupwillform around you.
  Talk :00vaguelyand youhave nocredibility. But itismore dangerous
  tobespecific. Ifyouexplainindetail thebenefits people willgain byfol-
  lowing your cult, youwill beexpectedtosatisfythem.
  As acorollarytoitsvagueness your appealshould also besimple.
  Most peop1e's problemshave complexcauses: deep-rooted neurosis, inter
  connected social factors, roots thatgowayback intime and areexceed-
  inglyhard tounravel. Few, however, have thepatiencetodeal with this;


TxText:
  most peoplewant tohear that asimplesolution will cure their problems.
  Theabilitytooffer thiskind ofsolution willgive yougreat power andbuild
  youafollowing. Instead ofthecomplicated explanationsofreallife, return
  totheprimitive solutions ofourancestors, togood oldcountry remedies, to
  mysterious panaceas.
  Step2:Emphasize theVisual and the Sensual over theIntellectual.
  Once peoplehave begun togatheraroundyou,twodangers willpresent
  themselves: boredom andskepticism. Boredom will make people goelse
  where; skepticism will allow them thedistance tothink rationally about
  whatever itisyouareoffering, blowing awaythemistyouhave artfullycre-
  ated andrevealing yourideas forwhat theyare. You need toarouse the
  bored, then, and ward offthecynics.encountered science
  and education atsome
  time, thong/1 briefly
  and un.s'ur¢:e.s-sful/y., . .
  Thegieutrnasxr of
  mankind hasalways
  been predisposed to
  marvel atmysteries,
  and thil' wasespecially
  true! at(terrain Iiisrorrk
  periurlswhen the
  Secure foundations of
  lifeseemed shaken and
  oltfvalues, ccorzamzc or
  spiritual, long accepted
  ascortairzliea. could no
  longerberelied upon.
  The» thezzumbrmr of
  theclzarlaranis dupes
  mulu'p1iedr—rhe “self
  killers,"as:2seven-
  ll.'emh~c<mmry English-
  man called them.
  'l'llE POWER 01-'rue
  t:nA1U.A'I'AN.
  Gkrirr, or,Fxaxmsco,
  I939
  llil" OWL XYHU
  \V'AS (41)!)
  Onztr uponastarlets
  mitlriight there was rm
  owl who sat onthe
  branch ofanoak tree.
  Twoground moles
  tried toslipquietly by,
  tmnoliced. "You!"sm'd
  theowl,“W/m?"they
  quuvenrd. infear and
  arzvmishrriezzr, forthey
  could not believe itwas
  possible foranyone [0
  arethem inthan thick
  dnrklwrs. “You two?"
  said theowl. The moles
  hurried away and told
  therather creatures of
  thefield and _forest that
  theowl was thegrcalrwl
  and Wi.YE.S'f o/'all
  am'mal.s because he
  could seeinthedark
  and because hecould


TxText:
  artxwer any que.s'tt'on.
  “I'll seeabout that,"
  said aSecretary bird,
  nmrl hecalled onthe
  owl onenight when it
  wasagain very dark.
  “How tmmy claws amI
  holding up?"raid the
  secretary bird. "Two,"
  saitl theowl, and that
  wasright. “Can you
  givemeanother
  expression for'that l.'.'
  tosay'or'namely."'"
  asked thesecretary
  bird. "To wit."Said the
  owl. “Why does' alover
  call onhislove?" asked
  thesecretary biril. “To
  woo," said theowl.
  The secretary bird
  llll.S'l('I'llitl lmtrk Inthe
  other creatures and
  reported that theowl
  was indeed Iltt,'grerttest
  aml wisest animal in
  theworld because he
  could seeinthetlarlt
  and because hevault!
  lUl.\'Wt'fany (/tie.ion.
  "Catt heseeinthe
  zlu_vtt'me, too?" asked 61
  redfor,“Yes,"echoed a
  durrrmure and a
  Frertch poodle. "Fan he
  seeintheilaytitrte,
  too?"Alltheother
  creatures laughed
  loudly atthissilly ques-
  tion, and they setupon
  theredfox and his
  friends and drove them
  outnftbe region. Then
  they.l'l'I'II arnemtertger
  totheowl and asked
  him tobetheir leader.
  When theowlappeared
  among theuhintalr it
  washigh noon and the
  sun wassltining
  brightly. Hewalked
  very slowly,which gave
  him anuppearartire of
  great dignity, and he
  peered about him with
  large, starirzg eyes,
  which gavehim anairThe bestwaytodothis isthrough theater, orother devices ofitskind.
  Surround yourself with luxury,dazzleyourfollowers with visual splendor,
  filltheir eyes with spectacle.Notonly will thiskeepthem from seeing the
  ridiculousness ofyour ideas, theholes inyourbelief system,itwill also at-
  tract more attention, more followers. Appealtoallthe senses: Use incense
  forscent, soothingmusic forhearing, colorful charts andgraphsforthe
  eye.Youmighteven tickle themind, perhaps byusingnew technological


TxText:
  gadgetstogive yourcult apseudo-scientificveneer-—as longasyou donot
  makeanyone reallythink. Use the exotic—-distant cultures, strangecus-
  toms—to create theatrical effects, and tomake themost banal andordinary
  affairs seem signs ofsomething extraordinary.
  Step 3:Borrow the Forms ofOrganized ReligiontoStructure the
  Group.Your cultlike followingisgrowing;itistime toorganizeit.Find a
  way both elevatingandcomforting. Organized religions have long held un-
  questioned authority forlarge numbers ofpeople, and continue todo soin
  oursupposedlysecular age. And even ifthereligionitself hasfaded some,
  itsforms still resonate withpower.Theloftyandholyassociations oforga-
  nized religioncanbeendlessly exploited.Create rituals foryour followers;
  organizethem into ahierarchy, rankingthem ingrades ofsanctity,andgiv-
  ingthem names and titles that resound with religious overtones; askthem
  forsacrifices thatwillfillyourcoffers and increase your power.Toempha-
  sizeyour gathering's quasireligious nature, talk and actlike aprophet.You
  arenot adictator, after all;youare apriest,aguru,asage,ashaman, orany
  other word that hides yourrealpowerinthemist ofreligion.
  Step 4:DisguiseYour Source ofIncome. Yourgrouphasgrown,andyou
  have structured itinachurchlike form. Your coffers arebeginningtofill
  withyourfollowers'money.Yetyoumust never be seen ashungryfor
  moneyand thepower itbrings. Itisatthis moment thatyoumust disguise
  the source ofyourincome.
  Your followers want tobelieve thatifthey followyouallsorts ofgood
  things will fallinto their lap.Bysurrounding yourself with luxury yoube-
  come living proof ofthesoundness ofyour belief system.Never reveal that
  yourwealth actuallycomes fromyourfollowers' pockets; instead, make it
  seem tocome from thetruth ofyourmethods. Followers willcopy your
  each andeverymove inthebelief that itwillbring them the same results,
  and their imitative enthusiasm willblind them tothecharlatan nature of
  yourwealth.
  Step5:SetUpanUs-Versus—Them Dynamic.Thegroupisnew large
  andthriving,amagnet attractingmore and more particles.Ifyouare not
  careful, though,inertia will setin,and time andboredom willdemagnetize
  thegroup.


TxText:
  Tokeep yourfollowers united, youmust now dowhat allreli-
  gionsandbeliefsystemshave done: create anus—versus—thern dynamic.
  First, make sureyourfollowers believe theyarepartofanexclusive
  club, unified byabond ofcommon goals. Then, tostrengthen thisbond,
  manufacture the notion ofadeviousenemyout toruinyou.There isa
  force ofnonbelievers thatwill doanythingtostop you.Anyoutsider who
  tries toreveal thecharlatan nature ofyour belief systemcan now bede-
  scribed asamember ofthisdevious force.
  Ifyou have noenemies, invent one. Given astraw man toreact
  against, yourfollowers willtightenand cohere. Theyhaveyourcause to
  believe inand infidels todestroy.
  OBSERVANCES OF 'l'l.-iELAW
  Observance I
  Intheyear 1653, atwenty»seven-ye-arclclMilan man named Francesco
  Giuseppe Borri claimed tohave had avision. Hewent around town telling
  one and allthat thearchangel Michael hadappearedtohim and an-
  nounced that hehad been chosen tobethempitano generale oftheArmy
  oftheNew Pope,anarmythat would seize and revitalize the world.
  Thearchangelhad further revealed that Born' now had thepowertosee
  people's souls, and that hewould soon discover thephi1osopher'sstone-a
  longsought--aftersubstance that could change base metals into gold.
  Friends and acquaintances who heard Borri explainthevision, and who
  witnessed thechangethat had come over him, were impressed,forBorn'
  hadpreviouslydevoted himself toalifeofwine, women, andgambling.
  Now hegaveallthatup,plunging himself into thestudyofalchemyand
  talking only ofmysticismand theoccult.
  The transformation was sosudden andmiraculous, and Borri's words
  were sofilled with enthusiasm, that hebegantocreate afollowing.Unfor-
  tunatelytheItalian Inquisition began tonotice him aswell—they prose-
  cutedanyonewho delved into theoccult—so heleftItalyandbeganto
  wanderEurope,from Ausuia toHolland, tellingone and allthat “tothose
  who follow mealljoyshall begranted.” Wherever Borri stayedhe at—
  tracted followers. His method wassimple:Hespokeofhisvision, which
  hadgrownmore and more elaborate, and offered to“look into” thesoul of


TxText:
  anyone who believed him(andtheywere many). Seeminglyinatrance, he
  would stare atthis new follower forseveral minutes, then claim tohave
  seen theperson's soul, degree ofenlightenment, andpotential forspiritual
  greatness. Ifwhat hesaw showed promise,hewould add theperson tohis
  growing order ofdisciples,anhonor indeed.
  The cult had sixdegrees, into which thediscipleswere assignedac-
  cordingtowhat Borri hadglimpsedintheir souls. With work and total de
  votion totheculttheycould graduatetoahigher degree. Borri-—-whom
  they called “His Excellency,”and “Universal Doctor”--demanded from
  them the strictest vows ofpoverty. Allthegoodsandmoneys they pos-
  sessed had tobeturned over tohim. Butthey did notmind handingover
  their property,forBorri had told them, “Ishall soon bring mychemicalaftremendous impor«
  Il1l"!("t'. "H63 Gtxdl”
  scnzurrmd aPlymouth
  Rock hen. And the
  or/zen molt upthecry
  "He's God?" Sothey
  followed him wherever
  hewent and wlmri he
  begantobump into
  things Ilwy beganto
  bump intozliings,(on.
  Finally hecame to(1
  mrzcrely highway and
  hestarted upthe
  middle ufii andallthe
  other crcamres
  followed him. Presently
  ahawk. who wasacting
  asoutridrzr, observed a
  (ruck mming toward
  them arfifty miles' an
  hum; and hercprzrlctl
  to[hitsecretary bird
  and thesecretary bird
  reported totheowl.
  “Tlu?re'.r danger
  tlliearl."said the re: re-
  mry bird. “To wit?"
  said thenwl. The score-
  mry bird told him.
  “Areri '1youu[rtu't'l."'
  Ilaasked. “Who?"will
  /heowlcalmly, forhe
  could not .w«-(hetruck.
  "[Ie's God!" rindall
  the ¢:re11ture.s' again, and
  theywere still cry-in'i,~
  "Heir God!" when the
  mack hi:them and run
  them down. Some of
  theanimals' were
  merely mjurwl, [ml
  most ofthem, imiludmg
  theowl. were killed.


TxText:
  Moral: You canfun! too
  many ofthepeople too
  much alike lime.
  'rm: 'I1mkur.R
  <ARNWAL,
  JAMES Ti-iuzsr-Lu,
  l894~l 96$
  LAW 27 219
  Tnbecame thefmmdpr
  ofanewreligionone
  must bepsychologi-
  cally infallible inone'.s
  kriowledge (Ifu cerium
  average typeofsuuls
  who have notyet
  recognized that KIM)'
  belong together.
  FRKEDRXCII NIETZSCHI-.
  1844-1 'J00
  Mm are sosimpfe of
  mind, and somuch
  cfmmrmrrrl bytlmr
  immediate ueerls. that it
  arreilful mun will
  a1wa_vS_firid plerzzv who
  are1-eady tohe
  cleczzivcél.
  Ni('(,()l.C) Nlz\('HlAV(~J L1.
  l«169— i527
  Till', Tl-'.\l['|,F
  (WllIC\l'l'll
  [Indielure I7305] the
  Srolnsli quark Jumas
  Graham . . .was
  winningalarge follow-
  ingand grztm richm in
  Ixmdnn. . ‥[Graham]
  maimtzimed ashow af
  great sL'icnti/it lL'(']l-
  niqzw. In1772. 4 .he
  had visited I"hiIuclel-
  phiu. where hemm
  Benjamin Franklin and
  beamzr inn»rc.vml in
  thelam-r'v E'.V]7i'V'1rI!¢'Hls
  with Pl£('Yrit'iIV. 7'lw.vi>
  upperzr tolmvrr Inspirierl
  theapparatus inthr
  “Temple ofIlealrh,"
  220 LAW 27studies toahappyconclusion bythediscovery ofthephil0sopher's stone,
  andbythis means weshall allhave asmuch goldaswedesire.”
  Given hisgrowing wealth, Barri began tochangehisstyle ofliving.
  Rentingthe most splendid apartmentinthecityinto which hehad tem-
  porarily settled, hewould furnish itwith fabulous furniture and accessories,
  which hehadbeguntocollect. Hewould drive through thecityinacoach
  studded withjewels,with sixmagnificent black horses atitshead. He never
  stayedtoolonginoneplace,and when hedisappeared, sayinghehad
  more souls togather into hisflock, hisreputation only grew inhisabsence.
  Hebecame famous, althoughinfact hehad never done asingleconcrete
  thing.
  From allover Europe,theblind, thecrippled,and thedesperatecame
  tovisitBorri, forword hadspreadthat hehadhealing powers.Heasked no


TxText:
  feeforhisservices, which onlymade him seem more marvelous, and in-
  deed some claimed that inthis orthatcityhehadperformedamiracle
  cure. Byonly hintingathisaccomplishments,heencouraged people's
  imaginations toblow themuptofantastic proportions.Hiswealth, for ex~
  ample, actuallycame from the vast sums he wascollectingfrom hisin-
  creasinglyselectgroup ofrichdisciples; yetitwaspresumed that hehad in
  factperfected thephilosopher'sstone. The Church continued topursue
  him, denouncing him forheresyand witchcraft, and Borzi'sresponseto
  these chargeswas adignified silence; thisonly enhanced hisreputationand
  made hisfollowers more passionate. Onlythegreatarepersecuted,after
  all;howmanyunderstood JesusChrist inhis own time? Born' didnothave
  tosayaword—-his followers now called thePopetheAntichrist.
  And soBorri'spower grewandgrew, until onedayheleftthecityof
  Amsterdam (where hehad settled for awhile), abscondingwith hugesums
  ofborrowedmoneyand diamonds that had been entrusted tohim. (He
  claimed tobeable toremove theflaws from diamonds through thepower
  ofhisgifted mind.) Now he was onthe run. The Inquisition eventually
  caught upwith him, andforthelastMenty years ofhislifehewasimpris-
  oned inRome. But sogreatwas thebelief inhisoccultpowersthat tohis
  dying dayhewas visited bywealthy believers, including QueenChristina
  ofSweden. Supplyinghim udth money and materials, these visitors al-
  lowed him tocontinue hissearch fortheelusive philosopher'sstone.
  Interpretation
  Before heformed hiscult, Borri seems tohave stumbled on acritical dis-
  covery. Tiring ofhislifeofdebauchery, hehad decided togive itupand to
  devote himself totheoccult,agenuine interest ofhis. He must have no
  titted, however, that when healluded toamystical experience (rather than
  physical exhaustion)asthe source ofhisconversion, people ofallclasses
  wanted tohear more. Realizingthepowerhecould gainbyascxibingthe
  changetosomething external and mysterious, hewent further with his
  manufactured visions. Thegranderthevision, and the more sacrifices he
  asked for,the more appealingandbelievable hisstory seemed tobecome.
  Remember: Peoplearenotinterested inthetruth about change. They


TxText:
  donotwant tohear that ithas come from hard work, orfrom anythingas
  banal asexhaustion, boredom, ordepression; theyaredyingtobelieve in
  something romantic, otherworldly. Theywant tohear ofangelsand out—of~
  body experiences. Indulgethem. Hint atthemysticalsource ofsome per-
  sonal change, wrapitinethereal colors, and acultlike following willform
  around you.Adapttopeople'sneeds: The messiah must mirror thedesires
  ofhisfollowers. Andalwaysmmhigh.Thebiggerandbolder your illusion,
  thebetter.
  Observance II
  Inthemid-17005, wordspreadinEurope's fashionable societyofaSwiss
  countrydoctor named Michael Schiippachwho practicedadifferent kind
  ofmedicine: Heused thehealing powers ofnature toperformmiraculous
  cures. Soon well-to—do peoplefrom allover theContinent, their ailments
  both serious andmild, were makingthetrek tothealpine village ofLang-
  nau, where Schiippachlived and worked. Trudging throughthemountains,
  these visitors witnessed the most dramatic natural landscapesthatEurope
  has tooffer.Bythetime they reached Langnau, theywere already feeling
  transformed and ontheirwaytohealth.
  Schiippach,who had become known assimplythe“Mountain Doc-
  tor,” had asmall pharmacyintown. This placebecame quiteascene:
  Crowds ofpeoplefrommany different countries would cram thesmall
  room, itswalls lined with colorful bottles filled with herbal cures. Where
  most doctors ofthetime prescribed foul-tastingconcoctions that bore in-
  comprehensibleLatin titles (asmedicines often dostill), Schiippaclfscures
  had names such as“The Oilofjoy,” “Little Flower's Heart,” or“Against
  theMonster,” andthey tasted sweet andpleasing.
  Visitors toLangnau would have towait patiently for avisit with the
  Mountain Doctor, becauseevery daysome eighty messengers would arrive
  atthepharmacy bearingflasks ofurine from allover Europe. Schiippach
  claimed hecould diagnose what ailedyousimply bylookingatasampleof
  yourmine andreadingawritten description ofyourailment. (Naturallyhe
  read thedescription very carefullybefore prescribingacure.) When hefl»
  nallyhad aspareminute (the urine samples took upmuch ofhistime), he
  would callthevisitor into hisoffice inthepharmacy.Hewould then exam-
  inethisperson's urine sample, explainingthat itsappearancewould tell


TxText:
  himeverythinghe needed toknow. Country peoplehad asense forthese
  things,hewould say——their wisdom came from livingasimple, godlylife
  with none ofthecomplications ofurban living.This personalconsultation
  would also include adiscussion astohow onemight bringone's soul more
  intoharmonywith nature.
  Schiippachhad devisedmanyforms oftreatment, eachprofoundlyun~
  liketheusual medicalpracticesofthetime. He was abeliever, forinstance,
  inelectric shock therapy.Tothose who wondered whether this was in
  keeping with hisbelief inthehealing power ofnature, hewould explain
  thatelectricityisanatural phenomenon;he wasmerely imitatingthethefabulous cwtulzllslu
  man! heopmrzd in
  London forthesaleof
  hiselixim . . .Inthe
  cluefraom. where he
  received patients. srrmrl
  “(lie lzzrgasi airpump
  inthewurltl" toa.v.~.:'.\'t
  him Inhis“plziln.mpl1r-
  mlrnvestigatiom” imu
  disease, and also :1
  "stupendous metallic
  ccmrlucmr, ":1rizlhly
  gilded pedestal
  mrmundml will: nrrorts
  zm.-1 vialsof"ellu:rial
  and uther e.rst/rlres."
  . ,./lrcmclingInJ.
  Emzemoser. who
  publislml:7history of
  magicin1844 «I
  Leipzig. (-'mlmm 19
  “hou.w . . .united the
  u.n.-ful with the[l[(:'ll.\llV-
  able. Everywlmne (lie
  ummsr magmficcnce
  wasrtzsplayerl. Even in
  the'outer court. uwrrred
  anreyc—wi(mz.\'.s'.iz
  scorned as1/tough mi.
  invemitm, rmd mthes
  lmd been exhausted.
  Ontheside walls inthe
  (T/IlIrIll7€I$ anarc»
  shaped glowwas
  prtwitiea' byartifiz-ial
  elermr light; star rays
  tlurled for/Ix,' transpar-
  emgl(I.\'.i't'.\' ofallmlor.\'
  were placed with clever
  .\'eIocIiun um! mm'lt
  taste. All rlxi.\', the snmr»
  cyewitI*'«mare: us,
  was raw' ingand
  exalted theinzagimzlimt
  10thehiglicsl degree."
  Visitors were glvm u
  prmmd sheet ofrules
  forflwzllhy llvinig. In
  theGreat Apollo
  Aprmmem they might
  join inmysteriousv-im—
  allsj.rtccrmzpanitrd by
  chums': "llstil. Vital Air.
  aerherml.' «'Wagrzm'r'
  Magic. hail."'Anri
  while they hailed the
  LAW 27 221


TxText:
  magic u_[m(1gnl'lism,
  thewindows were
  durkltlmd. rttveulirzga
  ceiling smrldcrl with
  eleclric .s'Irlr.\' and a
  vmmg andlovely
  “Rosy (jndrless of
  Health" inaniche. …
  I~,'ver_v evening this
  Temple ufllealt/1 was
  rmmlcd with glmsly; ll
  had bccmnv I/'IL'I/2l.\'l1t'(7N
  I0visil l[andtrythe
  great 1wetve—fuol bed'of
  Stun', the "(x'r.su:zl C¢'l'e.\'-
  (in!Bed,"said' tocure
  any disease. . . .This
  bed. I2ccr>r(.'m_i; to
  [fr;It(mm.\'H'. "stand in(I
  vplemtid room. into
  whit?/I 41¢'yIim1er1(»d
  fromanadjoining
  «lulmber Inmndmtl the
  /zertling currmts ,. .at
  (he xanze firm' u/I.\'nrt.v
  ofpleasingscents of
  stnarzglhoning lmrhv
  and Urzemal irzcertsc'
  were also brought in
  rlrmmglz glim tubes.
  TheheawenlyInto'itself
  reslezl upon sixsolid
  Inznsparem pillars'; the
  émilrlothes wereof
  purple and .\'icy~bz'ue
  Ar/as silk, spread over
  (3Iilllitrffifll SOHl7("I'.d
  wizk Arubima perfumed
  waters tosuit the raster
  oflhe I'cr.rim1 Court.
  Tim chamber inw/zirrh
  itwax'placed hecalled
  theSumrmm SllIl('I()-
  rum. . . .Tuadd toall
  this, there wen' the
  nieludious l'l(ll(£S oflhe
  harrrmtzicu. .s'o_/'?fIulc?.s.
  ugreealile voices. and a
  great organ.”
  "rm: POWER ()F'i'HE
  um_
  GRI','l'I'_ orFRANK sco,
  1939
  22‥ LAW 27power oflightning. One ofhispatients claimed tobeinhabited byseven
  devils. The doctor cured him with electrical shocks, and asheadministered
  these heexclaimed that hecould see thedevils flyingoutofthe man's
  body,onebyone. Another man claimed tohave swallowed ahay wagon
  and itsdriver, which were causinghim massive pains inthechest. The


TxText:
  Mountain Doctor listened patiently,claimed tobeable tohear thecrack of
  awhipintheman's belly, promised tocure him, andgave him asedative
  and apurgative. The man fellasleepon achair outside thepharmacy.As
  soon asheawoke hevomited, and ashevomited ahay wagon sped past
  him (the Mountain Doctor had hired itfortheoccasion), thecrack ofits
  whip making him feel that somehow hehad indeed expelleditunder the
  doctor's care.
  Over theyears,theMountain Doctor's famegrew. He was consulted
  bythepowerful—-—eventhewriter Goethe made thetrek tohisvillage——and
  hebecame the center ofacultofnature inwhich everythingnatural was
  considered worthy ofworship. Schiippachwas careful tocreate effects that
  would entertain andinspirehispatients. Aprofessorwho visited him once
  wrote, “One stands orsitsincompany,oneplays cards, sometimes with a
  young woman; now aconcert isgiven,now alunch orsupper,and now a
  little ballet ispresented.With avery happy effect, thefreedom ofnature is
  everywhere united with thepleasures ofthebeau monde, andifthedoctor
  isnotable toheal any diseases, hecan atleast curehypochondriaand the
  vapors.”
  Interpretation
  Schiippachhadbegunhis career asanordinary villagedoctor. Hewould
  sometimes useinhispracticesome ofthevillageremedies behadgrown
  upwith, andapparentlyhenoticed some results, for soon these herbal tinc-
  tures and natural forms ofhealingbecame hisspecialty.And infact his nat—
  ural form ofhealingdid have profound psychologicaleffects onhis
  patients. Where thenormal drugs ofthetime created fear andpain, Schiip—
  pach'streatments were comfortable andsoothing. Theresulting unprove-
  ment inthepatientsmood was acritical element inthe cures hebrought
  about. Hispatientsbelieved sodeeplyinhisskills thatthey willed them-
  selves into health. Instead ofscoffingattheir irrational explanationsfor
  their ailments, Schiippachused their hypochondriatomake itseem that he
  had effected agreatcure.
  The caseof theMountain Doctor teaches usvaluable lessons inthe
  creation ofacultlike following. First, youmust End a.way toengage peo-


TxText:
  ple's will, tomake their belief inyour powers strong enough thatthey
  imagine allsorts ofbenefits. Their belief will have aself—fullilling quality,
  butyou must make sure that itisyou, rather than their own will, who is
  seen astheagent ofnransformaiion. Find thebelief, cause, orfantasythat
  will make them believe with apassionandthey willimaginetherest, wor«
  shipping youashealer, prophet, genius,whateveryou like.
  Second, Schlippachteaches ustheeverlasting powerofbelief inna-
  ture, and insimplicity. Nature, inreality,isfullofmuch that isterrifying-
  poisonous plants,fierce animals, sudden disasters, plagues.Belief inthe
  healing, comforting quality ofnature isreallyaconstructed myth,aroman«
  ticism. But theappealtonature canbring you great power, especiallyin
  complicatedand stressful times.
  This appeal, however, must behandled right. Devise akind oftheater
  ofnature inwhichyou,asthedirector, pick and choose thequalitiesthatlit
  theromanticism ofthetimes. The Mountain Doctor playedtheparttoper-
  fection, playing uphishomespunwisdom andwit, andstaginghis cures as
  dramatic pieces.Hedid not make himself one with nature; instead he
  molded nature into acult, anartificial construction, Tocreate a“natural”
  effectyouactuallyhave towork hard, makingnature theatrical and de-
  lightfully pagan.Otherwise no one will notice. Nature too must follow
  trends and beprogressive.
  Observance III
  In1788, attheageoffifty-five, thedoctor and scientist Franz Mesmer was
  atacrossroads. He was apioneer inthestudy ofanimal magnetism-the
  belief that animals contain magnetic matter, and that adoctor orspecialist
  caneffect miraculous cures byworkingonthischarged substam:e—but in
  Vienna, where helived, histheories had met with scorn and ridicule from
  themedical establishment. Intreatingwomen forconvulsions, Mesmer
  claimed tohave worked anumber ofcures, hisproudestachievement
  beingtherestoration ofsighttoablind girl. But.another doctor who exam-
  ined theyoung girlsaid she was asblind asever, anassessment with which
  sheherself agreed. Mesmer countered that hisenemies were outtoslander


TxText:
  himbywinning her over totheir side. This claim onlyelicited more
  ridicule. Clearly thesober-minded Viennese were thewrongaudience for
  histheories, and sohedecided tomove toParis and start again.
  Rentingasplendid apartment inhis new city,Mesmer decorated itap~
  propriately.Stained glassinmost ofthewindows created areligious feel-
  ing,and mirrors onallthewalls producedanhypnoticeffect The doctor
  advertised that inhisapartmenthewould give demonstrations ofthepow-
  ersofanimal magnetism, invitingthediseased and melancholic tofeel its
  powers.Soon Parisians ofallclasses (butmostly women, who seemed more
  attracted totheidea than men did) were payingforentrytowitness the
  miracles that Mesmer promised.
  Inside theapartment,the scents oforangeblossom and exotic incense
  wafted through specialvents. Astheinitiates filtered into thesalon where
  thedemonstrations took place, theyheard harp music and thelulling
  sounds ofafemale vocalist coming from another room. Inthecenter ofthe
  salon was along oval container filled with water that Mesmer claimed had
  been magnetized. From holes intheconta.iner's metal lidprotruded long
  movable iron rods. The visitors were instructed tositaround thecontainer,
  placethese magnetizedrods onthebody partthatgavethem painsor
  problems, and then hold hands with their neighbors, sittingasclose aspos-
  sible toone another tohelpthemagnetic forcepassbetween their bodies.
  Sometimes, too,theywere attached toeach other bycords.
  Mesmer would leave theroom, and “assistant rnagnetizers”—-—a.ll hand»Hll, l'l7\\|'ll ()I' ,\ 1II.
  Influ' town of
  Tamwml liver! :2man
  bythe mmw ofRe-Ii
  Fcivel. Om day.ashe
  rutinhisIzouse deeply
  absorber] inhis
  Taénmil. hehmrzl :1
  laud r10i.w= rnmizie.
  Wlwn hr:went tothe
  window hesaw 41I1)!0/"
  little [1r£1I1kSte'l'.\'."lpIn
  some new piece of
  17ztLsch:'r'f.'nodoubt."In'
  tlmug/2r.
  "(.'Izildmrt,. runquit'/<1)'
  Io(he.v,vmIg<1gue,"/10
  cried, leaning out and


TxText:
  impruvzkirzg thefirs'!
  slur)' Ilwr mmurrvd In
  him. You'/I rec:rlwrc' a
  rm m.nnrIer, and wine! a
  monster! Iris (1vrmlure
  my]:five jiéc-1. three
  eyes. am! ahmrd [ikv
  that 0/'/1 goat, only ir'r
  gram.'"
  /md sum momgh the
  clrfldrnn scumpvra! 0/]
  and Rel) Feivci
  returned It)his .s'Iurli(3.\'.
  Hz:miilrza' into his
  /Ivan! athetlmuglzl uf
  (Fmtrick hehmlplayed
  .97;£11056 lilrlc ramcals'.
  [Iwarn '1long ln'_I'<m.'
  his.s'I1uIic.\' were infor-
  ru[)1ca'agru'n.this rtmw
  byrunning f0Uf.YlL'pY.
  Whm hewent :42(kc
  window hesaw several
  Jews running.
  “WImr(,~ um yzm
  rzmningf'"homlluzl
  om.
  “Toflu',sj_vI1agogus:'"
  answered IheJews.
  "Iluvun '1you /ward?
  'l'here'r usoumonsm-,
  (hart/.s' uirreazurw with
  five legs', three eves, and
  abeard like thatofu
  goal', tmly iI'.\glwenl"
  Reb /'ave! lauglzml
  will: glen', thinking of
  thetrick /mhad pla_w'£/.
  LAW 27 223
  und satdown again to
  hisTalmud.
  But nosomwr had he
  begun toconczantrum
  when surirlcnly he
  heard aditming tumult
  outside. And what did
  heSee.' Agreat crowd
  ofmen, women and
  children, allrunning
  toward the.i'ynagugtw.
  “What's up?” hecried,
  stickinghishead outof
  thewindow.
  “What aquestion.'
  Why, don '1'you know?”
  they atzswered. "Right
  infrom ofthesynav
  gogue tltereii (Isuu
  monster. Ii'; :1crmrure
  with five logy, three
  eyes, and aboard like
  thatoft: goat, only
  itsween!"
  And as'thecrowd
  hurried by,Reh Feivcl
  sudzlerily tiotirred that
  therabbi himscl fwas
  among them.
  “Lord oftheworld!"
  heexclaimed. “lfthe
  rabbi himself15
  running with them
  vurely there niust be
  something happening.
  Where there': smoke
  then: .5fire!"
  Without further
  thought Rel) Fezvel
  grabbed Irishat,lefthis


TxText:
  house, and also
  began running.
  “Who cantell?" he
  mutrmcd toIumsclfas
  heran, alloutof
  breath, toward the
  synagogue.
  A1'iu:Asi:RY or
  J)-.WISH F()l,KLO[<E.
  NAYHAN AU§UBtL, 21)‥
  1948some and strapping youngmen—would enter withjarsofmagnetized
  water thattheywould sprinkleonthepatients, rubbingthehealingfluid on
  their bodies, massaging itinto their skin, moving them toward atrancelike
  state. And after afew minutes akind ofdelirium would overcome the
  women. Some would sob, some would shriek and bear their hair, others
  would laugh hysterically.Attheheight ofthedelirium Mesmer would
  reenter thesalon, dressed inaflowing silkrobe embroidered with golden
  flowers andcarryingawhite magneticrod.Movingaround thecontainer,
  hewould stroke and soothe thepatientsuntil calm was restored. Many
  women would later attribute thestrange powerhehad onthem tohis
  piercing look, which, they thought,wasexcitingorquieting themagnetic
  fluids intheir bodies.
  Within months ofhisarrival inParis, Mesmer became therage.His
  supportersincluded Marie—Antoinette herself, thequeenofFrance, wife of
  Louis XVI. AsinVienna, hewas condemned bytheofficial faculty ofmed-
  icine, butitdid not matter. Hisgrowing followingofpupilsand patients
  paidhimhandsomely.
  Mesmer expandedhistheories toproclaimthat allhumanity could be
  broughtintoharmony through thepowerofmagnetism,aconceptwith
  much appeal duringtheFrench Revolution. Acult ofMesrnerism spread
  across thecountry;inmany towns, “Societies ofHarmony” sprang upto
  experiment with magnetism. These societies eventuallybecame notorious:
  Theytended tobeledbylibertines who would turn their sessions into a
  kind ofgroup orgy.
  Attheheight ofMesmer's popularity,aFrench commission published
  areportbased onyears oftesting thetheoryofanimal magnetism.The
  conclusion: Magneu'sm'seffects onthebody actuallycame from akind of
  group hysteriaandautosuggestion.The reportwas well documented, and
  mined Mesmer's reputationinFrance. Heleftthecountryand went into
  retirement. Onlyafewyears later, however, imitatorssprang upallover
  Europeand thecultofMesmerism spreadonce again,itsbelievers more
  numerous than ever.
  Interpretation


TxText:
  Mesmer's career can bebroken into two parts.When still inVienna, he
  clearly believed inthevalidityofhistheory,and didallhecould toprove
  it.But hisgrowingfrustration and thedisapprovalofhiscolleaguesmade
  himadoptanotherstrategy.First hemoved toParis, where no one knew
  him, and where hisextravagant theories found amore fruitful soil. Then he
  appealedtotheFrench love oftheater andspectacle, making hisapartment
  into akind ofmagical world inwhich asensoryoverload ofsmells, sights,
  and sounds entranced his customers. Most important,from now onhe
  practicedhismagnetism onlyon agroup.Thegroup providedthesetting
  inwhich themagnetism would have itsproper effect, onebeliever infecting
  theother, overwhelming anyindividual doubter.
  Mesmer thuspassedfrom beingaconfirmed advocate ofmagnetism
  tntherole ofacharlatan using every trick inthebook tocaptivate thepub-
  lie.Thebiggesttrick ofallwas toplayontherepressed sexualitythat bub-
  blesunder thesurface ofanygroup setting.Inagroup,alonging forsocial
  unity,alongingolder than civilization, cries outtobeawakened. This de~
  siremaybesubsumed under aunifying cause, butbeneath itisarepressed
  sexualitythat thecharlatan knows how toexploitandmanipulate forhis
  ownpurposes.
  This isthelesson that Mesmer teaches us:Ourtendencytodoubt, the
  distance that allows ustoreason, isbroken down when wejoinagroup.
  Thewarmth and infectiousness ofthegroupoverwhelm theskepticalindi-
  vidual. This isthepower yougain bycreatingacult. Also, byplayingon
  people's repressed sexuality, you lead them into mistaking their excited
  feelingsforsigns ofyour mystical strength. You gainuntoldpower by
  workingonpeople's unrealized desire for a.kind ofpromiscuous and
  pagan unity.
  Remember toothat the most effective cults mixreligion with science.
  Take thelatest technological trend orfadand blend itwith anoble cause, a
  mystical faith, anew form ofhealing. People's interpretations ofyour hy—
  bridcultwill runrampant,andthey will attributepowerstoyouthatyou
  had never even thought toclaim.
  Image:The Magnet. /in unseen force draws objectstoit,
  which inturn become magnetized themselves, drawingother
  piecestothem. themagnetic powerofmewhole constantly
  increasing.But takeawaytheoriginal magnetand itallfalls
  apart.


TxText:
  Become themagnet, theinvisible force that attracts
  people's imaginationsand holds them together.Once they
  have Clustered around you,nopowercan wrest themaway.
  Authority:The charlatan achieves hisgreat power bysimply opening
  apossibilityfor men tobelieve what they alreadywant tobelieve. . . .
  The credulous cannot keepatadistance; theycrowd around the
  wonder worker, enteringhispersonal aura, surrendering themselves
  toillusion with aheavy solemnity, like cattle. (Grete deFrancesco)
  LAW 27 2:25
  REVE RSAL
  One reason tocreate afollowingisthat agroupisoften easier todeceive
  than anindividual, and turns over toyouthat much morepower.This
  comes, however, with adanger: Ifatanymoment thegroupseesthrough
  you, youwillfindyourself facingnot one deceived Soul but anangrycrowd
  thatwill tearyoutopiecesasavidlyasitonce followedyou.The Charlatans
  constantlyfaced thisdanger,and were always readytomove outoftown as
  itinevitablybecame clear that their elixirs did notwork and their ideas
  were sham. Too slow andthey paidwith their lives. Inplaying with the
  crowd, youareplayingwith fire, and must constantly keepaneye outfor
  anysparks ofdoubt, anyenemies who will turn thecrowd against you.
  When youplaywith theemotions ofacrowd, youhave toknow how to
  adapt, attuning yourself instantaneouslytoallofthemoods and desires that
  agroup willproduce. Use spies,be ontopofeverything,andkeep your
  bags packed.
  Forthis reason you may often prefertodeal withpeopleonebyone.
  Isolatingthem from their normal milieu canhave the same effect asputting
  them inagroup—itmakes them morepronetosuggestionand intimida-
  tion. Choose therightsucker andifheeventuallyseesthrough youhemay
  proveeasier toescapethan acrowd.
  28
  ENTER ACTION
  WITH BOLDNESS
  JUD GMENT
  Ifyouare unsure ofacourse ofactian,donotattemptit.
  Your doubts and hesitatimzs willin/eat yourexecution.
  Timidityisdangerous:Better toenter with boldness. Any
  mistakes youcommit thmugh audacityareeasilycor-
  rected with more audacity. Everyoneadmires thehold; no
  onehonors thetimid.
  Illlz I\\Uv\I)\Ii\ll R|.|h
  Thepath of/1li?a.rur¢*
  never lA'ad.


TxText:
  s' toglory.'
  Theprodigious
  achievements of
  llrt'rule,s' were the
  result ofhigh mitten-
  lure, andthough there'
  islittle, either infable
  or/tis'It17v, to.\'lt(1w that
  hehad any rivals, stillit
  ist'¢'c4)r(lrd [hat a
  knight errant, in
  company with afellow
  txdvcnzurcr, sought his
  _/ortima inaromzmtir
  country. Hehad not
  Irawlr*r1_far what his"
  mmpiinitm oliserwrrl a
  past,onwhich was
  written thefollowing
  lrl,S'(',t'l[)l'i('Irt. “Iiravs
  advlmiurcr. ifyou have
  azleiim (0ilixmver that
  which has never been
  .\c't'I1 byanyknigltl
  crrram, you have only
  I!)pass' this I0rrent_ and
  than take inyourarrns
  anelephant ofrtmw
  and carry itinone
  breath tothe.\untmi( of
  thismountain, whose
  nohh: head .wi'rru'
  blemlccl with the .»y.'
  "But."mid /ht'knight:
  L'()m[)(U1l()n, “the water
  may bedeepaswell as
  rapid, andthough.
  riotwithsramling,we
  should [m.\'.\' it,why
  shottltl webemaim-
  hrzrcrl with the
  alepli/irit? What :1
  ?'I(ll('L<l/Gus imdi=r1ah-
  ittgf" /lml /ihilosopl2i-
  rally and with nice
  calculation, he
  observed that the
  £'l('p'lllIll mighthe
  carried four steps: but
  forcmtveyingitto(hr
  mpofthc mozmtairi in
  one breath, that was
  not inlhzrpower afa
  mortal, mtlers itshould
  225 LAW 2 3BOl.l)NF.SS AND HESITATION: ABrief Psychological Comparison
  Boldness and hesitation elicit very different psychological responsesintheir
  targets:Hesitalionputsobstacles inyour path, boldness eliminates them.
  Onceyouunderstand this, youwillfind itessential toovercomeyournat-
  uraltimidity andpracticetheartofaudacity. Thefollowingareamong the
  most pronounced psychologicalefiects ofboldness andtirnidity.
  The Bolder theLie theBetter. Weallhave weaknesses, and our efforts
  are never perfect.Butentering action with boldness hasthemagical effect


TxText:
  ofhidingour deficiencies. Con artists know that thebolder thelie, the
  more convincing itbecomes. The sheer audacity ofthestorymakes itmore
  credible, distractingattention from itsinconsistencies When puttingto-
  getheracon orentering any kind ofnegotiation, gofurther thanyou
  planned.Ask forthe moon andyouwill besurprisedhow oftenyou getit.
  Lions Circle the Hesitant Prey. Peoplehave asixth sense fortheweak-
  nesses ofothers. If,inafirst encounter, youdemonstrateyour willingness
  tocompromise,back down, and retreat, youbring outthelion even inpeo-
  plewho are notnecessarily bloodthirsty. Everything dependsonpercep-
  tion, and onceyouare seen asthekind ofpersonwho quickly goesonthe
  defensive, who iswillingtonegotiateand beamenable, youwill bepushed
  around without mercy.
  Boldness Strikes Fear; Fear Creates Authority.The bold move makes
  youseem largerand more powerfulthanyouare.Ifitcomes suddenly,
  with thestealth and swiftness ofasnake, itinspiresthat much more fear. By
  intimidating with abold move, youestablish aprecedent:ineverysubse-
  quent encounter, peoplewill be onthedefensive, interror ofyournext
  strike.
  Going Halfway with Half aHeart Digs theDeeper Grave. Ifyou
  enter anaction with less than total confidence, yousetupobstacles inyour
  ownpath.When aproblemarisesyou willgrow confused, seeing options
  where there are none andinadvertently creatingmore problemsstill. Re-
  treatingfrom thehunter, thetimid hare scurries more easilyinto his snares.
  Hesitation Creates Gaps, Boldness Obliterates Them. Whenyoutake
  time tothink, tohem andhaw, youcreate agapthat allows others time to
  think aswell. Your timidityinfects people with awkwardenergy,elicits em-
  barrassment. Doubt springs uponallsides.
  Boldness destroyssuch gaps.The swiftness ofthe move and theenergy
  oftheaction leave others nospacetodoubt andworry. Inseduction, hesi-
  tation isfatal—it makesyourvictim conscious ofyour intentions. The bold
  move crowns seduction with triumph: Itleaves notime forreflection.
  Audacity Separates You from the Herd. Boldness gives you presence
  and makesyouseem largerthan life.


TxText:
  The timid fade into thewallpaper,the
  bold draw attention, and what draws attention drawspower.We cannot
  keepoureyes offthe audacious———we cannot wait toseetheir next bold
  move.
  OBSERVANCES OFTHE LAW
  Observance I
  InMayof1925, fiveofthe most successful dealers intheFrench scrap
  metal business found themselves invited toan“official” but“highlyconfi-
  dential” meetingwith thedeputy director generaloftheMinistry ofPost
  andTelegraphsattheHotel Criilon, then themost luxurious hotel inParis.
  When thebusinessmen arrived, itwas thedirector general himself, aMon-
  sieur Lustig, who met them inaswank suite onthetopfloor.
  The businessmen had noideawhy theyhad been summoned tothis
  meeting,andtheywere burstingwithcuriosity.After drinks, thedirector
  explained. “Gentlemen,” hesaid, “this isanurgentmatter that requires
  complete secrecy.The government isgoingtohave totear down theEiffel
  Tower.” The dealers listened instunned silence asthedirector explained
  that thetower, asrecently reportedinthe news, desperatelyneeded re
  pairs. Ithadoriginallybeen meant asatemporarystructure (fortheExpo»
  sition of1889), itsmaintenance costs had soared over theyears,and now,
  inatime ofafiscal crisis, thegovernment would have tospendmillions to
  fixit.ManyParlsians considered theEiffel Tower aneyesoreand would be
  delightedtoseeitgo.Over time, even thetourists would forgetabout it—it
  would live oninphotographsand postcards. “Gentlemen,” Lustig said,
  “youareallinvited tomake thegovernmentanoffer fortheEiffel Tower.”
  Hegavethebusinessmen sheets ofgovernment stationery filled with
  figures,such asthetonnage ofthetower's metal. Theireyespoppedasthey
  calculated how much theycould make from thescrap. Then Lustigled
  them toawaiting limo, which broughtthem totheEiffel Tower. Flashing
  anofficial badge,heguidedthem throughthe area, spicinghistour with
  amusinganecdotes. Attheend ofthevisit bethanked them and asked
  them tohave their offers delivered tohissuite within four days.
  Several daysafter theoffers were submitted, one ofthefive, aMon-
  sieur P.,received notice that hisbid was thewinner, and that tosecure the


TxText:
  saleheshould come tothesuite atthehotel within twodays, bearingacer-
  tified check for more than 250,000 francs (theequivalent today ofabout
  $1,000,000)--—a quarter ofthetotal price. Ondelivery ofthecheck, he
  would receive thedocuments confirminghisownership oftheEiffel Tower.
  Monsieur P.was excited—-he wouldgodown inhistoryasthe man who
  hadbought and torn down theinfamous landmark. Butbythetime he ar-
  rived atthesuite, check inhand, he wasbeginningtohave doubts about
  thewhole affair. Whymeet inahotel instead ofagovernment building?
  Whyhadrft heheard from other offieials? Was this ahoax, ascam? Ashe
  listened toLustigdiscuss thearrangementsforthescrapping ofthetower,
  hehesitated, andcontemplated backingout.hethedwarffigurz? of
  aneIeplmI£I,fi1oIzlytr)
  beplacedonthelapof
  astick; and (lien what
  honor would more be
  insuch anadvcznurel-"
  "There i$,".vui1] ht',
  “some decepuion."/1rlrix
  writing. Itisanenigma
  onlyfittoamuse a
  Child, Islmli (ll?l'P_fl'>f€
  leave you and your
  elvplzant."
  The reasmzer than
  departed: but the
  («l(lV€FIf£€7'0l\'.S' "It'll!
  ruslzed with hiseyes
  closed across the water.'
  neitlwz depth nor
  I-'iolencz prewmted
  him, andaccording: to
  theinscription hesaw
  Ihi?elephant lyingon
  Ilteopposite bank.
  [Ivtook itand carrier!
  ittothetapc>/'the hill,
  where hesaw atown. A
  ¥lIr'l('l< from the
  elcplmur uiamzerl the
  people ufthe city. wlm
  rose inarms.' but the
  urlventurer, nothing
  dazmtezl, was (later-
  mi.-mi £0die :1llrtru.
  'Flu:people. however,
  were awed byhispres-
  ence, and hewas avion-
  islzetl tohear them;
  proclaim him succexsor
  torlmlr king, who /mzl
  rec-emly died.
  Great enatr//ri.«'e.s are
  only aciiieveri by
  rzdwrnmrous spirits.
  Theywho azlculurr
  with yougreat niccty
  cvz'r_y difficulry and
  obstacle which islikely
  tolieintheir way, low
  that limo' inlwsinztirm.
  which the mow daring


TxText:
  seize and remler avail-
  able totheIa/ties-I
  purposes.
  FABLLS,
  .lF‥-KN maLA l"()t~<"lr\l!\i;.
  1021-1695
  LAW 23 '.329
  Always setinwork
  without rnisgivrngson
  the.cmreu/'i1npru-
  dcncc. Fearaffailure
  inthemind ufu
  pcrfnrrmar is,foran
  onlimkrrr, alrmriy
  evidemse of/kzilure‥ . .
  Actions' aredangerous
  when there isdoubt as
  totheir wi.\'zlorn.,'
  itwould besafer
  todorzotliirzg.
  llAi:rA$AR ('vRAL'1A,~'.
  l60l 1658
  'IHI-ZS'l(>I[\ M-
  |ll»|IEz\l.\l.
  Inalowly thatched
  outrage in(heNorman
  Valley lll('r(' lived (1
  [mar L:nu[rle_ Mr. and
  Mrs. lluh Sacng.
  The hmhaml mm,/inn!
  /1iI?1.§¢'l/ft)?'.s'r:v('.n years
  andnnly rmd Imnkx in
  Illscold room. . . .
  Um' duv hiswife, allin
  tears, Mild tohim:
  “look lwre, mygoml
  man! What is(he useof
  allyour book reading?
  lhnvo spent myyouth
  inwashing and sewing
  forother people and
  yetIhave no.\'pan*
  jackrrr orxkirt towear
  andIImve had nofowl
  tocutduring llzepusl
  Ihrec 11m/5. Iumhungry
  and cold, Ican stand
  itnomonhl"
  . ‥1IearingIhese
  wants, thentiddln-aged
  xclzolur closer] his
  Imuk ‥ .rave Inhixfeel
  and . . .witlwur suyirzg
  urmrlwr wrml, hr'wrnl
  (mtoftlmms:. . ‥/lrriv-
  /rig intheheart Ufihe
  230 LAW 23Suddenly, however, herealized that thedirector hadchangedhistone.
  Instead oftalkingabout the tower, he wascomplainingabout hislow
  salary,about hiswife's desire for afurcoat, about how gallingitwas to
  work hard and beunappreciated. Itdawned onMonsieur P.that thishigh
  government official wasasking for abribe. The effect onhim, though,was
  notoutragebutrelief. Now hewas sure thatLustigwas forreal, since inall
  ofhispreviousencounters with French bureaucrats, theyhadinevitably
  asked for alittle greasing ofthepalm.Hisconfidence restored, Monsieur P.
  slippedthedirector several thousand francs inbills, then handed him the
  certified check.


TxText:
  Inreturn hereceived thedocumentation, includinganim-
  pressive—lookingbillofsale. Heleftthehotel, dreamingoftheprofitsand
  fame tocome.
  Over the next fewdays, however, asMonsieur P.waited for corre-
  spondencefrom thegovernment,hebegantorealize thatsomethingwas
  amiss. Afewtelephonecalls made itclear that there was nodeputydirec-
  torgeneral Lustig,and there were noplanstodestroytheEiffel Tower: He
  had been bilked ofover 250,000 francs!
  Monsieur P.never went tothepolice.Heknew what kind ofreputa-
  tion hewould getifword gotoutthat hehad fallen for oneofthe most ab
  surdlyaudacious cons inhistory.Besides thepublic humiliation, itwould
  have been business suicide.
  Interpretation
  Had Count Victor Lustig,con artist extraordinaire, tried toselltheArc de
  Triomphe,abridgeover theSeine, astatue ofBalzac, no one would have
  believed him. ButtheEiffel Tower wasjusttoolarge,tooimprobabletobe
  part ofaconjob. Infactitwas soimprobable thatLustigwas able toreturn
  toParis sixmonths later and “resell” theEiffel Tower toadifferentscrap-
  iron dealer, and for ahigher price-—asum infrancs equivalent todayto
  over $1,500,000!
  Largeness ofscale deceives thehumaneye. Itdistracts and awes us,
  and issoself-evident that wecarmot imaginethere isanyillusion ordecep-
  tion afoot. Arm yourself with bignessand boldness—stretchyour decep-
  tions asfar astheywill goand then gofurther. Ifyousense that thesucker
  hassuspicions,do astheintrepid Lustigdid: Instead ofbacking down, or
  lowering hisprice,hesimplyraised hisprice higher, byasking forand get-
  tingabribe. Askingfor more putstheotherpersononthedefensive, cuts
  outthenibbling effect ofcompromiseanddoubt, and overwhelms with its
  boldness.
  Observance II
  Onhisdeathbed in1533, Vasily III,theGrand Duke ofMoscow and ruler
  ofasemi-united Russia, proclaimedhisthree-year-old son, Ivan IV,ashis
  successor. Heappointedhisyoung wife, Helena, asregent until Ivan
  reached hismajorityand could rule onhis own. Thearistocracy—thebo-
  yars—secretly rejoiced:Foryearsthedukes ofMoscow had been tryingto
  extend their authorityover theboyars'turf. With Vasily dead, hisheir a


TxText:
  mere threeyears old, and ayoungwoman incharge ofthedukedom, the
  boyarswould beable toroll back thedukes' gains,wrest control ofthe
  state. andhumiliate theroyal family.
  Aware ofthese dangers, youngHelena tumecl toher trusted friend
  Prince Ivan Obolenskytohelp herrule. But after fiveyearsasregent she
  suddenly died——poisoned byamember oftheShuisky family,the most
  fearsome boyar clan. The Shuisky princesseized control ofthegovern-
  ment and threw Obolenskyinprison,where hestarved todeath. Attheage
  ofeight,Ivan was now adespised orphan,andanyboyarorfamilymem-
  berwho took aninterest inhim wasimmediately banished orkilled.
  And soIvan roamed thepalace, hungry,illclothed, and often inbid
  ingfrom theShuiskys,who treated himroughlywhen theysaw him. On
  some days theywould search him out, clothe him inroyal robes, hand him
  a.scepter,and sethim onthethrone——a kind ofmock ritual inwhich they
  lampoonedhisroyal pretensions.Then theywould shoo himaway. One
  eveningseveral ofthem chased theMetropolitan———thehead oftheRussian
  chu;rch—through thepalace,and hesought refugeinIvan's room; theboy
  watched inhorror astheShuiskys entered, hurled insults, and beat the
  Metropolitan mercilessly.
  Ivan had onefriend inthepalace,aboyarnamed Vorontsov who con»
  soled and advised him. One day, however, ashe,Vorontsov, and the
  newest Metropolitanconferred inthepalace refectory, several Shuiskys
  burst in,heat upVorontsov, and insulted theMetropolitan byhearing and
  treadingonhisrobes. Then they banished Vorontsov from Moscow.
  Throughoutallthis Ivan maintained astrict silence. Totheboyarsit
  seemed that their planhad worked: Theyoungman had turned into ater-
  rified and obedient idiot. They could ignorehim now, even leave him
  alone. But ontheevening ofDecember 29,I543, Ivan, now thirteen, asked
  Prince Andrei Shuiskytocome tohis room. When theprince arrived, the
  room was filled with palace guards. YoungIvan then pointedhisfingerat


TxText:
  Andrei and ordered theguardstoarrest him, have him killed, and throw
  hisbodytothebloodhounds intheroyalkennel. Over the next fewdays
  Ivan had allofAndrei's close associates arrested and banished. Caughtoff—
  guard byhissudden boldness, theboyarsnow stood inmortal terror ofthis
  youth,thefuture Ivan theTerrible, who hadplanned and waited forfive
  yearstoexecute this one swift andbold actthat would secure hispower for
  decades tocome.
  Interpretation
  Theworld isfullofboyars--menwho despise you,fearyour ambition, and
  jealously guard their shrinking realms ofpower.You need toestablishyour
  authorityandgain respect,butthemoment theboyarssenseyour growing
  boldness, they will acttothwartyou.This ishow Ivan met such asituation:
  Helaylow, showing neither ambition nordiscontent. Hewaited, and when
  thetime came hebroughtthepalace guardsover tohisside. The guards
  had come tohate thecruel Shuiskys. Once they agreedtoIvan's plan,he
  struck with theswiftness ofasnake, pointinghisfingeratShuiskyandgiv-
  inghim notime toreact
  Negotiatewith aboyarandyoucreate opportunitiesforhim. Asmallciry, he.\'t0p]7ed apzzsx»
  iuggentleman. “Ilnllrz,
  myfriend.'Who is;Ihc
  richest mam intown?"
  “Poor c:mmr_vman:'
  Don';yrmknow Hyon»
  SKI,themillionaire? IIi,\-
  glirrering tile-ronfzed
  house pierced by(welw
  gate.\' isjustover there.
  Huh Srceng bent his
  stepssotherich man It
  house. Having entcrezl
  thebiggate. heflung
  theguesr-roam door
  open and adzlreryed the
  /wrt: "Ineed I0.000
  yang forrrapiml formy
  ¢:omm('rr'.iai I)u.~'inc.\-s
  and Iwon! you to((1114
  methefllrlnry.”
  "/ilrigfzr, sir.Where
  .\'IU!II [rend the
  m()ney.'7"
  “Tothexlaimng Market
  incan-,nfa mumm-
  xion merchant."
  “Very well, xix.Iwill
  draw onKim, who
  (loses thebigger!
  czwnzmisrirzn business' in
  the/ltrséng Mar/mt.
  You'IIgetthemonrey
  (here."
  "Good-bye, sir."
  V/hon HuhSm.'/'lgwas
  gone, alltheother
  gucsrr inthe mom
  asked Byfzn-.c.ri why he


TxText:
  gavesonmclz nmnev In
  12bcggurliire stranger
  whose familyname was
  unknown tohim. But
  therich man rrrplir.-41
  with urrmmpharztfacn.'
  “Even though hewar
  inragged ('Ir/Ihei, he
  .rpukr' r:lr:m'1yto/he
  point without bermying
  shame orinfsrirzriry.
  unlike i-ommmz people
  who want toborrow
  money for1!bad debt,
  Such timun asheis
  ritlmr mad orself-
  rorzfidmr indoing
  business. Butjudging
  from hisiiacmrlers ('_VvL\'
  amtbooming voice he
  LAW 23 3231
  ISIll! l1flC()YV'lI?I0fl ?T?(1l"l
  with 41S[€p£'I'hl£f!l£]!!
  brain. worthy afmy
  trust. Iknow money
  and Iknow men.
  Money often makes a
  man small, but 11mm
  like him makes big
  mormy. Iamonly glad
  tohave helped:1big
  man dobigbusiness."
  nr.mNn rm? Sl'l-/N]':S
  OF RUYAL PALACES
  INKOREA,
  HATAh—Hu~L;,
  1983
  Fear. which alvmyx
  magnifies objects, give:
  abody toalltheir
  flznries. which mks: for
  itsform whatever they
  conceive toexist m
  their memiey tlmughm
  sothatfearful persons
  selrlnrvz fail infall into
  real inmn veniertzres,
  occasioned byimagi-
  nary dangers… .And
  theeduke. whose
  pnrdnminum character
  was Inbealwuysfult of
  fear and tJfdiS!rI1.s't,
  was.ofallmen Ihave
  ever reen, the most
  capable offalling into
  falw steps bythedread
  hehadnffailing inlo
  Ihcm; hr,-ing inthat like
  tmm hares.
  CAKi')l.'«'AL DERu 2.,
  l613- 1:379
  LAW 28compromisebecomes thetoehold heneeds totear you apart.The sudden
  bold move, without discussion orwarning,obliterates these toeholds, and
  builds your authority,Youterrifydoubters anddespisersandgainthe con-
  fidence ofthemanywho admire andglorifythose who actboldly.
  Observance lll
  In1514 thetwenty—two-year-oldPietro Aretino wasworkingasalowlyas-
  sistant scullion toawealthyRoman family. Hehad ambitions ofgreatness


TxText:
  asawriter, toenflame theworld with hisname, buthow could amere
  lackey hopetorealize such dreams?
  Thatyear PopeLeoXreceived from thekingofPortugalanembassy
  that included many gifts,most prominent among them agreat elephant,
  thefirstinRome since imperialtimes. Theponhff adored thiselephant and
  showered itwith attention andgifts.Butdespitehislove and care, theele
  pliant,which was called Hanna, became deathlyill.Thepope summoned
  doctors, who administered afive—hundred-pound purgativetothe ele
  pliant,butalltonoavail. The animal died and thepopewent into mourn-
  ing.Toconsole himself hesummoned thegreat painter Raphaeland
  ordered him tocreate alife-sized painting ofHanno above theanimals
  tomb, bearingtheinscription, “What nature tookaway, Raphaelhaswith
  hisartrestored.”
  Over thenext fewdays,apamphletcirculated throughout Rome that
  caused great niernment andlaughter. Entitled “The Last Will and Testa-
  ment oftheElephant Hanna,” itread, inpart,“Tomyheir theCardinal
  Santa Croce, Igive myknees, sothat hecan imitatemygenuilections….
  Tomyheir Cardinal Santi Quattro, Igive myjaws,sothat hecan more
  readilydevour allofChrist's revenues. ‥ .Tomyheir Cardinal Medici, I
  give my ears, sothat he can hear everyone's doings‥ ‥”ToCardinal
  Grassi, who had areputation forlechery,theelephant bequeathed theap
  propriate,oversized part ofhisown anatomy.
  Onand ontheanonymous pamphlet went, sparingnone ofthegreat
  inRome, not even thepope. With each one ittook aim attheir best—known
  weakness. Thepamphletended with verse, “See toitthat Aretino isyour
  friend /Forheisabadenemytohave. IHiswords alone could ruin the
  high pope /SoGod guard everyone from histongue.”
  Interpretation
  With one short pamphlet, Aretino, sonofapoorshoemaker and aservant
  himself, hurled himself tofame. EveryoneinRome rushed tofind outwho
  thisdaring youngman was. Even thepope,amused byhisaudacity, sought
  him outand ended upgiving him ajobinthepapalservice. Over theyears
  he came tobeknown asthe“Scourge ofPrinces,” and hisbiting tongue


TxText:
  earned him therespectand fearofthegreat,from theking ofFrance tothe
  Hapsburg emperor.
  The Aretino strategyissimple:When youare assmall and obscure as
  David was, youmust find aGoliath toattack. The largerthetarget,the
  more attentionyou gain.The bolder theattack, the moreyoustand out
  from thecrowd, and the more admirationyoueam. Societyisfullofthose
  who think daring thoughts butlack thegutstoprintandpublicize them.
  Voice what thepublic feels--the expression ofshared feelingsisalways
  powerful. Search outthe most prominent target possibleandsling your
  boldest shot. The world willenjoythespectacle, and willhonor theunder-
  dog—you,that is-—with gloryandpower.
  KEYS TO POWER
  Most ofusaretimid. Wewant toavoid tension and conflict and wewant to
  beliked byall.Wemay contemplateabold action but werarely bringitto
  life.We areterrified oftheconsequences, ofwhat others might think ofus,
  ofthehostilitywewill stirupifwedaregobeyondourusualplace.
  Althoughwemay disguiseourtimidityasaconcern forothers, ade-
  sirenot tohurt oroffend them, infactitistheopposite—wearereallyself-
  absorbed, worried about ourselves and how others perceiveus.Boldness,
  ontheother hand, isouter-directed, and often makes peoplefeel more at
  ease, since itisless self-conscious and lessrepressed.
  This can beseen most clearlyinseduction. Allgreat seducers succeed
  through effrontery. Casanova's boldness was notrevealed inadaring ap-
  proach tothe woman hedesired, orinintrepidwords toflatter her; itcon-
  sisted inhisabilitytosurrender himself tohercompletelyand tomake her
  believe hewould doanythingforher, even risk hislife, which infact he
  sometimes did. The woman onwhom helavished this attention under-
  stood that heheld nothingback from her. This wasinfinitelymore flatter-
  ingthan compliments. Atnopoint duringtheseduction would heshow
  hesitation ordoubt, simplybecause henever feltit.
  Part ofthecharm ofbeing seduced isthat itmakes usfeelengulfed,
  temporarilyoutside ofourselves and theusual doubts that permeateour
  lives. The moment theseducer hesitates, thecharm isbroken, because we
  become aware oftheprocess,oftheir deliberate effort toseduce us,of


TxText:
  their self-consciousness. Boldness directs attention outward and keeps
  theillusion alive. Itnever induces awkwardness orembarrassment. And
  soweadmire thebold, andprefertobearound them, because their self-
  confidence infects usand draws usoutside our own realm ofinwardness
  andreflection.
  Few areborn bold. Even Napoleonhad tocultivate thehabit onthe
  battlefield, where heknew itwas amatter oflifeand death. Insocial set
  tings hewasawkward andtimid, butheovercame this andpracticed bold-
  ness inevery part ofhislifebecause he saw itstremendouspower, how it
  could literally enlargeitman (evenone who, likeNapoleon,was infact
  conspicuously small). Wealso seethischangeinIvan theTerrible: Aharm-
  lessboysuddenlytransforms himself into apowerful youngman who com-
  mands authority, simply bypointingafingerandtaking hold action.
  You must practiceanddevelop your boldness. Youwill often find uses
  forit.The bestplacetobeginisoften thedelicate world ofnegotiation, par-Tflli HO Y.'l.'\l'l
  Tfili NETTlJ',
  Aboyplayinginthe
  fields gotsrwzg bya
  nettle. He ranhome to
  hismother, telling her
  that hehad butIouched
  rim!nasty weed, andit
  had stung him. “It was
  justyour touching it,
  myboy,"sai1l the
  mnthflf. “that caused it
  tosting you; thenext
  rime you meddle with a
  nettle, grasp ittightly,
  and itwill doyou
  nohim.”
  Doboldly what you do
  atall.
  FAHLES,
  Aasor,
  sncm CENTURY Er).
  lI\')\V T0 BF,
  VliI'l'l)l'll()llE-4 l.\l‥('l\r'l',
  But with there who
  have made animpres-
  sion upon your heart, I
  have noticed that you
  aretimid. This quality
  might affeclabour-
  geoise, butyoumu.rt
  attack theheart afa
  woman ofllxr world
  with other weapons‥ . .
  Iwellyou anbelmlfaf
  women: lheff,' l5P10! 073?
  ofizs who does no!
  preferalime rough
  handling to(onmuch
  considemtimx. Men
  lose rlzroaigll blunder-
  ing more hearts than
  virme saves.


TxText:
  The more
  limidityalover shows
  will; asthe more i!
  concerns ourpride to
  goal] him on;the more
  respect hehasfor our
  LAW 28 233
  2.94resz's1zzm'e. the more
  respeci wedemaml of
  him. We H'IJl«tl[l will-
  ingly .s'u_v loyou man:
  "Ali, inpi!)/3name do
  not .~'uppo.rcustolmso
  very virtuous; youare
  fgmmgu,.\'tohave tun
  much ofil‥ .
  Wt' arecontinually
  xmtggling tohide the
  [act (ha! wefutvrv
  p('rmf!te(l tzurxelvex to
  ho(overt. Put :1wrmmn
  inr:posiiizm tosaythat
  slur has]rieirl:>a' onlyto
  at.s'pecie. ofw'(.>lem:e, or
  tosurprise: perszmrle
  her[hat you donot
  mzdcrmlm: her, andI
  will r1lI,S'!1'€7f()rher
  heart. Alittle more
  boldness onyour pan
  would putyou both at
  yourcase. Doyou
  I't?rIl¢'rI1l1(rr what M.de
  laRochcfoucauld [old
  youImely.' “A reason-
  able man inlaw? may
  actlike avmmlman,
  bu! heslwultl mu
  am! cmmm notlike
  anidiot."
  1IFE, LETTERS, ANT]
  I-'m('m<F,A.~1 vuu,os0m4r
  or NINON mi 1.1-;'
  ;\iNoN orLi1N('1.\'J:¥
  16204 705
  LAW 2Bticularly those discussions inwhichyouareasked tosetyourownprice.
  How ofien weputourselves down byaskingfortoolittle. When Christa
  pherColumbus proposedthat theSpanishcourt finance hisvoyagetothe
  Americas, healso made theinsanelybold demand that hebecalled
  “Grand Admiral oftheOcean.” The court agreed.Thepricehesetwas the
  price hereceived--he demanded tobetreated with respect,and sohewas.
  Henry Kissingertooknew that innegotiation,bold demands work better
  than starting offwithpiecemealconcessions andtryingtomeet theother
  person halfway. Setyourvalue high,andthen, asCount Lusfig did, setit
  higher.~
  Understand: Ifboldness isnotnatural, neither istimidity. Itisan ac-
  quired habit, picked upoutof a.desire toavoid conflict. Iftimidityhas


TxText:
  taken hold ofyou, then, root itout Your fears oftheconsequences ofa
  bold action arewayoutofproportiontoreality, and infact the conse
  quences oftimidityare worse. Your value islowered andyoucreate aself~
  fulfilling cycle ofdoubt and disaster. Remember: Theproblemscreated by
  anaudacious move canbedisguised,even remedied, bymore andgreater
  audacity.
  Image:The Lion and the
  Hare. The lion creates no
  gapsinhisway——his
  movements are too
  swift, hisjawstooquick
  and powerful. The
  timid hare will doany-
  thingtoescape danger,
  but initshaste to
  retreat andflee, itbacks
  into traps, hopssmack
  into itsenemies' jaws.
  Authority: Icertainlythink that itisbetter tobeimpetuousthan
  cautious, forfortune isawoman, and itisnecessary,ifyouwish to
  master her, toconquer herbyforce; and itcan beseen that shelets
  herself beovercome bythebold rather than bythose who proceed
  coldly. And therefore, like awoman, she isalwaysafriend to
  theyoung, because theyare less cautious, fiercer, and master
  her with greater audacity. (Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527)
  REVE RS/\L
  Boldness should never bethestrategybehind allofyouractions. Itisatac-
  ticalinstrument, tobeused attheright moment. Plan andthink ahead, and
  make thefinal element thebold move that willbring yousuccess. Inother
  words, since boldness isalearnedresponse,itisalso one thatyouleam to
  control and utilize atwill. Togothroughlifearmed onlywith audacity
  would betiringand also fatal. You would offend toomany people,asis
  proven bythose who cannot control their boldness, One suchpersonwas
  Lola Montez; heraudacity brought hertriumphsand led toherseduction
  ofthekingofBaxfatia. But since shecould never rein inherboldness, it
  alsoled toherdownfall—-in Bavaria, inEngland, wherever she turned. It
  crossed theborder between boldness and theappearance ofcruelty,even
  insanity.Ivan theTerrible suffered the same fate: When thepowerofbold-
  nessbroughthim success, hestuck toit,tothepoint where itbecame alife
  long pattern ofviolence and sadism. Helost theabilitytotell when


TxText:
  boldness wasappropriateand when itwas not.
  Timidityhas noplaceintherealm ofpower; you will often benefit,
  however, bybeingable tofeignit.Atthatpoint, ofcourse, itisnolonger
  iimiditybut anoffensive weapon:You areluring peopleinwithyourshow
  ofshyness,allthebetter topounceonthem boldly later.
  LAW 2B 235
  29
  PLAN ALL THE WAY
  TO THE END
  JUDGMENT
  Theendingiseverything.Plan allthemaytoit,taking
  into account allthepossible consequences, obstacles, and
  twists offirrtunethatmightreverse your hard work and
  givetheglorytoat/zers. Byplanningtotheendyouwill
  not beoverwhelmed bycircumstances andyouwid know
  when tostop. Gently guide fortune and helpdetermine
  thefuture bythinking farahead.
  TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  In1510 ashipsetoutfrom theisland ofHispaniola (now Haiti and the
  Dominican Republic)forVenezuela, where itwas torescue abesieged
  Spanish colony.Several miles outofport,astowawayclimbed outofa
  provisionchest: Vasco Nufiez deBalboa, anoble Spaniardwho had come
  totheNew World insearch ofgoldbuthad fallen into debt and had es-
  tapedhiscreditors byhidinginthechest.
  Balboa had been obsessed with goldever since Columbus had re-
  turned toSpain from hisvoyages with tales ofafabulous but asyetundis-
  covered kingdom called ElDorado. Balboa was one ofthe first
  adventurers tocome insearch ofColurnbus's land ofgold,and hehad de-
  cided from thebeginningthat hewould bethe one tofind it,through
  sheer audacity and single—mindedness. Now that hewas free ofhiscredi-
  tors,nothingwould stophim.
  Unfortunately theship's owner, awealthy jurist named Francisco Fer-
  nandez deEnciso, was furious when told ofthestowaway,and heordered
  thatBalboa beleft onthefirst island theycame across. Before theyfound
  anyisland, however, Enciso received news that thecolony he was tores-
  cuehad been abandoned. This was Balboa's chance. Hetold thesailors of
  hisprevious voyagestoPanarna, and ofthe rumors hehad heard ofgold
  inthe area. The excited sailors convinced Enciso tospareBalboa's life,
  and toestablish acolonyinPanama.


TxText:
  Weeks later theynamed their new
  settlement “Darien.”
  Darien's firstgovernorwas Enciso, butBalboa was not aman tolet
  others steal the initiative. Hecampaigned against Encisoamongthe
  sailors, who eventuallymade itclear thatthey preferredhim asgovernor.
  Enciso fled toSpain, fearingforhislife. Months later, when arepresenta-
  tiveoftheSpanishcrown arrived toestablish himself asthe new, official
  governor ofDarien, hewas turnedaway.OnhisreturnvoyagetoSpain,
  this man drowned; thedrowningwas accidental, butunder Spanish law,
  Balboa had murdered thegovernorandusurpedhisposition.
  Balb0a's bravado had gothim outofscrapes before, but now his
  hopesofwealth andgloryseemed doomed. Tolayclaim toElDorado,
  should hediscover it,hewould need theapproval oftheSpanish king-—
  which, asanoutlaw, hewould never receive. There wasonlyone solution.
  Panamanian Indians had told Balboa ofavast ocean ontheother side of
  theCentral American isthmus, and had said diatbytraveling south upon
  this western coast, hewould reach afabulous land ofgold, called bya
  name that tohis ears sounded like“Biru.” Balboa decided hewould cross
  thetreacherous jungles ofPanama and become thefirstEuropeantobathe
  hisfeetinthis new ocean. From there hewould march onElDorado. Ifhe
  didthis onSpain's behalf, hewould obtain theeternal gratitudeofthe
  king, andwould secure his ownreprieve—-onlyhehad toactbefore Span-
  ishauthorities came toarrest him.
  In1513, then, Balboa setout, with 190 soldiers. Halfwayacross the
  isthmus (some ninetymiles wide atthatpoint), only sixtysoldiers re-Thero arc veryfew
  men —aml they are [/10
  exec/7tionA'—wl'to are
  able tothink amlfeel
  beyond thepresent
  moment
  CARL vow C1./xusewnz.
  1780- 1831
  Till'. 'I\X0I“I€(?(l5
  Twofrogs dwelt inthe
  sums! pool. Thepool
  being drier! upunder
  thesummer': heat, rhey
  leftii,and setout
  together toseek
  (mother home. Asthey
  went along Ilwy
  rlmncerl topays(1deep
  well, amply supplied
  with water, onScemg
  which oneofthefrogs
  said toIlucarlwrz “Let


TxText:
  usdescend and nmke
  our abode inthis well,
  itwillfurnisliuswith
  shelter andfood."The
  other replied Wtl/I
  greater caurinrlr
  “But suppose the water
  shrmldfail us.how can
  wegetouraguinfmm
  sogrew11tlepllt?"
  Donothing without 11
  regard tothe conse-
  £[M€IlC€5'.
  EABLES.
  AESOP.
  SIXTH CENTURY Hr'.
  LAW 29 237
  Look totheend, no
  /nutter what itisyou
  an-,<'0rz.wrlm'ir2_1[. Often
  enough. God gives a
  man aglimpse of
  hap[1ines.s. and then
  mierly ruins him.
  Tlll-1HlS'l'()Rll"S,
  lli.R0mm,
  Fll<'I'Il L'i~:N'1'i,R~r u. ,.
  Wlli Kl\(. TH''llH
  v\.\D Tlfli SIRillinfl
  Intlmfiem timer 1:king
  ofTm'mrywas out
  walking with mine of
  hisnoblemen. A!the
  rrmrlxide was anahdul
  (iiwzmderirig Sufi),
  who cried out.'
  “Whoever willgiveme
  ahundred dinars, Iwill
  givehim srmm
  good advice."
  Thekingsm;>ped. and
  xairl: "Abdul, wlmr it
  (hisgood uclvice for a
  hmzdred diners?
  "Sir." answered the
  abrlal, "m'cl'er (lie sum
  10begiven tome, am)' I
  willtellityou immedi-
  ately."Theking did .m,
  e.rpu'iingin[war same-
  thing vxmxordiniiry.
  The zlervish said /0
  him: “My adv: ISthis:
  Never hvgin (my!/iing
  until you have reflected
  what will berhoendof
  it."/if this therzirbles
  and everyone else
  [7l<'.S'(f7lI laughed, mying
  that theahdnl hem' been
  wise soaskforhis
  money inadvztnce But
  theking swirl.' "You
  have no reaxmz to
  laugh althegood
  advice this ahdrll ltas
  givenme. No one is
  LAW 29mained, many havingsuccumbed totheharsh conditions——the blood-
  sucking insects, thetorrential rainfall, fever. Finally, from amountaintop,
  Balboa became thefirstEuropeantolayeyesonthePacific Ocean. Days
  later hemarched inhisarmor into itswaters, bearingthebanner ofCastile


TxText:
  andclaiming allitsseas, lands, and islands inthe name oftheSpanish
  throne.
  Indians from the area greeted Balboa with gold, jewels,andprecious
  pearls,thelikeofwhich hehad never seen. When heasked where these
  had come from, theIndians pointed south, totheland ofthe Incas. But
  Balboa hadonlyafew soldiers left. For themoment, hedecided, he
  should return toDarien, send thejewels andgoldtoSpainasatoken
  ofgood will, and askfor alarge armytoaidhim intheconquest ofEl
  Dorado.
  When news reached Spain ofBalboa's bold crossing oftheisthmus,
  hisdiscovery ofthe western ocean, and hisplanned conquest ofElDo-
  rado, theformer criminal became ahero. He wasinstantly proclaimed
  governor ofthenew land. Butbefore theking andqueenreceived word of
  hisdiscovery, theyhadalreadysent adozen ships,under thecommand of
  aman named Pedro Arias Davila, “Pedrarias,” with orders toarrest Bal-
  boaformurder and totake command ofthecolony. Bythetime Pedrarias
  arrived inPanama, hehad learned that Balboa had been pardoned,and
  that hewas toshare thegovernorship with theformer outlaw.
  Allthe same, Balboa feltuneasy. Gold was hisdream, ElDorado his
  onlydesire. Inpursuit ofthisgoalhehadnearlydiedmanytimes over,
  and toshare thewealth andglory with anewcomer would beintolerable.
  He also soon discovered that Pedraxias was ajealous,bitter man, and
  equally unhappywith thesituation. Once again,theonlysolution forBel»
  boa was toseize theinitiative byproposingtocross thejunglewith a
  larger army, carrying shipbuildingmaterials and tools. Once onthe Pa—
  cific coast, hewould create anarmada. with which toconquer the Incas.
  Surprisingly enough, Pedrarias agreed totheplan—--perhaps sensingit
  would never work. Hundreds died inthis second march through thejun-
  gle, and thetimber theycarried rotted inthetorrential rains. Balboa, as
  usual, was undaunted»-nopowerintheworld could thwart hisplan—and
  onarrivingatthePacific hebegantocutdown trees fornew lumber. But
  the men remaining tohim were toofew and tooweak tomount aninva-


TxText:
  sion, and once againBalboa had toreturn toDarien.
  Pedrarias had inanycase invited Balboa back todiscuss anew plan,
  and ontheoutskirts ofthesettlement, theexplorerwas metbyFrancisco
  Pizarro, anoldfriend who hadaccompanied him onhisfirst crossingof
  theisthmus. But this was atrap: Leadingone hundred soldiers, Pizarro
  surrounded hisformer friend, arrested him, and returned him toFe
  draiias, who tried him oncharges ofrebellion. Afewdays later Ba.lboa's
  head fellinto abasket, alongwith those ofhis most trusted followers.
  Years later Pizarro himself reached Peru, and Balboa's deeds were for-
  gotten.
  Interpretation
  Most men areruled bytheheart, notthehead. Theirplansarevague,and
  when theymeet obstacles they improvise.Butimprovisation willonly
  bring youasfar asthe next crisis, and isnever asubstitute forthinking
  severalstepsahead andplanningtotheend.
  Balboa had adream ofgloryandwealth, and avague plantoreach it.
  Yethisbold deeds, and hisdiscovery ofthePacific, arelargely forgotten,
  forhecommitted what intheworld ofpoweristheultimate sin:He went
  part way, leaving thedooropenforothers totake over. Areal man of
  powerwould have had theprudencetoseethedangersinthe distance——
  therivals who would want toshare intheconquests,the vultures that
  would hover once theyheard theword “gold.”Balboa should have kept
  hisknowledgeoftheIncas secret until after hehadconquered Peru. Only
  then would hiswealth, and hishead, have been secure. Once Pedrarias ar-
  rived onthe scene, aman ofpowerandprudencewould have schemed to
  kill orimprison him, and totake over thearmyhehadbrought forthe
  conquestofPeru. But Balboa was locked inthemoment, always reacting
  emotionally,never thinking ahead.
  What goodisittohave thegreatestdream intheworld ifothersreap
  thebenefits and theglory?Never lose yourhead over avague, open-
  ended drearn—plantotheend.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  In1863 thePrussian premierOtto von Bismarck surveyed thechessboard
  ofEuropean powerasitthen stood. The main playerswere England,
  France, and Austria. Prussia itself was one ofseveral states intheloosely


TxText:
  allied German Federation. Austria, dominant member oftheFederation,
  made sure that theother German states remained weak, divided and sub»
  missive. Bismarck believed that Prussia was destined forsomethingfar
  greaterthan servant boytoAustria.
  This ishow Bismarck playedthegame.Hisfirst move was tostart a
  warwithlowly Denmark, inorder torecover theformer Prussian lands of
  Schleswig—Holstein,Heknew that these rumblings ofPrussian indepen-
  dence might worryFrance andEngland,soheenlisted Austria inthewar,
  claiming that hewasrecovering Schleswig-Holsteinfortheir benefit. lna
  fewmonths, after the war was decided, Bismarck demanded that the
  newly conqueredlands bemade part ofPrussia. The Austrians ofcourse
  were furious, butthey compromised:First they agreed togivethePrus-
  aians Schleswig,and ayearlater theysold them Holstein. The world
  began toseethat Austria wasweakening and that Prussia was ontherise.
  Bismarck's next move was hisboldest: In1866 heconvinced King
  William ofPrussia towithdraw from theGerman Federation, and indoing
  sotogotowar with Austria itself. KingWilliam's wife, his son the crown
  prince,and theprinces oftheother German kingdoms vehemently op-
  posedsuch awar. ButBismarck, undaunted, succeeded inforcing the con-
  flict, and Prussia's superior armydefeated the Austrians inthebrutallymiuwarr: ofthefact mm
  weshould think well
  before doing anything.
  But we arezlui/y guilty
  ofrmr rcmtambraring.
  and the cor1s¢'quenr.'e.s
  areevil.fwiry much
  vulut.' !l'Ii.r dervish '5
  advice,"
  Theking decizied to
  bear theaa'vice always
  inIuirmind, and coin»
  mamled itmbewritten
  ingoldonIliewalls
  and even engmvedon
  /zisSl[V('J'[)l£1!<'?.
  Notlong flficrwanl a
  ploller drasirzed tokill
  theking. Hebribed the
  r'(1y££1.YIN'g(!t')n with a
  pmmise of[heprime
  rninistzrrxhip ifhe' rlmm
  apoisoned la/'we; into
  theking'Xarm. Wlmi
  thetime mm: tolet


TxText:
  sanm ofthekings
  hlaorl. llsilver basin
  wasplaced((7catch the
  blond. Sur1'(1enlythe
  rurgevn became smart'
  ofthewords engraved
  upon lz:"Nmmr I;-rgin
  rmlvtlzing umil you have
  ref!(I(.'lm'l what will be
  theandofit."Itwas
  only (hm llza! hereal-
  ized thatif/he planer
  betramrt king hemuld
  lmw lhesurgeon killed
  imtimtly, and would
  notneed tofulfill my
  bargain.
  Theking. weing that
  Vhr'surgeonwas now
  trembling. asked him
  what was wrong with
  him. And sohe
  (70IIf¢'S5t'(l thetruth. at
  that very moment.
  'Ila-'plotterwasseizetl;
  and [lieking sem_for all
  thepeoplewho hurt
  hem prescrlizwhen this
  abclal gave hisadvice,
  and said Ini'llt?I1l.' “Do
  you stilllaugh atthe
  rle/wish?"
  (7.-\R,4\V/\N orDRFAMS.
  lI>RllaS SHAII, 1968
  LAW 29 239
  Hewho nSk.tfnrtun0~
  Iellers mefuture
  unwittingly farfelfszm
  inm1rinlin'u1ti0Il of
  comingevents that isa
  thousand times rnore
  exact Ihan imyzhing
  they may say
  WAIJYER BENJAMIN.
  l8']2-- l940
  240 LAW 29short Seven Weeks War. Theking and thePmssian generalsthen wanted
  tomarch onVienna, tak.i.ugasmuch land from Austria aspossible.But
  Bismarck stopped them--now hepresentedhimself asonthe side of
  peace.The result was that hewas able toconclude atreaty with Austria
  that grantedPrussia and the other German states total autonomy.Bis-
  marck could now position Prussia. asthedominantpowerinGermanyand
  thehead ofanewly formed North German Confederation.
  The French and theEnglish begantocompare Bismarck toAttila the
  Hun, and tofear that hehaddesignsonallofEurope.Once hehad started
  onthepathtoconquest,there was notellingwhere hewould stop. And,
  indeed, threeyears later Bismarck provokedawar with France. First he
  appearedtogivehispermissiontoFrance's annexation ofBelgium,then
  atthelast moment hechangedhismind.Playingacaband-mouse game,


TxText:
  heinfuriated theFrench emperor, Napoleon Ill, and stirred uphis own
  king againsttheFrench. Tonoone's surprise,war broke outin1870. The
  newlyformed German federation enthusiastically joinedinthe war
  onFrance, and once again the Prussian military machine and itsallies
  destroyedtheenemy armyinamatter ofmonths. Although Bismarck
  opposed taking any French land, thegeneralsconvinced him that Alsace-
  Lorraine would become part ofthefederation.
  Now all ofEuropefeared the next move ofthePrussian monster, led
  byBismarck, the“Iron Chancellor.” And infact ayearlater Bismarck
  founded the German Empire,with the Prussian kingasthenewly
  crowned emperor and Bismarck himself aprince.But then something
  strange happened:Bismarck instigatednomore wars. And while theother
  European powers grabbed upland forcolonies inother continents, hese-
  verely limited Germany's colonial acquisitions.Hedid not want more
  land forGermany,but more security.Fortherestofhislifehestruggledto
  maintainpeaceinEuropeand topreventfurther wars. Everybodyas-
  sumed hehadchanged, mellowing with theyears. They had failed toun-
  derstand: This was thefinal move ofhisoriginal plan.
  Interpretation
  There isasimplereason whymost men never know when tocome offthe
  attack: They form noconcrete idea oftheir goal.Once theyachieve vic-
  torythey only hunger for more. Tostop-—toaim for agoal and then keep
  toit——seems almost inhuman, infact; yetnothingismore critical tothe
  maintenance ofpower.Thepersonwho goes toofarinhistriumphscre-
  ates areaction thatinevitablyleads toadecline. Theonlysolution isto
  planforthelongrun. Foresee thefuture with asmuch clarityasthegods
  onMount Olympus,who look throughtheclouds and seetheends ofall
  things.
  From thebeginning ofhis career inpolifics, Bismarck had onegoal:
  toform anindependent German state ledbyPrussia. Heinstigatedthe
  warwith Denmark nottoconquer territorybut tostirupPrussian nation-
  alism and unite thecountry. Heincited the war with Austiia onlytogain
  Prussian independence. (Thiswaswhyherefused tograbAustrian terri-
  tory.)And hefomented the war with France tounite theGerman king-


TxText:
  doms againstacommon enemy, and thus topreparefortheformation ofa
  united Germany.
  Once this wasachieved, Bismarckstopped.He never lettriumph go
  tohishead, was nevertempted bythesiren callofmore. Heheld therei.ns
  tightly,and whenever thegenerals,ortheking,orthePrussianpeoplede-
  manded newconquests,heheld them back. Nothingwould spoilthe
  beautyofhiscreation, certainlynot afalse euphoriathatpushedthose
  around him toattempttogopasttheend that hehad socarefully planned.
  Experienceshows that,ifanef0Teset4.9_f1“amfaT awaythedesignstobe
  undertaken, one can actwith speedwhen themoment comes toexecute them.
  Cardimzf ftichelieru, 1585-1642
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Accordingtothecosmology oftheancient Greeks, thegodswere thought
  tohave completevision into thefuture. Theysaweverythingtocome,
  rightdown totheintricate details. Men, ontheother hand, were seen as
  victims offate, trapped inthemoment and their emotions, unable tosee
  beyond immediate dangers. Those heroes, such asOdysseus,who were
  able tolook beyondthepresentandplanseveralsteps ahead, seemed to
  defyfate, toapproximatethegods intheir abilitytodetermine thefuture.
  Thecomparisonisstill va.1id—those amonguswho think further ahead
  andpatiently bring their planstofruition seem tohave agodlike power.
  Because most peopleare tooimprisonedinthemoment toplanwith
  thiskind offoresight, theability toignore immediate dangersandplea-
  sures translates intopower.Itisthepowerofbeing able toovercome the
  natural human tendencytoreact tothingsasthey happen,and instead to
  train oneself tostepback, imagining thelarger things taking shape beyond
  one's immediate vision. Most people believe thattheyareinfact aware of
  thefuture, thattheyareplanningandthinkingahead. Theyareusuallyde-
  luded: What theyarereally doingissuccumbingtotheir desires, towhat
  theywant thefuture tobe.Their plansarevague,based ontheir imagina-
  tions rather than their reality. They maybelieve theyarethinkingallthe
  waytotheend, buttheyarereally only focusingonthehappy ending,and
  deludingthemselves bythestrength oftheir desire.
  In415 B.C., theancient Athenians attacked Sicily, believingtheir ex-
  peditionwould bring them riches, power, and aglorious endingtothesix-
  teen-year PeloponnesianWar. They did notconsider thedangersofan
  invasion sofarfrom home; they did notforesee that theSicilians would


TxText:
  light alltheharder since thebattles were intheir own homeland, orthat
  allofAthens's enemies would band together against them, orthat war
  would break out onseveral fronts, stretching their forces way toothin.
  TheSicilian expeditionwas acomplete disaster, leadingtothedestruction
  LAW 2!) .24!
  ofone ofthegreatestcivilizations ofalltime. The Athenians were ledinto
  this disaster bytheir hearts, nottheir minds. Theysawonlythechance of
  glory,notthedangersthat loomed inthedistance.
  Cardinal deRetz, theseventeenth-centuryFrenchman who prided
  himself onhisinsightsinto human schemes andwhythey mostly fail, ana-
  lyzedthisphenomenon. Inthe course of arebellion hespearheaded
  againsttheFrench monarchyin1651, theyoung king,Louis XIV, and his
  court hadsuddenlyleftParis and established themselves inapalaceout-
  side thecapital.Thepresence ofthekingsoclose totheheart ofthe revo-
  lution had been atremendous burden ontherevolutionaries, andthey
  breathed asighofrelief. This later provedtheir downfall, however, since
  the court's absence from Paris gave itmuch more room tomaneuver.
  “The most ordinarycause ofpeople's mistakes,” Cardinal deRetz later
  wrote, “istheir being toomuch frightenedatthepresent danger,and not
  enoughsoatthat which isremote.”
  The dangersthat areremote, that loom inthedistance-—if we can see
  them astheytake shape,howmanymistakes weavoid. Howmany plans
  wewould instantlyabort ifwerealized we were avoidingasmall danger
  only tostepinto alargerone. Somuch ofpowerisnotwhatyou dobut
  whatyoudonot do——the rash and foolish actions thatyourefrain from be-
  forethey getyouinto trouble. Plan indetail beforeyouact—do notlet
  vague planslead youinto trouble. Will this have unintended conse-
  quences?Will Istirupnew enemies? Will someone else takeadvantageof
  mylabors? Unhappy endingsare much more common than happy
  ones——do notbeswayed bythehappy endinginyourmind.
  The French elections of1848 came down toastrugglebetween Louis-
  Adolphe Thiers, the man oforder, and General Louis Eugene Cavaignac,
  therabble-rouser oftheright When Thiers realized hewashopelesslybe-


TxText:
  hind inthishigh—stakes race, hesearched desperatelyfor asolution. His
  eyefell onLouisBonaparte, grand-nephewofthegreat general Napoleon,
  and alowly deputyintheparliament.This Bonaparteseemed abitofan
  imbecile, buthis name alone could gethim elected inacountry yearning
  for astrongruler. Hewould beThiers'spuppetandeventuallywould be
  pushed offstage. The first partoftheplanworked toperfection,and
  Napoleonwas elected byalarge margin.Theproblemwas that Thiers
  had not foreseen onesimplefact: This “imbecile” was infact aman of
  enormous ambition. Threeyearslater hedissolved parliament,declared
  himselfemperor,and ruled France foranother eighteen years,much to
  thehorror ofThiers and hisparty.
  The endingiseverything. Itistheend oftheaction that determines
  who getstheglory,themoney,theprize.Your conclusion must becrystal
  clear, andyoumust keepitconstantlyinmind. You must alsofigureout
  how toward offthevultures circling overhead, tryingtolive offthe car-
  cass ofyourcreation. Andyoumust anticipatethemany possiblecrises
  that willtempt youtoimprovise.Bismarck overcame these dangers be-
  cause heplannedtotheend, kepton course through every crisis, and
  never letothers steal theglory.Once hehad reached hisstated goal,he
  withdrew into hisshell like aturtle. This kind ofselfcontrol isgodlike.
  Whenyouseeseveralsteps ahead, andplan yourmoves alltheway
  totheend, you will nolonger betempted byemotion orbythedesire to
  improvise. Your clarity willridyou oftheanxiety and vagueness that are
  theprimaryreasons whysomanyfail toconclude their actions success-
  fully.You seetheendingandyoutolerate nodeviation.
  lmage:
  The Gods on
  Mount Olympus.
  Looking down on
  human actions from the
  clouds, theyseeinadvance the
  endings ofallthegreat dreams that
  lead todisaster and tragedy,And
  they laughatourinabilityto seebeyond
  the moment, and athow wedelude ourselves.
  Authority: How much easier itisnever togetinthan togetyourself
  out! Weshould actcontrarytothereed which, when itfirstappears,
  throwsupalong straightstem butafterwards, asthoughitwere ex-
  hausted . . .makes several dense knots, indicating that itnolonger
  has itsoriginal vigor and drive. We must rather begin gentlyand


TxText:
  coolly, savingour breath forthe encounter and ourvigorous thrusts
  forfinishingoffthejob.Intheirbeginningsitiswewho guide affairs
  andhold them inourpower;but sooften once theyare setinmotion,
  itistheywhich guideusandsweepusalong. (Montaigne. 1533-1592)
  LAW 29 243
  244 LAW 29REVERSAL
  Itisacliché among strategiststhatyour plan must include alternatives and
  have adegree offlexibility. That iscertainlytrue. Ifyouarelocked into a
  plan toorigidly, youwill beunable todeal with sudden shifts offortune.
  Onceyou have examined thefuture possibilities and decided onyourtar-
  get,youmust build inalternatives and beopentonew routes towardyour
  goal.
  Most people, however, lose lessfrom overplanningandrigiditythan
  fromvaguenessand atendencytoimprovise constantlyintheface ofCi1'~
  cumstance. There isnorealpurposeincontemplatingareversal tothis
  Law, then, for nogoodcan come from refusingtothink farinto thefuture
  andplanningtotheend. Ifyouareclear andfapthinking enough, you
  will understand that thefuture isuncertain, and thatyoumust beopento
  adaptation. Only having3.clear objectiveand afar-reaching planallows
  youthat freedom.
  30
  MAKE YOUR
  ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  SEEM EFFORTLESS
  JUDGMENT
  Your actions must seem natural and executed with ease.
  All thetoilandpmdicethatgointo them, and also all
  theclever hicks, must beconcealed. Whenyou (let, notef-
  fortlessly,aszfyoucould domuch more. Avoid thetemp-
  tation qfmrealinghow hard you w01iz——-it only raises
  questions.Teach nooneyour tricks ortheywiii beused
  against you.
  245
  l\\\U §v\'I\Y!
  '\tl,\"l'|'.i[ \I[T|h'l'
  Dam Mt1.vrm1um' mire
  smlforlitrmyu to
  zleconuc (1pairofgold
  .\'rrw'n.\- wven /r-erhigh.
  The artist mid he
  thought hEuck—:mrl—
  wliita Sk1'l(']'i'[5i' would
  sat'! them, and went
  home ttgdin ttfwr
  t'otm'rlt-rim: I/mm tram
  fully. The man rtzztrniny
  hecame early and
  made Ltlarge quantity
  ofink into wlriciz he
  dippctl ohrtrxexitme he
  hadhmugflit with him,
  am! Ih£'V1 prm'€r*tie'd to
  tnrtkr irnprmisitvrts of


TxText:
  thisallover oneofthe
  NC!''I'Iu't1. with a
  Iarge brmh. hedrew a
  mtmln/r oflines aL'ro.s'.x'
  them. Mcmtwlxilv
  M./wamtmc had mme
  mtowatch hiswork',
  and ti!this hewould
  ctttlttitin hisit'ri1il(i()It nu
  longer. andtmmerittg,
  “What Itbeastly nw.s.s'.'"
  he.1'trm[(- away tolets
  own [l]Ial'(Nit'n!.$. The
  re'miIwr.\' mld 'l'amtyu
  lit?was inavery bad
  h"m])!'I' imleetl. “He
  .vhottldrt't look onwlzi/1%
  Iam atwork, (hon,"
  niplietlthepainter. "lie
  xhoulrl wait till 1'!is
  /inixhctl."Thm hetook
  up(Ixtnttlirer ftrnxh and
  dtmiml intouches' here
  and (hum, and ashedid
  X0i/xt'prirxti' ofthe
  Imt-.m-xlwe mum! mm
  ('Hi/)5', whifzz thebig
  broad fi'U'4tk('.S' became
  ruslmv. Hethen turned
  totheother .\L'reL*r1 and
  .vp[u.vI1r'tl [Imps nfink
  alltwrr it,and when he
  had tu1¢led afew Ixrush»
  xtmkes here and there
  they bx.-nmzv rtffzghr of
  246 LAW soOBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW I
  TheJapaneseteaceremonycalled Cha~no—yu (“Hot Water forTea”) has
  originsinancient times, but itreached itspeak ofrefinement inthe six~
  teenth centuryunder itsmost renowned practitioner, Sen noRjlcyu.Al-
  thoughnotfrom anoble family, Rikyurose togreat power, becoming the
  preferredteamaster oftheEmperor Hideyoshi, and animportantadviser
  onaesthetic and even politicalmatters. ForRikyu,the secret ofsuccess
  consisted inappearing natural, concealingtheeffort behind one's work.
  OnedayRikyuand his son went toanacquaintance's house for atea
  ceremony. Ontheway in,the sonremarked that thelovely antique—look~
  inggateattheir host's housegaveitanevocatively lonely appearance. “I
  don't think so,”repliedhisfather, “itlooks asthoughithad beenbrought
  from some mountain temple along way off,and asifthelabor requiredto


TxText:
  importitmust have cost alotofmoney.” Ifthe owner ofthehouse hadput
  this much effort into onegate,itwould show inhisteaceremony-—-and in-
  deed Sen noRikyuhad toleave theceremony early, unable toendure the
  affectation and effort itinadvertentlyrevealed.
  Onanother evening,while havingtea atafriend's house, Rikyusaw
  hishost gooutside, hold upalantem inthedarkness, cut alemon offatree,
  andbring itin.This charmed Rikyu--thehost needed a.relish forthedish
  hewasserving, and hadspontaneously goneoutside togetone. Butwhen
  the man offered thelemon with some Osaka ricecake, Rikyu realized that
  hehadplanned thecuttingofthelemon allalong,togowith thisexpensive
  delicacy. The gesturenolonger seemed spontane0us—~itwas awayforthe
  host toprovehiscleverness. Hehadaccidentally revealed how hard he
  wastrying. Havingseen enough, Rikyu politelydeclined thecake, excused
  himself, and left.
  Emperor Hideyoshionce planned tovisitRikyu for a.teaceremony.
  Onthenight before hewas tocome, snow begantofall.Thinking quickly,
  Rikyulaid round cushions that fitexactlyoneach ofthesteppingvstones
  that ledthrough thegardentohishouse. Just before dawn, herose, saw
  that ithadstopped snowing,andcarefullyremoved thecushions. When
  Hideyoshi arrived, hemarveled atthesimple beautyofthesight-—tl1e per-
  fectlyround stepping stones, unencumbered bysnow——-and noticed how it
  called noattention tothe manner inwhich Rikyuhadaccomplished it,but
  onlytothepolite gesture itself.
  After Sen noRikyu died, hisideas had aprofound influence onthe
  practiceofthe teaceremony. TheTokugawa shogun Yorinobu, sonofthe
  great Emperor Ieyasu,was astudent ofRikyu's teachings.Inhisgarden he
  had astone lantern made byafamous master, and Lord Sakai Tadakatsu
  asked ifhecould come byoneday toseeit.Yoriuobu repliedthat hewould
  behonored, and commanded hisgardenerstoputeverythinginorder for
  the visit. These gardeners, unfamiliar with thepreceptsofCha-no~yu,
  thought the stone lantern misshapen,itswindows being toosmall forthe
  presenttaste. Theyhad alocal workman enlarge thewindows. Afewdays
  before Lord Sakai's visit, Yorinobu toured thegarden. '


TxText:
  When hesaw theal-
  tered windows heexploded with rage, readytoimpaleonhissword the
  foolwho had mined thelantern, upsettingitsnaturalgraceanddestroying
  thewholepurposeofLord Sakafs visit.
  When Yorinobu calmed down, however, heremembered that hehad
  originally boughttwoofthelanterns, and that thesecond was inhisgarden
  ontheisland ofKishu. Atgreat expense, hehired awhale boat and the
  finest rowers hecould find, orderingthem tobringthelantern tohim
  within twodays—adifficult feat atbest, But the sailors roweddayand
  night, and with theluck ofagoodwind they arrived justintime. To'[011-
  nobu's delight, this stone lantern was more magnificentthan thefirst, forit
  had stood untouched fortwenty yearsinabamboo thicket, acquiring2-1
  brilliant antique appearanceand adelicate coveringofmoss. When Lord
  Sakai arrived, later that same day, hewas awed bythelantern, which was
  more magnificentthan hehad imag1'ned———so gracefuland atonewith the
  elements. Fortunately hehad noidea what time and effort ithad cost Yori-
  nobu tocreate thissublime effect.
  interpretation
  ToSen noRikyu,thesuddenappearanceofsomething naturally,almost
  accidentally gracefulwas theheightofbeauty.This beautycame without
  warningand seemed effortless. Nature created such things byitsown laws
  and processes,but men had tocreate their effects through labor and con-
  trivance. And when they showed theeffort ofproducingtheeffect, the e£
  feet wasspoiled.The gatecame from toofaraway, thecuttingofthelemon
  looked contrived.
  You will often have tousetricks andingenuitytocreate your effects-—
  thecushions inthe snow, the men rowing allnight——but your audience
  must never suspectthework orthethinking that hasgoneinto them. Na-
  ture does notreveal itstricks, and what imitates nature byappearingeffort-
  lessapproximatesnature'spower.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW H
  Thegreat escapeartist Harry Houdini once advertised hisact as“The lm~
  possible Possible." And indeed those who witnessed hisdramaticescapes
  feltthat what hedidonstage contradicted commonsense ideas ofhuman
  capacity.


TxText:
  One eveningin1904, anaudience of4,000 Londoners filled atheater
  towatch Houdiniacceptachallenge:toescapefrom a.pair ofmanacles
  billed asthestrongestever invented. They contained six setsoflocks and
  nine tumblers ineach cuff; aBirminghammaker hadspentfiveyearscon-
  structingthem. Experts who examined them saidtheyhad never seen any-
  thingsointricate, and thisintricacywasthoughttomake them impossible
  toescape.
  The crowd watched theexpertssecure the manacles onHoudini's
  wrists. Then theescapeartist entered ablack cabinet onstage.The minutesswallows over willow
  trees. When Mrimmum-,
  saw thefimshed work
  he was asm-*erjr>y('(I at
  theartist': skill arIre
  hadpreviously been
  annoyedatthe(eppun
  em mess hewas
  making ofthe .s'crm:n.r.
  CHA—Nc-Yu:
  l'il1'JAPANLSl"l"l'A
  CEREMUN'
  A.L.S.-\I)l.l£H. 1962
  '|Ill'. \\Ill>4l'l,l.'£(.
  '~1~\!é'i'l:R
  Tlzere was once at
  wrestling rmzsler who
  was vmwd in360feirlts
  and holds. Hr'.look A
  .s'peL'iaI liking tooneof
  hispupils,Inwhom hr:
  mug/ll 359ofthem over
  (2periml 1,»/"time. Some-
  how henever gm
  armmd totheIns! triclc.
  Asmrmtfn' went byIlut
  youngman Iiecalw so
  profirmrtt intheallthat
  hebeyletl everyone who
  zlumd Infare him inI121!
  ring. He was soproud
  vfhir prowess that one
  sin):hrbuaszerl before
  tiresuliszlz that heczmlri
  readily whip his rnaszer,
  were itnot ourof
  rn.s']7t'('t forhisage am!
  gratitllzle furhis
  tutelage.
  The sultan became
  iI1€['P1.S'('(.ftIl thisirrcven
  sure and ordered an
  immediate: mezlch with
  theroyal czmrt in
  urtendmzce.
  /1!thegang Illayouth
  lmrged forward with :1
  lusty yell. only tobe
  confront;-,d with the
  unfamiliar 3510111 )'t*1'nI.
  The masler seized his
  former pupil, lifted him
  high above hishead,
  Imdflung him crashing
  mtheground. The


TxText:
  sultan and the Insem-
  blyletout aloud cheer.
  When therultun asked
  the masier how hr: was
  able toovercome rack
  11strong opponent,fhe
  rnmter corifcxsed that
  hehad reserved asecret
  technique forhimseif
  forjllsl such 11crmlirtr
  gem-y. Then herelated
  theIamemulion ofa
  marlcr ofarchery, who
  laugh: everything he
  knew. "No one has
  Ierzrnm! archery from
  me,"thepoor fellow
  cornphiined, “who has
  rintmen' touse me as :2
  buff intheend."
  Asrour orS/mm.
  ASTOLD 1N
  ms CRAI-“I or POW!-;R.
  R.G. H.511:, 1979
  248.LAW 30went by;the more time passed,the more certain itseemed that these man»
  acles would bethefirst todefeat him. Atonepoint heemergedfrom the
  cabinet, and asked that thecuffs betemporarilyremoved sothat hecould
  take offhiscoat—it was hotinside. Thechallengers refused, suspectinghis
  requestwas atrick tofind outhow thelocks worked. Undeterred, andwith
  outusing hishands, Houdini managed toliftthe coat over hisshoulders,
  turn itinside out, remove apenknife from hisvestpocketwith histeeth,
  and, bymovinghishead, outthecoat offhis arms. Freed from thecoat, he
  steppedback into thecabinet, theaudience roaringwithapprovalathis
  graceanddexterity.
  Finally, having keptthe audience wailing long enough,Houdini
  emerged from thecabinet asecond time, now with hishands free, the man-
  acles raised highintriumph.Tothisdayno one knows how hemanaged
  theescape. Althoughhehad taken close toanhour tofreehimself, hehad
  never looked concerned, had shown nosignofdoubt. Indeed itseemed by
  theend that hehad drawn outtheescapeasaway toheighten thedrama,
  tomake theaudience worry-—-forthere was noother sign that theperfon
  mance had been anythingbuteasy. The complaintabout theheat was
  equally partofthe act. Thespectators ofthis and other Houdini perfon
  mances must have felthewastoyingwith them: These manacles arenoth~
  ing, heseemed tosay,Icould have freed myselfalotsooner, and from a
  lotworse.


TxText:
  Over theyears, Houdini escapedfrom thechained carcass ofanem
  balmed “sea monster” (3.halfoctopus,half whalelike beast that had
  beached near Boston); hehad himself sealed inside anenormous envelope
  from which heemerged without breakingthepaper;hepassed through
  brick walls; hewriggledfree from straitjacketswhile dangling highinthe
  air;heleapedfrom bridges intoicywaters, hishands manacled and hislegs
  inchains; hehad himself submergedinglasscases fullofwater, hands pad-
  locked, while theaudience watched inamazement asheworked himself
  free, strugglingforclose toanhour apparentlywithout breathing. Each
  time heseemed tocourt certain death yetsurvived with superhuman
  aplomb. Meanwhile, hesaidnothingabout hismethods, gavenoclues as
  tohow beaccomplished anyofhistricks——~he lefthisaudiences and critics
  speculating,hispowerandreputation enhanced bytheir struggleswith the
  inexplicable. Perhaps themost baffling trick ofallwasmakingaten—thou-
  sa.ud—pound elephant disappearbefore anaudience'seyes,afeat here
  peatedonstagefor over nineteen weeks. No one has ever really explained
  how hedidthis, forintheauditorium where heperformed thetrick, there
  wassimplynowhere for anelephanttohide.
  The effortlessness ofHoudin1"sescapesled some tothink heused oc-
  cultforces, hissuperior psychicabilities giving himspecialcontrol over his
  body.But aGermanescapeartist named Kleppiniclaimed toknow Hon»
  dini's secret: Hesimplyused elaborate gadgets. Kleppinialso claimed to
  have defeated Houdini inahandcuff challengeinHolland.
  Houdini didnotmind allkinds ofspeculation floating around about
  hismethods, but hewould nottolerate anoutright lie,and in1902 hechal-
  lenged Kleppinitoahandcuff duel. Kleppini accepted. Throughaspy,he
  found out the secret word tounlock apair ofFrench combination-lock
  cuffs thatHoudini liked touse. Hisplanwas tochoose these cuffs toescape
  from onstage.This would definitivelydebunk Houdini—his “genius” sim-
  plylayinhis useofmechanical gadgets.
  Onthenight ofthechallenge, justasKleppinihadplanned, Houdini
  offered him achoice ofcuffs and heselected the ones with thecombination
  lock. He was even able todisappearwith them behind ascreen tomake a


TxText:
  quick test, andreemerged seconds later, confident ofvictory.
  Actingasifhesensed fraud, Houdini refused tolockKleppiniinthe
  cuffs. The two men arguedandbegantofight,even wrestlingwith each
  otheronstage.After afew minutes ofthis, anapparently angry,frustrated
  Houdini gave upand locked Kleppiniinthecuffs. Forthenext few minutes
  Kleppinistrained togetfree. Somethingwas wrong——minutes earlier he
  hadopenedthe cuffs behind the screen; now the same code nolonger
  worked. Hesweated, rackinghisbrains. Hours went by,theaudience left,
  andfinallyanexhausted and humiliated Kleppini gave upand asked tobe
  released.
  The cuffs thatKleppinihimself hadopened behind the screen with the
  word “C—L—E-F—S” (French for“keys”)now clickedopen only with the
  word “F-R-A-U-D. ”Kleppininever figuredouthow Houdini had accom-
  plishedthisuncannyfeat.
  Interpretation
  Althoughwedonotknow forcertain how Houdini accomplished many of
  hismost ingenious escapes,onethingisclear: Itwas nottheoccult, orany
  kind ofmagic,thatgavehim hispowers,buthard work and endlessprac-
  tice,allofwhich hecarefully concealed from theworld. Houdini never left
  anythingtochance-—-dayandnighthestudied theworkings oflocks, re-
  searched centuries-old sleight—of-hand tricks, poredover books onmechan
  ics,whatever hecould use.Everymoment notspent researching hespent
  workinghisbody, keepinghimself exceptionally limher, andlearninghow
  tocontrol hismuscles and hisbreathing.
  EarlyoninHoudini's career, anoldJapanese performerwhom he
  toured with taught him anancient trick: how toswallow anivory ball, then
  bringitbackup.Hepracticedthisendlesslywith asmall peeled potatotied
  toastring—upand down hewould manipulatethepotatowith histhroat
  muscles, until theywere strong enoughtomove itwithout thestring. The
  organizers oftheLondon handcuffchallengehad searched Houdini's body
  thoroughly beforehand, but no one could check theinside ofhisthroat,
  where hecould have concealed small tools tohelphimescape.Even so,
  Kleppiniwasfundamentally wrong:Itwas notHoudini's tools buthisprac-
  tice,work, and research that made hisescapes possible.


TxText:
  Kleppini,infact, wascompletelyoutwitted byHoudini, who setthe
  whole thing up.Helethisopponentlearn thecode totheFrench cuffs,Keep the exrent nfyour
  abilities unknown. The
  wise man does not
  allow hISknowledge
  and abilities tobe
  rounded tothebottom,
  ifhedesires tobe
  honored byall.He
  allows you toknow
  them but 710! to
  comprehend them. No
  one must know the
  extent of/zit abilities
  lesthebedisappointed.
  No one ever has an
  opportunity offazhmw
  inghim entirely. Fur
  guesses and doubts
  about theextem ofhis
  taletus arouse more
  veneration than accu—
  ruleknowledge of
  them, betheyever so
  great.
  BALTASAR GRACIAN,
  1601-1658
  LAW 30 249
  250.LAW 30then baited him intochoosingthose cuffsonstage. Then, duringthe two
  men's tussle, thedexterous Houdini was able tochangethecode to“ER-
  AvU-D.” Hehad spentweeks practicingthistrick, but theaudience saw
  none ofthe sweat and toilbehind the scenes. Nor was Houdini ever ner-
  vous; heinduced nervousness inothers. (Hedeliberately dragged outthe
  time itwould take toescape,asaway ofheightening thedrama, and mak-
  ingthe audience squirm.)Hisescapesfrom death, always gracefuland
  easy,made him look like asuperman.
  As aperson ofpower, youmust research andpractice endlesslybefore
  appearinginpublic, onstageoranywhereelse. Neverexposethe sweat and
  labor behind your poise.Some think suchexposure will demonstrate their
  diligence andhonesty,butitactually justmakes them look weaker-—as if
  anyonewho practicedandworked atitcould dowhat theyhaddone, oras
  ifthey weren't really uptothejob. Keep youreffort andyourtricks to
  yourself andyouseem tohave thegraceand ease ofa.god. One never sees
  the source ofagod's power revealed; oneonlysees itseffects.
  Aline[ofpoetry] will take ushours maybe;
  Yetifitdoes not seem ammnentis thought,
  Ourstitching andunstitciting has been naught.
  Adam 'sCurse, William Butler them, I865~~l' 939
  KEYS TO POWER


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  Humanity'sfirst notions ofpowercame from primitiveencounters with na-
  ture-—the flash oflightninginthesky,asudden flood, thespeedand feroc
  ityofawild animal. These forces requirednothinking,noplanning—they
  awed usbytheir suddenappearance,their gracefulness,and theirpower
  over lifeand death. And this remains thekind ofpowerwehave always
  wanted toimitate. Throughscience andtechnologywehave recreated the
  speedand sublimepower ofnature, butsomethingismissing:Our ma~
  chines arenoisyandjerky, theyreveal their effort. Even theverybest cre-
  ations oftechnologycannot root out ouradmiration forthingsthat move
  easilyandeffortlessly.Thepowerofchildren tobend ustotheir will comes
  from akind ofseductive charm that wefeelinthepresence' ofacreature
  less reflective and more gracefulthan we are. We cannot retum tosuch a
  state, butifwe can create theappearance ofthiskind ofease, weelicit in
  others thekind ofprimitiveawe that nature hasalwaysevoked inhu-
  mankind.
  One ofthefirstEuropeanwriters toexpoundonthisprinciplecame
  from that most unnatural ofenvironments, theRenaissance court. In771:
  Book oftheCourtier, publishedin1528, Baldassare Castiglionedescribes the
  highlyelaborate and codified manners oftheperfectcourt citizen. And yet,
  Castiglione explains,thecourtier must execute these gestureswith what he
  calls.r[mzz,zatu1a, thecapacitytomake thedifficult seemeasy.Heurgesthe
  courtier to“practiceinallthingsacertain nonchalance which conceals all
  artistry and makes whatever one saysordoes seem uncontrived and effort-
  less.” Wealladmire theachievement ofsome unusual feat, butifitisac-
  complished naturallyandgracefully,our admiration increases tenfold-—
  “whereas ‥ .tolabor atwhat one isdoing and ‥ .tomake bones over it,
  shows anextreme lack ofgrace and causes everything, whatever itsworth,
  tobediscounted.”
  Much oftheidea ofsprezzaluracame from theworld ofart.Allthe
  greatRenaissance artists carefully kept their works underwraps. Only the
  finished masterpiececould beshown tothepublic. Michelangeloforbade
  even popestoview hiswork inprocess.ARenaissance artist wasalways
  careful tokeephisstudios shut topatrons andpublic alike, not outoffear
  ofimitation, but because toseethemakingoftheworks would mar the


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  magicoftheir effect, and their studied atmosphere of ease and natural
  beauty.
  The Renaissance painter Vasari, also thefirstgreatartcritic, ridiculed
  thework ofPaolo Uccello, who was obsessed with thelaws ofperspective.
  Theelfort Uccello spentonimprovingtheappearanceofperspectivewas
  tooobvious inhiswork——it made hispaintings uglyand labored, over-
  whelmed bytheelicit oftheir effects. Wehave the sameresponsewhen we
  watch performers who puttoomuch effort into their act:Seeing them try-
  ingsohard breaks theillusion. Italso makes usuncomfortable. Calm,
  graceful performers,ontheother hand, setusatease, creatingtheillusion
  thattheyare notactingbutbeing natural and themselves, even when
  everything theyaredoinginvolves labor andpractice.
  The idea ofsprewztumisrelevant toallforms ofpower,forpower
  depends vitallyonappearancesand theillusionsyoucreate. Your public
  actions arelikeartworks: Theymust have visual appeal,must create antici»
  pation,even entertain. When you reveal theinner workings ofyourcre—
  ation, youbecome justone more mortal among others. What is
  understandable isnotawe-inspiring-—we tellourselves wecould do aswell
  ifwehad themoneyand time. Avoid thetemptationofshowing how
  clever youare-—it isfar more clever toconceal themechanisms ofyour
  cleverness.
  Talleyrand's application ofthisconcepttohisdaily lifegreatlyen»
  hanced the aura ofpowerthat surrounded him. Henever liked towork too
  hard, sohemade others dothework forhirn—-the spying,theresearch, the
  detailed analyses.With allthis labor athisdisposal,hehimself never
  seemed tostrain. VVhen hisspies revealed that acertain event was about to
  takeplace,hewould talk insocial conversation asifhesensed itsimmi-
  nence. The result was thatpeople thought he wasclairvoyant. His short
  pithystatements and witticisms always seemed tosummarize asituation
  perfectly,buttheywere based onmuch research andthought.'13::those in
  government, including Napoleon himself, Talleyrand gave theimpression
  ofimmensepower—aneffect entirely dependentontheapparentease
  with which heaccomplishedhisfeats.
  There isanother reason forconcealing your shortcuts and tricks:
  LAW 30 251
  Whenyouletthis information out, you give people ideas theycan use


TxText:
  against you.You lose theadvantagesofkeepingsilent. Wetend towant the
  world toknow what wehave done--we want ourvanity gratified byhay»
  ingourhard work and cleverness applauded,and wemayeven wantsym—
  pathyforthehours ithas taken toreach ourpointofartistry. Learn to
  control thispropensitytoblab, foritseffect isoften theoppositeofwhat
  youexpected.Remember: The more mystery surrounds your actions, the
  more awesomeyour powerseems, Youappeartobetheonlyone who can
  dowhatyoudo--and theappearanceofhavinganexclusive isim-
  mensely powerful. Finally, becauseyouachieveyour accomplishments
  withgrace and ease, peoplebelieve that you could alwaysdomore ifyou
  tried harder. This elicits notonly admiration but atouch offear. Yourpow-
  ers areuntapped-——noone canfathom their limits.
  Image:The Racehorse. Fromupclose wewould seethe
  strain, theeffort tocontrol thehorse, thelabored, painful
  breathing. Butfrom thedistance where wesitand watch, it
  isallgracefulness, flying throughthe air.Keepothers ata
  distance andtheywillonlyseethe ease with whichyoumove.
  Authority:For whatever action [nonchalance] accompanies,no
  matter how trivial itis,itnotonly reveals theskill oftheperson
  doingitbut alsoveryoften causes ittobeconsidered fargreater
  than itreallyis.This isbecause itmakes theonlookers believe that
  aman who performswell with somuch faxsilitymustpossesseven
  greaterskill than hedoes. (Baldassare Castiglione, 14784529)
  REVE RSAL
  The secrecywith whichyou surround yourazztions must seem lighthearted
  inspirit.Azeal toconcealyourwork creates anunpleasant,almostpara-
  noiar: impression: youaretakingthegametooseriously. Houdini was care»
  fultomake theconcealment ofhistricks seem agame, allpartoftheshow.
  Never showyourwork until itisfinished, butifyouputtoomuch effort
  intokeepingitunderwraps youwill belike thepainter Pontormo, who
  spentthelastyears ofhislifehiding hisfrescoes from thepublic eye and
  only succeeded indrivinghimself mad. Always keep yoursense ofhumor
  about yourself.
  There arealso times when revealing theinner workingsofyour pm
  jectscanprove worthwhile. Italldependsonyourandience's taste, and on
  252—LAW 30
  thetimes inwhichyou operate.P.T.Barnum recognizedthat hispublic
  wanted tofeelinvolved inhisshows, and thatunderstanding histricks de-


TxText:
  lighted them, partly, perhaps,because implicitly debunking peoplewho
  kepttheir sources ofpowerhidden from the masses appealedtoAmetica's
  democratic spirit.Thepublicalsoappreciatedtheshowman's humor and
  honesty.Barnum took this tothe extreme ofpublicizinghis own humbug—
  geryinhispopular autobiogzaphy,written when his career was atits
  height.
  Aslongasthepartialdisclosure oftricks andtechniquesiscarefully
  planned,rather than theresult ofanuncontrollable need toblab, itisthe
  ultimate incleverness. Itgivestheaudience theillusion ofbeing superior
  andinvolved, even while much ofwhatyoudoremains concealed from
  them.
  LAW 30 1253
  31
  CONTROLTHEOFUON&
  (3ET(3TT[EIHSTC)PIJVYVVYFH
  TEH£CDkRJ)S'YCHJI)EHXL
  JUDGMENT
  The best deeeptirmsare the ones that seem togivethe
  other personachoice: Your victims feeltheyareincon-
  trol, but areactually your puppets.Givepeople options
  that come outinyourfavorwhichever onetheychoose.
  Force them tomake choices between thelesser oftwoevils,
  bothofwhich serveyour purpose.Put them anthehorns
  ofadilemma: Theymegmedwherever theyturn.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW I
  From earlyinhisreign,Ivan IV,later known asIvan theTerrible, had to
  confront anunpleasant reality:The country desperatelyneeded reform,
  buthelacked thepowertopushitthrough. The greatestlimit tohisauthor-
  ityCame from theboyars,the Russian princelyclass that dominated the
  countryand terrorized thepeasantry.
  In1553, attheageoftwenty-three,Ivan fellill.Lyinginbed, nearing
  death, heasked theboyars toswear allegiancetohis son asthe new czar.
  Some hesitated, some even refused. Then and there Ivan saw hehad no
  powerover theboyars.Herecovered from hisillness, buthenever forgot
  thelesson: Theboyarswere out todestroy him. And indeed intheyearsto
  come, manyofthe most powerfulofthem defected toRussia's main ene-
  mies, Poland andLithuania, where theyplottedtheir return and the over-
  throw ofthe czar. Even one ofIvan's closest friends, Prince Andrey
  Kurbski, suddenly turned against him, defectingtoLithuania in1564, and
  becomingthestrongest ofIva.n's enemies.
  When Kurbski began raising troopsfor aninvasion, theroyal dynasty


TxText:
  seemed suddenlymore precariousthan ever. With émigrénobles foment-
  inginvasion from thewest, Tartars bearing down from theeast, and thebcr
  yarsstirring uptrouble within thecountry,Russia's vast size made ita
  nightmaretodefend. Inwhatever direction Ivan struck, hewould leave
  himself vulnerable ontheother side. Only ifhehad absolutepowercould
  hedeal with thismany-headed Hydra.And hehad nosuchpower.
  Ivan brooded until themorning ofDecember 3, 1564, when theciti-
  zens ofMoscow awoke toastrange sight.Hundreds ofsleds filled the
  squarebefore theKremlin, loaded with thecza.r's treasures and withprovi-
  sions forthe entire court. Theywatched indisbelief asthe czar and his
  court boarded thesleds and left town. Without explaining why,heestab-
  lished himself inavillagesouth ofMoscow. For anentire month akind of
  terror grippedthecapital, fortheMuscovites feared that Ivan had aban-
  doned them tothebloodthirsty boyars. Shopsclosedupand riotous mobs
  gathered daily. Finally,onJanuary3of1565,a.letter arrived from the czar,
  explainingthat hecould nolonger bear theboyars' betrayalsand had do
  cided toabdicate once and forall.
  Read aloud inpublic,theletter had astartling effect: Merchants and
  commoners blamed theboyarsforIvan's decision, and took tothestreets,
  terrifyingthenobilitywith their fury. Soon agroupofdelegates represent-
  ingthechurch, theprinces,and thepeoplemade thejourneytoIvan's vil-
  lage, andbeggedtheczar, inthe name oftheholyland ofRussia, toreturn
  tothethrone. Ivan listened butwould notchangehismind. After daysof
  hearingtheir pleas, however, heoffered hissubjectsachoice: Either they
  granthim absolutepowerstogovernashepleased,with nointerference
  from theboyars,ortheyfind anew leader.
  Faced with achoice between civil war and theacceptanceofdespotic
  power,almosteverysector ofRussian society “opted”for astrong czar,
  calling forIvan's return toMoscow and therestoration oflawand order. InThe German Cl'UlN(.'£'l'
  lurBl.!VilClI'(7l(, ermzged
  attheromlmtr criti-
  (,'l.\'fl1S'/lftllll Rudolf
  Virclww (the Ger/mm


TxText:
  puth(7l0gi.rl tlllll llbrrul
  politirmn),I1ad his
  .swoml.s' call upon the
  .\'Cl£'IlIiSl I0L"1(llll'7lg('
  /rim toaduel. “As the
  CIlIllll“.Vlg('(l party. Ilmvv
  theclmiw ofweapons,"
  will Vimlzow. "and I
  choose lhvre."Hehcl1l
  ulaft(W0large' and
  appammly irlrnrlcal
  xauxu,-.;c.r. “One of
  tlte.w,” hewent on,“ix
  !IIfI,'Ct¢',(l Will'! (ll-'arlly
  gcrrns: theother is
  per;/early sound. Le!
  IlixE.\'('ellenL'y zlericle
  w/rich, om' hewi.s'l1e.v to
  wt. and IWill realthe
  other.“/llmmt immedi-
  ately I/zc ll|L'J.Yll;,'L' czmm
  back (ha! thechancel-
  lorhad (l['('l(l£'d to
  rzmcrl theduel.
  rue 1.111 LE, BROWN
  BOOK OF.r\,Ni-('Dori-.s,
  CLIFION F/\l)lM/\N, E13,.
  1985
  LAW 3! 255
  '|'lIli LIAN
  Once upon41time there
  was aking of/lrnvertia,
  who. being oft: lruriuus
  mmnfmind and in
  need a,f's(>nwnew
  aliversion, sent his
  heralllx tk9'()l.lg]'IA')llI the
  land tomake
  thefollowing
  /zm::lamnii'mz:
  “Hear this! Whatever
  man anmng you ('10!
  prove himselfthe most
  outrageous liar in
  Armenia shall rei-eivr
  anapple' made ofpurc
  goldfrom thehands of
  His.Ma;'€s!y theKing!”
  People begantoswarrn
  70filepalace from
  every town and hamlrt
  inthecountry, people
  o/'all ranks and
  conditions, princux,
  merclilinis, farmers'.
  priests, rich and poor,
  (alland short, fatand
  thin. There was nolack
  ofliars intheland, and
  each one mid hisIale to
  theking. /1ruler,
  however, hasheard
  practically every sortof
  lie,and none ofthoxe
  now mid him
  convinced theking that
  hehad Iisrerxed tothe
  hmofthem.
  Theking wasbegirr


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  ning togrow tired of
  his new sport and was
  thinking ofmlling the
  whole contest offwith
  outdeclaringawinner,
  when there appeamd
  before him :2poor,
  ragged man, carrying:1
  large earthenware
  pitcher under his arm.
  “Who! canIdofor
  vim?" asked llis
  Majesty.
  “Sire;”'s~a§d thepoor
  man, slightly bewil-
  256 LAW 31February, with much celebration, Ivan returned toMoscow. The Russians
  could nolonger complain ifhebehaved dictatorially-—-theyhadgivenhim
  thispowerthemselves.
  Interpretation
  Ivan theTenible faced aterrible dilemma: Togive intotheboyars would
  lead tocertain destruction, butcivil war would bringadifferent kind of
  ruin. Even ifIvan came outofsuch a.war ontop,thecounhywould bedev-
  astated and itsdivisions would bestronger than ever. Hisweaponofchoice
  inthepasthad been tomake abold, offensive move. Now, however, that
  kind ofmove would turn againsthim—the more boldlybeconfronted his
  enemies, the worse thereactions hewould spark.
  The main weakness ofashow offorce isthatitstirsupresentment and
  eventuallyleads toaresponsethat eats atyour authofity. Ivan, immensely
  creative inthe useofpower,sawclearlythat theonly pathtothekind of
  victoryhewanted was afalse withdrawal. Hewould notforce thecountry
  over tohisposition,hewould giveit“options”: either hisabdication, and
  certain anarchy,orhisaccession toabsolutepower.Toback uphismove,
  hemade itclear that hepreferredtoabdicate: “Callmybluffi” hesaid,
  “and watch whathappens.”No onecalled hisbluff. Bywithdrawing forjust
  amonth, heshowed thecountryaglimpse ofthenightmaresthat would
  follow hisabdication-—Taxtar invasions, civil war, ruin. (All ofthese did
  eventuallycome topass after Ivan's death, intheinfamous “Time ofthe
  Troubles”)
  Withdrawal anddisappearanceareclassicways ofcontrolling theop»
  tions. Yougivepeopleasense ofhow thingswillfallapartwithout you, and
  youoffer them a“choice”: Istay awayandyousuffer theconsequences,or
  Iretum under circumstances that Idictate. Inthis method ofcontrolling
  people's options, theychoose theoption thatgives you powerbecause the
  alternative isjusttoounpleasant.You force their hand, butindirectly: They
  seem tohave achoice.


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  Whenever peoplefeeltheyhave achoice, theywalk
  into your trapthat much more easily.
  OBSELRVANCE OFTHE LAW II
  As aseventeenth-centuryFrench courtesan, Ninon deLenclos found that
  herlifehad certain pleasures.Her lovers came from royaltyand aristoc-
  racy,andthey paidherwell, entertained herwith their witand intellect,
  satisfied herrather demandingsensual needs, and treated heralmost asan
  equal.Such alife wasinfinitely preferabletomarriage. In1643, however,
  Ninon's mother died suddenly, leaving her, attheageoftwenty-three, to
  tallyalone intheworld-«no family,nodowry, nothing tofallback upon.A
  kind ofpanic overtook herand sheentered aconvent, tuming herback on
  herillustrious lovers. Ayearlater sheleftthe convent andmoved toLyons.
  When shefinally reappearedinParis, in1648, lovers and suitors flocked to
  herdoor ingreaternumbers than ever before, forshe was thewittiest and
  most spiritedcourtesan ofthe time and herpresence had been greatly
  missed.
  Ninon's followers quickly discovered, however, that shehadchanged
  heroldway ofdoing things,and had setupanew systemofoptions.The
  dukes, seigneurs,andprinceswho wanted topayforher services could
  continue todoso,buttheywere nolongerincontrol-—she would sleep
  with them when shewanted, according toher whim. Alltheirmoney
  boughtthem was apossibility.Ifitwasherpleasuretosleepwith themonly
  once amonth, sobeit.
  Those who did not want tobewhat Ninon called apayeurcould join
  thelargeandgrowing groupofmen shecalled hermartyrs--menwho vis—
  itedherapartment principallyforherfriendship, herbiting wit, her lute-
  playing,and thecompanyofthe most vibrant minds oftheperiod,
  including Moliere, LaRochefoucauld, and Saint~Evremond. Themartyrs,
  too,however, entertained apossibility: She would regularlyselect from
  them afiwori,aman who would become herlover without havingtopay,
  and towhom shewould abandon herself completelyfor aslongasshe so
  desired-—«a week, afewmonths, rarely longer. Apayeurcould notbecome a
  favori,but amartyrhad noguarantee ofbecoming one, and indeed could
  remain disappointedfor anentire lifetime.


TxText:
  The poet Charleval, for examv
  pie,never enjoyedNinon's favors, but neverstopped comingtovisit--he
  didnotwant todowithout hercompany.
  Asword ofthissystemreached politeFrench society,Ninon became
  theobject ofintense hostility.Her reversal oftheposition ofthe courtesan
  scandalized thequeenmother and her court. Much totheir horror, how-
  ever, itdidnotdiscouragehermale suitors—indeed itonlyincreased their
  numbers and intensified their desire, Itbecame anhonor tobe apayeur,
  helpingNinon tomaintain herlifestyle and herglittering salon, accompa-
  nyingher sometimes tothetheater, andsleeping with herwhen shechose.
  Even more distinguishedwere themartyrs, enjoyinghercompanywithout
  payingforitandmaintainingthehope,however remote, ofsome daybe-
  comingherfizvorz'.That possibility spurredonmanyayoung nobleman, as
  word spreadthat none amongthe courtesans could surpass Ninon inthe
  artoflove. And sothemarried and thesingle, theoldand theyoung,en-
  tered herweb and chose oneofthetwooptions presentedtothem, both of
  which amplysatisfied her.
  Interpretation
  Thelifeofthecourtesan entailed thepossibility ofapowerthat was denied
  amarried woman, butitalso had obvious perils. The man whopaidforthe
  courtesaxfs services inessence owned her,determining when hecould pos-
  sessherandwhen, later on,hewould abandon her. Asshegrew older, her
  options narrowed, asfewer men chose her. Toavoid alifeofpovertyshe
  had toamass herfortune while she wasyoung.The courtesan's legendary
  greed, then, reflected apractical necessity, yetalso lessened herallure,
  since theillusion ofbeing desired isimportanttomen, who areoften alien-dcrcd. "Surely you
  reiziember? You owe
  me :1pmo]"gr>Id. andI
  have come In
  collect it."
  “You are aperferr liar,
  sir/" exclaimed the
  king. “Iowe youno
  money!"
  “Aperfect liar, umI?”
  said thepoorman.
  “Than givemethe
  golden appl::.'"
  Theking. realizing that
  the man wastrying to
  Nick him. started to
  hedge
  “No, no.' Yz>u are no! bi
  Har!”
  “Then gwcmethepot
  ofgmld you owe me,
  sire "said the man.
  Theking.\'(lW the


TxText:
  dilemma. Hehanded
  over thegolden apple.
  Amtesznxn FOLK-TALES
  AND i~ABi.es,
  Rrvrou) BY
  CH/\Rl,ES Dowmszo.
  1993
  LAW 3] $15
  .l.RMorgan St».once
  ((1111ajcwzzlmuflhis
  an/uairzm:m> that he
  was imererrerl Ill
  buyingapearl.\'(ml'-
  pin. Just afewwt?€k.s
  1zlIt'r'. the;eweIer
  happened upona
  rmzgrtzficerzt pearl'. [[9
  had i!mmmfed inan
  uppmprmte sertizzg and
  SM! is'10Morgan.
  mgrtlser with (2billfor
  $5,001). 'lhefollriwing
  day theparka/gr:wax
  rem mud. Morganix'
  acrcmrtpzt/tying note
  read: “Ilike thepm.
  butI(hm 'tlike 1111»
  prire. [fyma will uccepi
  theenclasezl ciwrzk for
  $¢\()()0. pleaxv send
  back thebox with the
  sear.' smbmkcn."The
  mrrzgerl jcwelrer refzmui
  thedizrrk and diy»
  rriissezl the i?i€.\'S€Ilg€I'
  in1li.Ygll5'l. Ht!nprsmui
  upthebox toreclaim
  themmwxml pm,only
  to/iml that uhm! L-cm
  rrmzovorli Ininplum'
  mm a(1u'(,'kfor .h”5,(](l().
  '1H]; Hrruz, uiwwr»
  li()<)l\' orAN!,('DO'H 54
  L'i,u"mr~ I-'m>|M.»\i~:, I-n‥
  l985
  258 LAW 31ated iftheir partner istoointerested intheir money.Asthe courtesan aged,
  then, shefaced amost difficult fate.
  Ninon deLenclos had ahorror ofanykind ofdependence. Sheearly
  ontasted akind ofequalitywith herlovers, and shewould notsettle into a
  system that lefther such distasteful options. Strangely enough, thesystem
  shedevised initsplace seemed tosatisfyher suitors asmuch asitdid her.
  Thepayeur: may have had topay, butthefactthat Ninon would only sleep
  with them when shewanted togave them athrill unavailable withevery
  other courtesan: She wasyieldingout ofher own desire. The martyrs'
  avoidance ofthetaint ofhavingtopay gavethem asense ofsuperiority;as
  members ofNinon'sfraternity ofadmirers, they alsomightsome dayexpe
  rience theultimate pleasureofbeing herfavari. Finally,Ninon did not


TxText:
  force her suitors into eithercategory. Theycould “choose” which sidethey
  prefer:-ed—afreedom flintleftthem avestige ofmasculine pride.
  Such isthepowerofgiving peopleachoice, orrather theillusion of
  one, fortheyareplaying with cardsyouhave dealt them. Where thealter-
  natives setupbyIvan theTerrible involved acertain risk—-one option
  would have ledtohislosinghispower——Ninon created a.situation inwhich
  every option redounded toherfavor. From thepayeurs shereceived the
  moneysheneeded torunher salon. And from themartyrsshegained the
  ultimate inpower:She could surround herself with a.bevy ofadmirers, a
  harem from which tochoose herlovers.
  The system, though, dependedon one critical factor: thepossibility,
  however remote, that amartyrcould become afawn". The illusion that
  riches, glory,orsensual satisfaction may someday fallintoyour victim's lap
  isanirresistible carrot toinclude inyour listofchoices. Thathope,how-
  ever slim, will make men accept the most ridiculous situations, because it
  leaves them theallimportant optionofadream. The illusion ofchoice,
  married tothepossibility offuture good fortune, will lure the most stub
  born sucker intoyour glittering web.
  KEYS TO POWER
  Words like“freedom,” “options,” and “choice” evoke apowerofpossibility
  farbeyond therealityofthebenefits theyentail. When examined closely,
  thechoices wehave——in themarketplace,inelections, inourjobs»-tendto
  have noticeable limitations: Theyareoften amatter ofachoice simplybe-
  tween Aand B,with the restofthealphabetoutofthepicture.Yet aslong
  asthefaintest mirage ofchoice flickers on, werarelyfocus onthemissing
  options. We“choose” tobelieve that thegameisfair, and that wehave our
  freedom. Weprefernot tothink toomuch about thedepth ofourlibertyto
  choose.
  This unwillingness toprobe thesmallness ofour choices stems from
  thefactthat toomuch freedom creates akind ofamdety.The phrase “un-
  limited options” sounds infinitely promising,butunlimited options would
  actually paralyzeusand cloud ourabilitytochoose. Our limited range of
  choices comforts us.


TxText:
  This suppliestheclever andcunningwith enormous opportunities for
  deception.Forpeoplewho arechoosingbetween alternatives find ithard
  tobelieve theyarebeing manipulatedordeceived; they cannot seethat
  youareallowing them asmall amount offree will inexchange for amuch
  more powerful imposition ofyourown will. Setting upanarrow range of
  choices, then, should alwaysbe apart ofyour deceptions. There isasay-
  ing:Ifyoucangetthebird towalk into thecageonitsown, itwillsingthat
  much more prettily.
  Thefollowingareamong themost common forms of“controllingthe
  options”:
  Color theChoices. This was afavored techniqueofHenry Kissinger.As
  President Richard Nixon's secretary ofstate, Kissinger considered himself
  better informed than hisboss, andbelieved that inmost situations hecould
  make thebest decision onhis own. Butifhetried todetermine policy,he
  would offend orperhaps enrageanotoriouslyinsecure man. SoKissinger
  wouldproposethree orfour choices ofaction foreach situation, andwould
  presentthem insuch awaythat the one hepreferred always seemed the
  best solution comparedtothe others. Time afler time, Nixon fellforthe
  bait, never suspectingthat he wasmovingwhere Kissinger pushedhim.
  This isanexcellent device touse ontheinsecure master.
  Force theResistor. One ofthemain problemsfaced byDr.Milton H.Er-
  ickson, apioneer ofhypnosis therapyinthe1950s, wastherelapse.Hispa»
  tients mightseem toberecovering rapidly,buttheir apparent susceptibility
  tothetherapymasked adeepresistance: Theywould soon relapse into old
  habits, blame thedoctor, andstop coming toseehim. Toavoid this, Ericlo
  sonbegan orderingsome patientstohave arelapse,tomake themselves feel
  asbad aswhen theyfirst came in—-——togoback tosquareone. Faced with
  thisoption,thepatientswould usually“choose” toavoid therelapse-
  which, ofcourse, was what Erickson really wanted.
  This isagood techniquetouse onchildren and other willful people
  whoenjoy doing theopposite ofwhat you ask them to:Push them to
  “choose” whatyouwant them todobyappearingtoadvocate theopposite.
  Alter thePlaying Field. Inthe1860s,johnD.Rockefeller setouttocre-
  ate anoilmonopoly.Ifhetried tobuy upthesmaller oilcompanies they


TxText:
  would figure outwhat hewasdoingandfight back. Instead, hebeganse-
  cretly buying uptherailway companiesthattransportedtheoil.When he
  thenattemptedtotake over aparticular company,and met with resistance,
  hereminded them oftheir dependenceontherails. Refusing them ship-
  ping,orsimply raising their fees, could ruin their business. Rockefeller a.l~
  tered theplaying field sothat theonly options thesmall oilproducershad
  were the ones hegavethem.
  Inthis tacticyour opponentsknow their hand isbeing forced, butit
  doesn't matter. The techniqueiseffective againstthose who resist atall
  costs.
  LAW 31 259
  2&0 LAW' 31The Shrinking Options. The latemineteenth-centuryartdealer Am-
  broise Vollard perfectedthistechnique.
  Customers would come toVolla.rd's shoptosee some Cézannes. He
  would show three paintings, neglecttomention aprice,andpretendto
  doze off.The visitors would have toleave without deciding. Theywould
  usuallycome back the nextdaytoseethepaintings again, but this time
  Vollard would pull out lessinteresting works, pretendinghethought they
  were the same ones. The baffled customers would look atthe new offer-
  ings, leave tothink them over, and return yetagain.Once againthe same
  thing would happen:Vollard would showpaintingsoflesser qualitystill. Fi-
  nally thebuyers would realize theyhad better grabwhat hewasshowing
  them, because tomorrow theywould have tosettle forsomething worse,
  perhapsateven higher prices.
  Avariation onthistechniqueistoraise theprice everytime thebuyer
  hesitates and another day goes by.This isanexcellent negotiating ployto
  use onthechronically indecisive, who will fallfortheidea thattheyareget-
  tingabetter dealtodaythan iftheywait tilltomorrow.
  The Weak Man onthePrecipice.The weak aretheeasiest tomaneuver
  bycontrolling their options.Cardinal doRetz, thegreat seventeenth~cen-
  tury provocateur,served asanunofficial assistant totheDuke ofOrléans,
  who wasnotoriouslyindecisive. Itwas aconstant struggletoconvince the
  duke totake action»-—-he would hem andhaw, weightheoptions,and wait
  tillthelastmoment, giving everyonearound him anulcer. ButRetz discov~


TxText:
  ered awaytohandle him: Hewould describe allsorts ofdangers, exaggep
  atingthem asmuch aspossible,until theduke saw ayawning abyssin
  every direction exceptone: the one Retz waspushinghim totake.
  This tactic issimilar to“Color theChoices,” butwith theweakyou
  have tobemore aggressive.Work ontheir emotions—use fear and terror
  topropelthem into action. Tn:reason andthey willalwaysfind awayto
  procrastinate.
  Brothers inCrime. This isaclassic convartist technique:You attractyour
  victims tosome criminal scheme, creatingabond ofblood andguiltbe-
  tweenyou. They participateinyour deception,commit acrime (orthink
  theydo-—-see thestory ofSam Geezil inLaw 3),and areeasily manipu-
  lated. Serge Stavisky,thegreat French con artist ofthe1920s, soentangled
  thegovernmentinhis scams and swindles that the state did not dare to
  prosecute him, and “chose” toleave him alone. Itisoften wise toimplicate
  inyour deceptionsthevery personwho candoyouthemost harm ifyou
  fail. Their involvement can besubtle—-even ahint oftheir involvement
  will narrow theiroptionsandbuytheir silence.
  The Horns ofaDilemma. This idea was demonstrated byGeneral
  William Sherma.n's infamous march through Georgia duringtheAmerican
  Civil War. AlthoughtheConfederates knew what direction Sherman was
  heading in,theynever knew ifhewould attack from theleft ortheright, for
  hedivided hisarmyinto twowings--and iftherebels retreated from one
  wing theyfound themselves facingtheother. This isaclassic triallawyer's
  technique: Thelawyerleads thewitnesses todecide between twopossible
  explanationsofanevent, both ofwhich pokeahole intheir story. They
  have toanswer thelawyer's questions, butwhatever they saytheyhurt
  themselves. Thekeytothis move istostrike quickly: Denythevictim the
  time tothink ofanescape.Asthey wrigglebetween thehorns ofthe
  dilemma, they digtheir owngrave.
  Understand: Inyour struggleswithyour rivals, itwill often benecessary
  foryoutohurt them. And ifyouareclearlytheagent oftheir punishment,
  expectacounterat1ack——expect revenge. If,however, theyseem tothem-


TxText:
  selaes tobetheagents oftheir own misfortune, they will submitquietly.
  When Ivan leftMoscow forhisrural village, thecitizens asking him tore-
  turnagreedtohisdemand forabsolutepower. Over theyearstocome,
  theyresented him lessfortheterror heunleashed onthecountry, because,
  alter all,theyhadgranted him hispowerthemselves. This iswhy itisal
  ways good toallowyourvictims their choice ofpoison,and tocloakyour
  involvement inprovidingittothem asfar aspossible.
  Image: The Horns of
  the Bull. The bull
  backsyouinto the cor»
  nerwith its homs—~not
  asingle horn, whichyou
  might be able to es-
  cape, but apairofhorns
  thattrapyouwithin their
  hold. Run rightorrun
  lefl—either wayyou
  move into their piercing
  ends and are gored.
  Authority:Forthewounds andeveryother evil that men inllictuponthem-
  selves spontaneously,and oftheir own choice, are inthelongrun less
  painfulthan those inflicted byothers. (Niccolo Machiavelli, 140'9—~1527)
  LAW 3] 261
  5'62 LAW 31REVERSAI.
  Controlling theoptionshas one mainpurpose:todisguise yourselfasthe
  agentofpower andpunishment.The tactic works best, then, forthose
  whosepowerisfragile,and who cannotoperatetooopenlywithout incur-
  ringsuspicion, resentment, and anger. Even asageneral rule, however, itis
  rarely wise tobeseen asexerting power directly andforcefully,nomatter
  how secure orstrong youare.Itisusuallymore elegantand more effective
  togivepeopletheillusion ofchoice.
  Ontheother hand, bylimiting other people's options you sometimes
  limityourown. There aresituations inwhich itistoyour advantageto
  allowyourrivals alarge degreeoffreedom: Asyouwatch themoperate,
  yougive yourself richopportunitiestospy,gather information, andplan
  your deceptions.The nineteenth~centurybanker JamesRothschild liked
  this method: Hefeltthatifhetried tocontrol hisopponents' movements,
  helost the chance toobserve their strategyandplanamore effective
  course. The more freedom heallowed them intheshort term, the more
  forcefullyhecould actagainst them inthelongrun.
  32
  PLAY TO PEOPLES
  FANTASIES
  'JUDGMENT
  The truth ixoftenavoided because itisuglyand un-
  pleasant. Never appealtotruth and reality unless you
  areprepared fortheanger that comex from disen-
  chantment. Lifeissoharsh anddistressing lhalpeople


TxText:
  who canmanufacturemmemce oreonjme upfmitasyare
  like oases inthedesert: E1/eryoiwfloekstothem. There is
  great pawer intappinginto thefantasies oftlzemasses.
  Tllli HVi.“-\I. (ll-'
  llllu l_lll'\|',*~'1~'-
  The lion having
  smlelenly lost his
  qU€t'.Vl. CVFVV (771?
  Imstmred InShow alle-
  girmcctothemonarch,
  byoffering con.voIa-
  tion. These t:nmpli-
  mems, alas, served but
  10im're:a.s'c ihrt
  widowraflx u]']iiL'Iion.
  Due nrrlice wasgiven
  Ihmughour thelung-
  rlom that ffze:fm:<:ru1'
  would beperformed at
  .2certain time and
  place; thelion 1:oflimrs
  were ordered tobein
  (1t!('Ild1ZI1(.'(', toregulate
  theceremony, and
  place thecompany
  accordingtoll'l('lV
  res[7e('1lv(' rank.
  One may welljudgeno
  one abxenlerl himself."
  The rmmarch goveway
  tohisgrief and the
  wholv mvza lions haw
  mgnomixer II3I31;')lt'.£',
  res'am1<led with Iris
  cries: Afler hisexample,
  all(hecaurrins rrmrad
  intheir different zones.
  Acourt isthesonof
  place where everyone is
  either mrrowfal, gav,
  vrmdi_fferem10every-
  thing. jun asthereign-
  ingprince may think
  fir;orifunyone isno!
  ucmally, heatleast trips
  toappcarso: each
  enlleavmx tornimic the
  muster. It15truly said
  that one mmd mzimares
  alhoustmri bodies.
  <Zlen'Il'l)J showing mm
  human: beings
  are mere marimrex
  But forusrerun: toom
  subject. The slag alone
  shall nomars. How
  could he,fursnuth? The
  dmth ofIlls'queen
  avenged him, shehad
  264 LAW 32OBSERVANCI:'. OFTHE LAW
  The cityvstate ofVenice wasprosperousfor solongthat itscitizens felttheir
  small republichaddestinyonitsside. IntheMiddle Ages andHigh Re
  naissance, itsvirtual monopolyontrade tothe east made itthewealthiest
  cityinEurope.Under abeneficent republican government, Venelians en-
  joyedliberties that few other Italians had ever known. Yetinthesixteenth
  centurytheir fortunes suddenly changed, Theopening oftheNew World


TxText:
  transferred powertotheAtlantic side ofEuropewtotheSpanishand For-
  tuguese,and later theDutch andEnglish. Venice could notcompeteeco
  nomicallyand itsempire graduallydwindled. The final blow was the
  devastating loss of aprizedMediterranean possession, the island of
  Cyprus, capturedfrom Venice bytheTurks in1570.
  Now noble families went broke inVenice, and banks begantofold. A
  kind ofgloom anddepression settled over thecitizens. Theyhad known a
  glittering past~—-hadeither lived through itorheard stories about itfrom
  their elders. The closeness oftheglory yearswashumiliating.The Vene—
  clans half believed that thegoddess Fortune wasonly playingajokeon
  them, and that theolddayswould soon return. Forthetime being, though,
  what could theydo?
  In1589 rumors begantoswirl around Venice ofthe a.m'val not far
  away ofamysteriousman called “llBragadino,"amaster ofalchemy,a
  man who had won incredible wealth through hisability, itwas said, tomul-
  tiply gold throughthe useofasecret substance. The rumor spread quickly
  because afewyears earlier, aVenetian nobleman passing throughPoland
  had heard alearned man prophesythat Venice would recover herpast
  gloryandpower ifshecould find aman who understood thealchemic art
  ofmanufacturing gold.And so, asword reached Venice ofthegoldthis
  Bragadino possessed——heclinked gold coins continuouslyinhishands,
  andgolden objectsfilled hispalace-some began todream: Through him,
  their citywouldprosper again.
  Members ofVenice's most importantnoble families accordinglywent
  togethertoBrescia, where Bragadino lived. Theytoured hispalaceand
  watched inawe ashedemonstrated hisgold-making abilities, takinga
  pinch ofseeminglyworthless minerals andtransformingitinto several
  ounces ofgold dust. The Venetian senate preparedtodebate theidea ofex
  tendinganofllcial invitation toBragadino tostayinVenice atthecity'sex-
  pense, when word suddenlyreached them thattheywere competingwith
  theDuke ofMantua forhisservices. They heard ofamagnificent partyin
  Bragadinds palacefortheduke, featuring garmentswithgolden buttons,
  gold watches, gold plates,and onand on.Worried they mightlose Bra-


TxText:
  gaclino(0Martina, the senate voted almost unanimouslytoinvite him to
  Venice, promisinghim themountain ofmoneyhewould need tocontinue
  living inhisluxurious style-~but only ifhecame right away.
  Late thatyearthemysterious Bragaclinoarrived inVenice. With his
  piercingdarkeyes under thick brows, and thetwo enormous black mastiffs
  thataccompaniedhimeverywhere,he wasforbiddingandimpressive.He
  tookupresidence inasumptuous palaceontheisland oftheGiudecca,
  with therepublic fundinghisbanquets, hisexpensive clothes, and allhis
  other whims. Akind ofalchemyfever spread through Venice. On street
  corners, hawkers would sellcoal, distilling apparatus, bellows, how—to
  books onthesubject. Everyone began topractice alchemyw-everyoneex—
  ceptBragadino.
  The alchemist seemed tobeinnohurrytobegin manufacturing the
  goldthat would save Venice from ruin. Strangely enoughthisonlyin-
  creased hispopularityandfollowing; people thronged from allover Eu-
  rope,even Asia, tomeet thisremarkable man. Months went by,with gifts
  pouringintoBragadinofrom allsides. Still hegavenosign ofthemiracle
  thattheVenetians confidently expected him toproduce. Eventually thecit-
  izens begantogrow impatient, wondering ifhewould wait forever. Atfirst
  thesenators warned them not tohurryhim-—-he was acapricious devil,
  who needed tobecajoled. Finally, though, thenobility begantowonder
  too,and thesenate came underpressuretoshow areturn onthecity'sba.l~
  looninginvestment.
  Bragadino hadonlyscorn forthedoubters, butherespondedtothem.
  Hehad, hesaid, already depositedinthecity'smint themysterioussub-
  stance with which hemultiplied gold.Hecould usethis substance upallat
  once, andproducedouble thegold, butthe moreslowlytheprocesstook
  place,the more itwould yield. Ifleftalone for sevenyears,sealed inacas
  ket,thesubstance would multiplythegoldinthemint thirtytimes over.
  Most ofthe senators agreed towait toreap thegold mine Bragadino
  promised. Others, however, wereangry:seven moreyears ofthis man liv-
  ingroyallyatthepublic trough! Andmany ofthe common citizens of
  Venice echoed these sentiments. Finallythealchemist's enemies demanded
  heproduceaproofofhisskills: asubstantial amount ofgold, and soon.
  Lofty, apparentlydevoted tohisart,Bragadino respondedthatVenice,
  initsimpatience,hadbetrayed him, and would therefore lose hisservices.


TxText:
  Helefttown, goingfirst tonearby Padua, then, in1590, toMunich, atthe
  invitation oftheDuke ofBavaria, who, like theentire cityofVenice, had
  known great wealth buthad fallen intobankruptcy through his ownprofli-
  gacy, andhopedtoregain hisfortune through thefamous alchemist's ser-
  vices. And soBragadinoresumed thecomfortable arrangement hehad
  known inVenice, and the same pattern repeateditself.
  Interpretation
  Theyoung Cypriot Mamugna had lived inVenice forseveralyearsbefore
  reincamatinghimself asthealchemist Bragadino.He saw how gloomhad
  settled onthecity, howeveryonewashopingfor aredemption from some
  indefinite source. While other charlatans mastered everydaycons based on
  sleight ofhand, Mamugnamastered human nature. With Venice ashistar-
  getfrom the start, hetraveled abroad, made somemoney through his
  alchemy scams, and then returned toItaly, setting upshopinBrescia.
  There hecreated areputation that heknew would spreadtoVenice. From
  adistance, infact, his aura ofpowerwould beallthe more impressive.
  AtfirstMamugna didnot usevulgardemonstrations toconvincepeo-formerly strangled his
  wife and son. Acourtier
  lhouglztfitIninform the
  bereaved mormrch, and
  even aflirnierithat he
  had seen thestag laugh.
  The rageoft:king, says
  Solomon, isrerrible,
  andespecially thatof
  aliomking. “I'itiful
  fnr!',.rler.v"' heexclaimed,
  "dares! thou laugh
  when allaround are
  dissolved in(ears? We
  will no!soil ourroyal
  (laws will! Ihyprofane
  hlood.' Dothou, brave
  wulji avenge our queen,
  bylmmola!ing1lii.s'
  traitor [0heraugust
  mzmes."
  Hercaupon thestag
  rcpllred: "Sire. the mm»
  forweeping ispassed;
  grief ishere superflu-
  (ms. Your revered
  spouse appearedtome
  but now. reparingona
  bedofroses; Iinslanzly
  rzacognizcd her. 'I-'n'erzd.'
  said she tome. 'have
  done with !lm'funereal
  pomp, cease these
  useless' tears. Ihave
  tasted rtIhousaml
  delights' intheE[V.VitIIl
  fields,conwsm 5with
  rh(_:.s'e' who aresuims like
  myself1,431thekings
  despair remain for
  some time irrzcheckezl, iz


TxText:
  gratijlarme.'"
  Sr'ar('e*ly
  had hespoken, when
  every one shouted: “A
  miracle! armracle!"
  The wing, instead of
  being pimishea',re-
  ceived almnrlrome
  D0butentertain aking
  with dre1m1s,flal1er
  him. and tellhim afew
  pleasant fantastic lies:
  wlmrewr IllsimIigna-
  tiun against you may
  be.hewillswallow the
  bail, and make you his'
  dearesr friend.
  l-]\lll.l'S,
  h=‥et.\: on1,».FONTAINE.
  l62l»l(w')5
  LAW 82 265
  Ifymt want totelllies
  that will behelilaved,
  dun'! tellthetruth
  thatwont
  EMPLROR TUKU19/\wA
  lF\i;\Sl; orJ/'P/\Y\u
  S1-'.\'l-'N TF1 N'I'll ('EN FURY
  266 LAW 32picofhisalchemic skill. Hissumptuous palace,hisopulent garments,the
  clink ofgoldinhishands, allthese providedasuperior argumenttoany-
  thingrational. And these established thecyclethatkepthimgoing:His ob~
  vious wealth confirmed hisreputationasanalchemist, sothatpatrons like
  theDuke ofMantuagavehimmoney,which allowed him toliveinwealth,
  which reinforced hisreputationasanalchemist, and soon.Onlyonce this
  reputationwasestablished, and dukes and senators were fightingover him,
  didheresort tothetrifling necessityofademonstration. Bythen, however,
  peoplewereeasytodeceive: Theywanted tobelieve. The Venetian sena-
  tors who watched himmultiply gold wanted tobelieve sobadlythatthey
  failed tonotice theglass pipe uphissleeve, from which heslipped gold
  dust into hispinchesofminerals. Brilliant andcapricious, hewas theal
  chemist oftheir fantasies—-and once hehad created anaura likethis, no
  onenoticed hissimple deceptions.
  Such isthepowerofthefantasies that take root inus,especiallyin
  times ofscarcity and decline. People rarelybelieve that their problems
  arise from their own misdeeds andstupidity. Someone orsomethingout
  there istoblame—-the other, theworld, thegods—andsosalvation comes
  from theoutside aswell. Had Bragadinoarrived inVenice armed with a
  detailed analysisofthe reasons behind thecity's economic decline, and of
  the hardcnosedstepsthat itcould take toturn things around, hewould


TxText:
  have been scorned. Therealitywas toouglyand thesolution toopainful-—
  mostlythekind ofhard work that thecitizens' ancestors had mustered to
  create anempire. Fantasy,ontheother hand——in this case the romance of
  alchemy--was easytounderstand andinfinitelymore palatable.
  Togain power, youmust be asource ofpleasure forthose around
  you--and pleasurecomes from playingtopeople's fantasies. Never
  promiseagradual improvement throughhard work; rather, promise the
  moon, thegreat and sudden transformation, thepotofgold.
  No man needdespair ofgainiugconverts tothemost extravagant
  hypothesiswho has anenoughtorepresentit£1;favomable colors.
  David Hium', I71.1-J 776
  KEYS TO POWER
  Fantasycan never operatealone. Itrequiresthebackdrop ofthehuxndrum
  and themundane. Itistheoppressiveness ofrealitythat allows fantasyto
  take root and bloom. Insixteenth-century Venice, therealitywas oneofde
  clirre and loss ofprestige. Thecorresponding fantasy described asudden
  recovery ofpastglories through themiracle ofalchemy. While thereality
  only got worse, theVenetians inhabited ahappydream world inwhich
  their cityrestored itsfabulous wealth and power overnight, turning dust
  intogold.
  Thepersonwho canspinafantasyoutofanoppressive realityhas ac-
  cess tountoldpower.Asyou search forthefantasythatwill take hold ofthe
  masses, then, keep your eyeonthebanal truths thatweigh heavilyon us
  all.Never bedistracted bypeop1e's glamorous portraits ofthemselves and
  their lives; search anddigforwhat really imprisons them. Once you find
  that, youhave themagical keythatwillputgreat powerinyour hands.
  Although times andpeople change,letusexamine afewoftheoppres~
  siverealities thatendure, and theopportunitiesforpower theyprovide:
  TheReality: Changeisslow andgradual. Itrequiresham' work, abitofluck, afair
  amount ofrel—sacrg'fice, and alotpfpatience.
  TheFantasy:Asudden tmmfarmation willbringatotal changeinaneivfiirtunes,
  bypassing work, luck, self-sacrifice, and time inonefantastic make.
  This isofcourse thefantasy parexcellence ofthecharlatans who
  prowl amongustothis day, and was thekeytoB1'agadin0'ssuccess.
  Promise agreatand total change-—~from poor torich, sickness tohealth,
  miserytoecstasy—and youwill have followers.


TxText:
  How did the great sixteenth-centuryGermanquackLeonhard
  Thumeisser become the court physician fortheElector ofBrandenburg
  without ever studying medicine? Instead ofoffering amputations, leeches,
  andfoul~tasting purgatives (the medicaments ofthetime), Thurneisser ofv
  fared sweevtasting elixirs and promisedinstantrecovery.Fashionable
  courtiers especiallywanted hissolution of“drinkable gold,” which cost a
  fortune. Ifsome inexplicable illness assailed you, Thur-neisser would con-
  sult ahoroscopeand prescribeatalisman. Who could resist such a
  fantasy-—-health andwell-being without sacrifice andpain!
  TheReality:Thesocial realm haslzard~set codes and boundaries. Weunderstand
  time limits andknow that wehave tomove within the samefamiliar circles, ziayin
  andritzyout.
  TimFantagv.“WE'can enter :1totallynewworld witha':fi"m'entcodes andihepmmzke
  ofadventure.
  Intheearly 1700s, allLondon was abuzz with talk ofamysterious
  stranger,ayoungman named George Psalmanazar. Hehad arrived from
  what was tomost Englishmenafantastical land: theisland ofFormosa
  (now Taiwan), off the coast ofChina. Oxford University engaged
  Psalmauazar toteach theisland's language;afewyearslater hetranslated
  theBible intoFormosan, then wrote abool<—ar: immediate bestseller--on
  Formosa's historyandgeography. English royaltywined and dined the
  young man, andeverywherehewent heentertained hishosts with won-
  drous stories ofhishomeland, and itsbizarre customs.
  After Psalmanazar died, however, hiswill revealed that hewas infact
  merelyaFrenchman with arichimagination. Everything hehad said about
  Formosa——-its alphabet,itslanguage,itsliterature, itsentire culture-—he had
  invented. Hehad built ontheEnglish puhlic's ignoranceoftheplaceto
  concoct anelaborate storythat fulfilled their desire forthe exotic and
  LAW 32 '.767
  268 LAW 32strange.British cultu.re's rigid control ofpeople's dangerous dreams gave
  him theperfect opportunitytoexploittheir fantasy.I
  Thefantasyoftheexotic, ofcourse, can also skirt thesexual. Itmust
  not come tooclose, though,fortl1ephysicalhinders thepower offantasy;it


TxText:
  can beseen, grasped,and then tired of-—the fate ofmost courtesans. The
  bodilycharms ofthemistress onlywhet themaster's appetitefor more and
  different pleasures,anewbeautytoadore. Tobring power, fantasymust re»
  main tosome degree unrealized, literallyunreal. The dancer Mata Hari,
  forinstance, who rose topublic prominenceinParis before World War I,
  hadquite ordinarylooks. Herpowercame from thefantasyshecreated of
  being strange'and exotic, unknowable andindecipherable.The taboo she
  worked with was less sexitself than thebreakingofsocial codes.
  Another form ofthefantasy oftheexotic issimplythehopeforrelief
  from boredom. Con artists love toplayontheoppressivenessofthework-
  ingworld, itslack ofadventure. Their cons might involve, say,the recov-
  eryoflostSpanish treasure, with thepossible participationofanalluring
  Mexican sefiorita. and aconnection tothepresidentofaSouth American
  country—a.nything oficering release from thehumdrum.
  TheReality: Societyisfragmentedandfullofconflict.
  TheFantasy: Peoplecan come together inamysticalunion ofsouls.
  Inthe 19205 the con man Oscar Hartzell made aquickfortune outof
  theagevoldSirFrancis Drake swindle—basically promising any sucker who
  happenedtobesurnamed “Drake” asubstantial share ofthelong-lost
  “Drake treasure,” towhich Hartzell had access. Thousands across theMid-
  west fellforthescam, which Hartzell cleverlyturned into acrusade against
  thegovernmentandeveryoneelse who wastryingtokeeptheDrake for»
  tune outoftherightfulhands ofitsheirs. There developedamystical union
  oftheoppressed Drakes, with emotional rallies andmeetings. Promise such
  aunion andyoucangain muchpower,butitisadangerous powerthat can
  easilyturn against you.This isafantasy fordemagoguestoplayon.
  TheReality:Death. Thedead cannot bebrought back, tlzepartcannot bechanged.
  TheFantasy.'Asudden reversal aftlzisintolerable fact.
  This con hasmany variations, butrequires great skill andsubtlety.
  Thebeautyandimportance ofthe artofVermeer have longbeen rec
  ognized, buthispaintingsaresmall innumber, and areextremelyrare. In
  the 1930s, though, Vermeers begantoappearonthe artmarket. Experts
  were called ontoverify them, andpronouncedthem real. Possession of
  these new Vermeers would crown acollector's career. Itwas like the resur-


TxText:
  rection ofLazarus: Inastrange way,Vermeer had been broughtback to
  life.The pasthad been changed.
  Onlylater diditcome outthat the new Vermeers were thework ofa
  middle-aged Dutch forget named Han vanMeegeren.And hehad chosen
  Vermeer forhis scam because heunderstood fantasy: Thepaintingswould
  seem realpreciselybecause thepublic,and theexpertsaswell, sodesper-
  ately wanted tobelieve theywere.
  Remember: Thekeytofantasyisdistance. The distant hasallure and
  promise,seems simpleandproblemfree. What you areoffering, xhen,
  should beungraspable.Never letitbecome oppressively familiar; itisthe
  mirageinthedistance, withdrawingasthesucker approaches. Never be
  (nodirect indescribingthefantasywkeepitvague. As aforget offantasies,
  letyourvictim come close enoughtoseeand betempted,butkeephim far
  away enough that hestays dreaming anddesiring.
  Image: The
  Moon. Unattainable,
  always changing shape,
  disappezuing and reappear-
  ing.Welook atit,imagine,
  wonder, andpine——neVerfa.-
  miliar, continuous provoker
  ofdreams. Do not offer
  theobvious. Promise
  the moon.
  Authority: Alieisanalluremeut, afabrication, that can beembell-
  ished into afantasy. Itcan beclothed intheraiments ofamystic
  conception'Truth iscold, sober fact, not socomfortable toabsorb.
  Alieismore palatable.The most dctested personintheworld is
  the one who alwaystells thetruth, who never romances. . . .
  Ifound itfar more interestingandprofitabletoromance than to
  tellthetruth. [Joseph Weil, a.l:.a. “The Yellow Kid,” l875wl976)
  LAW 32 269
  270 LAW 32REVERSAL
  Ifthere ispowerintappinginto thefantasies ofthe masses, there isalso
  danger, Fantasy usuallycontains anelement ofplay-the public half real-
  izesitisbeing duped,butitkeepsthedream alive anyway, relishingthe en»
  tertainment and thetemporarydiversion from theeverydaythatyouare
  providing. Sokeepit1ight~—nevercome too close totheplace whereyou
  areactually expectedtoproduceresults. That place may prove extremely
  hazardous.
  After Bragadinoestablished himself inMunich, hefound that the
  sober-minded Bavarians had farless faith inalchemythan thetempera-
  mental Venelians. Onlytheduke reallybelieved init,forheneeded itdes—
  peratelytorescue him from thehopelessmess he was in.


TxText:
  AsBragadino
  playedhisfamiliar waiting game, accepting giftsand expecting patience,
  thepublic grew angry. Moneywasbeing spentand wasyieldingnoresults.
  In1592 theBavarians demanded justice,andeventually Bragadinofound
  himself swinging from thegallows.Asbefore, hehadpromisedand had
  notdelivered, butthis time hehadmisjudgedtheforbearance ofhishosts,
  and hisinabilitytofulfill their fantasy provedfatal.
  One lastthing:Never make themistake ofimagining thatfantasyisal»
  waysfantastical. Itcertainlycontrasts withreality,butrealityitself issome
  times sotheatrical andstylizedthatfantasybecomes adesire forsimple
  things.The image Abraham Lincoln created ofhimself, forexample,asa
  homespun country lawyerwith abeard, made him the common man's
  president.
  P.T.Barnum created asuccessful actwith Tom Thumb, adwarf who
  dressedupasfamous leaders ofthepast, such asNapoleon,and iam-
  poonedthem wickedly.The show delighted everyone, right uptoQueen
  Victoria, byappealingtothefantasyofthe time: Enough ofthe vain-
  gloriousrulers ofhistory, the common man knows best Tom Thumb re-
  versed thefamiliar patternoffantasyinwhich thestrangeand unknown
  becomes the ideal. But the actstillobeyedtheLaw, forunderlyingit
  was thefantasythat thesimpleman iswithout problems,and ishappier
  than thepowerfuland therich.
  Both Lincoln and Tom Thumb playedthe commoner butcarefully
  maintained their distance. Shouldyouplaywith such afantasy, youtoo
  must carefully cultivate distance and notallowyour “common”personato
  become toofamiliar oritwill notprojectasfantasy.
  LAW
  33
  DISCOVER EACH
  MAN'S THUMBSCREW
  jUDGMENT
  Everyonehas aweakness, agap inthecastle wall. That
  weakness isusuallyaninsecurity,anuncontrollable
  emotion orneed; itcan also beasmall seem! pleasure.
  Either way,oncefound, itisathumbscrew youcan mm
  toyour advantage.
  '271
  VIlllil.lt)'\, |'lll*',
  ('ll\.\1l)l> .\\l) IVIII. l-OX
  Alion was('lmsing a
  Chamois alongavalley.
  llehad allbutcaught
  it,and with lzmgirzg
  (£)'€.\'wasumicipuiirig1:
  certain and a.w:i'.v_fying
  repuss. I!serrnnl asif:1
  won: ulrerly r'mp:;ssibl('
  for mevmém toescape;
  foratllwp ravine
  uppnawd tobar the
  wayfor bath thehunter
  and flu'hunted. Bur the


TxText:
  nimble Chamois: galli-
  ormg rzzgwher allits
  smrngth, slml like an
  arrow fromabow
  across IkeIrh/um, and
  xtnml still onIlmrocky
  c:'if]'tm theother side.
  ()u(1£rm pulled up
  short. Hm atthat!
  moment 11[riez-:1! ofhit
  luappened tobenear at
  hand. Thu:frieml wus
  thefox.
  “WhaI."'suidl1e. “with
  your stmngtlt and
  agility,1'Xpossible
  that you willyield toa
  feeble L'lwmc-is? You
  have onlytoWill. and
  you will beahle 10
  work wm2zl:.'r.«:. Tlinuglx
  theab]-xss bedeep, yet.if
  youaretmly inearnest,
  Iumcertain you will
  clear it.Surely you can
  C:7uf?dP inmydisinter-
  eslczl friendship. I
  would not expose _Vour
  life Indanger lfl wen'
  not .\'(Iwell awure of
  ynur strength and
  dexmrity."
  Thelions blood waxed
  hot, and begun, inboil
  inhisveins. Hrflung
  izt'rm'r?if with allhis
  might irzm.€[7x2C!.'. But
  hecould notclear Illfi
  cl1(mn.'io down he
  lunLlJlczl headlong, and
  waskilled bythefull.
  272 LAW 33FINDING THE THUMBSCREW: AStrategicPlan ofAction
  Weallhave resistances. Welivewith aperpetualarmor around ourselves
  todefend against change and theintrusive actions offriends andrivals. We
  would likenothingmore than tobelefitodothingsour own way. Con-
  stantly butting upagainst these resistances will costyoualotofenergy.
  One ofthe most important thingstorealize about people, though,isthat
  theyallhave aweakness, somepart. oftheir psychologicalarmor thatwill
  notresist, that willbend toyour willifyoufinditandpushonit.Somepee»
  plewear their weaknesses openly,others disguisethem. Those who dis
  guise them areoften the ones most effectivelyundone throughthat one
  chink intheir armor.
  Inplanning your assault, keepthese principlesinmind:
  Pay Attention toGestures and Unconscious Signals. AsSigmund
  Freud remarked, “No mortal cankeepatsecret. Ifhislipsaresilent, hechat-
  terswith hisfingertips; betrayaloozes outofhim atevery pore.”This isa


TxText:
  critical conceptinthe search for aperson'sweakness-—it isrevealed by
  seemingly unimportant gestures andpassingwords.
  The keyisnotonlywhatyoulook forbutwhere and howyoulook.
  Everydayconversaiion suppliestherichest mine ofweaknesses, sotrain
  yourselftolisten. Start byalways seeminginterested——~the appearance ofa
  sympatheticearwillspur anyonetotalk. Aclever trick, often used bythe
  nineteenth-centuryFrench statesman Talleyrand,istoappeartoopen upto
  theotherperson,toshare asecret with them. Itcan becompletelymade
  up,oritcan bereal but ofnogreat importancetoyou——-the important
  thingisthat itshould seem tocome from theheart. This willusuallyelicit at
  responsethat isnotonlyasfrank asyoursbut more genuine»-a response
  that reveals aweakness.
  Ifyoususpectthat someone has a.particularsoftspot, probe foritindi»
  rectly. If,forinstance, yousense that aman has aneed tobeloved, openly
  flatter him. Ifhelaps upyour compliments,nomatter how obvious, you
  are ontherighttrack. Train your eye fordetails——how someone tipsa
  waiter, what delightsaperson, thehidden messagesinclothes. Findpeo-
  ple-.'s idols, thethings they worshipand will doanythingtoget“-perhaps
  youcan bethesupplier oftheir fantasies. Remember: Since weallmyto
  hide ourweaknesses, there islittle tobeleamed from our conscious behav-
  ior.What oozes outinthelittle thingsoutside our conscious control iswhat
  youwant toknow.
  Find theHelpless Child. Most weaknesses begininchildhood, before
  theselfbuildsupcompensatorydefenses. Perhaps thechild waspampered
  orindulgedinaparticular area, orperhapsacertain emotional need went
  unfulfilled; asheorshegrows older, theindulgenceorthedeficiency may
  beburied but never disappears. Knowingabout achildhood need gives
  youapowerful keytoaperson's weakness.
  One signofthis weakness isthat whenyoutouch onitthepersonwill
  often actlike achild. Beonthelookout, then, foranybehavior that should
  have been outgrown.Ifyour victims orrivals went without somethingim-
  portant, such asparental support, when they were children, supply it,orits
  facsimile. Iftheyreveal asecret taste, ahidden indulgence, indulgeit.Inei-
  ther casethey will beunable toresist you.
  Look for Contrasts. An overt trait often conceals itsopposite. People


TxText:
  whothumptheir chests areoften bigcowards;aprudish exterior may hide
  alascivious soul; theuptightareoften screaming foradventure; theshyare
  dying forattention. Byprobing beyond appearances, you will often find
  people'sweaknesses intheopposite ofthequalities they reveal toyou.
  Find theWeak Link. Sometimes inyour search forweaknesses itisnot
  what butwho that matters. Intoday'sversions ofthecourt, there isoften
  someone behind the scenes who has agreatdeal ofpower,atremendous
  influence over theperson superficiallyontop. These behind-tliescenes
  powerbrokersarethegroup's weak link: Win their favor andyouindirectly
  influence theking. Alternatively,even inagroupofpeople actingwith the
  appearance ofonewill—as when agroupunder attack closes ranks toresist
  anoutsi-:ler———there isalwaysaweak link inthechain. Find the one person
  who willbend underpressure.
  FilltheVoid. The two main emotional voids toKillareinsecurityand um
  happiness.The insecure aresuckers foranykind ofsocial validation; asfor
  thechronically unhappy, look fortheroots oftheirunhappiness.The inse
  cure and theunhappyarethepeopleleast able todisguise their weak-
  nesses. Theabilitytofilltheir emotional voids isagreatsource ofpower,
  and anindefinitely prolongableone.
  Feed onUncontrollable Emotions. The uncontrollable emotion can be
  aparanoidfear-wa feardisproportionatetothesituaIion~—-or anybase mo-
  tivesuch aslust, greed, vanity,orhatred. People inthegrip ofthese emo-
  tions often cannot control themselves, and youcan dothecontrolling for
  them.
  OBSERVANCES OFTHE LAW
  Observance I
  In1615 thethirty—yeaH3ld bishop ofLugzon, later known asCardinal Riche
  lieu, gaveaspeechbefore representativesofthethree estates ofFrance-
  clergy, nobility,and commoners. Richelieu had been chosen toserve as
  themouthpiecefortheclergy—an immense responsibility for aman still
  youngand notparticularlywell known. Onalloftheimportantissues of
  theday, thespeechfollowed theChurch line. But near theendofitRiche«
  lieudidsomethingthat hadnothingtodowith theChurch andeverything
  todowith his career. Heturned tothethrone ofthefifteen-year—old King
  Louis XIII, and totheQueen Mother Marie de'Médicis, who satbesideThen what did/ukdear
  friend do? He


TxText:
  czzutiousl ymade his
  way down Inrim
  boumn nfrhe ravine.
  and there, outinthe
  open space and thefree
  air.seeingthat thelion
  wan tedneither flaliery
  nor obedience now, he
  settowork topaythe
  [mtsadrim' tohis
  dead friend, and inll
  momh picked hisbones
  c/0.-m.
  NABLES,
  IVAN Ktumi-1:
  l768--I844
  IR\'ll\1,' |‥~\'/All
  [Hollywood super-
  zzgent] Irving Paul
  Lazar was once
  anxious tosell/studio
  mogul] Jack L.Warner
  aplay. "I/mil along
  rmzeting Wiih him
  today,” Lazar
  explained [10scram-
  writer Garszm Kanin],
  “hm Idir1n'I memion
  it,Ididn't even bring
  itup.”
  “Why noI?"Iasked.
  “Because I'mgoing to
  wait unit'! 1119weekend
  afier next, when Igoto
  Palm Springs."
  “Idon '£wzdcrslzmri.”
  “You dorfr? Igoto
  Palm Springy every
  wee/«end. but Warner
  rim '1goingthi.S'week
  end. Heb galapreview
  orsometlxing. S0heir
  pm!mm/Ing dawn till
  rim Hex! weekeml, so
  that': when I'mgoing
  tobring itup.“
  “Iwing, I'Inmore and
  LAW 33 273
  more crm/"med.”
  "Look"midIrving
  irtzpatieritly. "Iknow
  what I'mdoing. Iknow
  how orwill Warner.
  'l"Iu'.s: isatypeofmim-
  nutthat heIvmu'a.\']'
  with, soIhave tohit
  him with ithard and
  surldenly to
  gr»! anokay."
  “lint why Palm
  Springs?"
  “lirL'uuse inPalm
  .'v'pI'ing.s', (-very day he
  goestoflu'baths' IllThe
  Spa. Am] thmiv where
  I'mgoing tobewhen
  hm' titcw. Now th:*ry'.\*
  Itthing ulmul .Im'k.- H23
  cciglzty am! he'.v
  _,
  vain, and In»doesn 'I
  likepwpr'c' tosechim
  naked. 50when Iwalk
  upso[um N11/<<.'<l atThe
  S[)a—~ Iutezm he's
  1mk:,'(l———xw!I, I'm
  t1l.lkL?(I mo, butIdun':
  an 3who .\'¢'


TxText:
  m' me, He
  does; And Iwalk up[0
  him nuktczf, and Lawn
  totalk tohim about
  thisthing. hrflt bevery
  :'rnl1¢xI'ru.v.s'c11./lrad
  he'll want togetaway
  from rue,and the L-'u.\'I-
  estwayistomy 'Ye.x.'
  bc-mme he[wows tflw
  mys 'Nay (hm I'm
  5,-m'ng tnxtirk with him,
  and stayrighl oninand
  notgive up.Sntoget
  mtufme. l1e'Ilproba-
  My say, 'Y:/51"'
  Two 1116:)/CS Iuzcr, tread
  ofIkem:qu[sizr'mz of
  thisparucular propvrry
  byWarner BroIIzer.~r. 1
  p/:ou<'d Lazar and
  a.\'A'(,'(l lww flhad been
  accom,'IIi.s'l1crt'. “llmv
  doyou think,"'lw
  aximl. “Inthebuff,
  tlmtfv how . .just the
  way ltotd you itwas
  going towork."
  um l.\'W0()D,
  G!\R50?~J Kmum,
  1974
  274 LAW 33Louis, astheregent rulingFrance until her sonreached hismajority. Every-
  oneexpectedRichelieu tosaytheusual kind words totheyoung king. In
  stead, however, helooked directlyatandonlyatthequeenmofher. indeed
  hisspeechended inlong and fulsome praiseofher,praisesoglowing that it
  actually offended some intheChurch. Butthesmile onthequeen's face as
  shelapped upRichelielfs complimentswasunforgettable.
  Ayearlater thequeenmother appointedRichelieu secretary ofstate
  forforeign affairs, anincredible coupfortheyoung bishop.Hehad now
  entered theinner circle ofpower,and hestudied theworkings ofthecourt
  asifitwere themachinery ofawatch. AnItalian, Concino Concini, was
  thequeenmother's favorite, orrather herlover,arole that made himper-
  hapsthemost powerfulman inFrance. Concini was vain andfoppish,and
  Richelieu played himperfectly—-attendingtohim asifhewere theking.
  Within months Richelieu had become one ofConcim"s favorites. But
  something happenedin1617 that turned everything upsidedown: the
  young king, who upuntil then had shown every signofbeinganidiot, had
  Concini murdered and his most importantassociates imprisoned.In so


TxText:
  doingLouis took command ofthecountrywith oneblow, sweepingthe
  queenmother aside.
  Had Richelieu played itwrong?Hehad been close toboth Concini
  and Marie deMédicis whose advisers and ministers were now alloutof
  favor, some even arrested. Thequeenmother herself was shutupinthe
  Louvre, avirtual prisoner.Richelieu wasted notime. Ifeveryonewas de-
  serfingMarie deMédicis, hewould stand byher. Heknew Louis could not
  getridofher, forthekingwas stillvery young, and had inanycase always
  been inordinately attached toher. AsMan'e's only remaining powerful
  friend, Richelieu filled thevaluable function ofliaison between theking
  and hismother. Inreturn hereceived herprotection,and was able to sur—
  vive thepalace coup,even tothrive. Over thenext fewyearsthe queen
  mother grewstill more dependentonhim, and in1622 sherepaidhim for
  hisloyalty: Through theintercession ofherallies inRome, Richelieu was
  elevated tothepowerfulrank ofcardinal.
  By1623 King Louis was introuble. Hehad no one hecould trust to
  advise him, andalthoughhewas now ayoungman instead ofaboy,here
  mained childish inspirit,and affairs ofstate came hard tohim. Now that he
  had taken thethrone, Marie was nolonger theregent andtheoreticallyhad
  nopower,but she still had her son's ear. and shekept tellinghim that
  Richelieu was hisonly possiblesavior. Atfirst Louis would have none of
  it——-he hated thecardinal with apassion, only toleratinghim outoflove for
  Marie. Intheend, however, isolated inthe court andcrippled byhis own
  iudecisiveness, heyieldedtohismother and made Richelieu fixst hischief
  Councilor and later primeminister.
  Now Richelieu nolongerneeded Marie deMédicis. Hestoppedvisit-
  ingandcourting her,stopped listeningtoheropinions,even arguedwith
  herandopposedherwishes. Instead beconcentrated ontheking, making
  himself indispensabletohisnew master. Alltheprevious premiers,under
  standingtheking's childishness, had tried tokeephim outoftrouble; the
  shrewd Richelieu playedhimdifferently, deliberately pushinghim into


TxText:
  one ambitious project after another, such as acrusade against the
  Huguenots andfinallyanextended war with Spain.Theimmensityof
  these projects only made thekingmore dependentonhispowerful pre-
  mier, theonlyman able tokeeporder intherealm. And so,forthenext
  eighteen years, Richelieu, exploiting theking's weaknesses, governedand
  molded France accordingtohis own vision, unifying thecountry and mak-
  ingitastrong European powerforcenturies tocome.
  lntcipretation
  Richelieu saweverythingasamilitary campaign, and nostrategicmove
  was more importanttohim than discovering hisenemy's weaknesses and
  applying pressuretothem. Asearlyashisspeeohin1615, he waslooking
  fortheweak link inthechain ofpower, and hesaw that itwas thequeen
  mother, Not that Marie wasobviously weakmslie governedboth France
  andher son; butRichelieu saw that she wasreallyaninsecure woman who
  needed constant masculine attention. Heshowered herwith afiection and
  respect,even toadying uptoherfavorite, Concini. Heknew thedaywould
  come when thekingwould take over, buthealso recognized that Louis
  loved hismotherdearlyand would always remain achild inrelation toher.
  Thewaytocontrol Louis, then, was notbygaininghisfavor, which could
  change overnight, butbygaining swayover hismother, forwhom hisafv
  fection would never change.
  Once Richelieu had thepositionhedesiredm-primeminister———he dis-
  carded thequeen mother, movingontothenext weak link inthechain:
  theking'sown character. There was apart ofhim that would alwaysbe a.
  helpless child inneed ofhigher authority.Itwas onthefoundation ofthe
  king's weakness that Richelieu established his ownpowerand fame.
  Remember: When enteringthecourt, find theweak link. Theperson
  incontrol isoften notthekingorqueen;itissomeone behind the scenes-«
  thefavorite, thehusband orwife, even thecourt fool. Thisperson may
  have more weaknesses than theking himself, because hispower depends
  onallkinds ofcapricious factors outside hiscontrol.
  Finally, when dealing with helplesschildren who cannot make deci-
  sions, playontheir weakness andpush them into bold ventures, They will


TxText:
  have todependonyoueven more, foryou will become theadult figure
  whom theyrelyontogetthem outofscrapesand tosafety.
  Observance H
  InDecember of1925, guestsattheswankiest hotel inPalm Beach, Florida,
  watched with interest asamysteriousman arrived inaRoI1s—Roycedn'ven
  byajapanese chauffeur. Over the next fewdays they studied this hand~
  some man, who walked with anelegant cane, received telegramsatall
  hours, andonly engagedinthebriefest ofconversations. He was acount,
  theyheard, Count Victor Lustig, and he came from one ofthewealthiest
  families inEurope—~but this was allthey could find out.
  Imagine their amazement, then, when Lustigoneday walked upto
  oneoftheleast distinguished guests inthehotel,aMr. Herman Loller,Tlll" l,H"|'|,l£ '|'|||'\(IS
  (,(ll'\'ll
  Astime went onIwine
  tolookfortheIitllrt
  weaknesses. ‥ .It':the
  liitfe tlrings that cmml.
  OI; nice' nrazximz. I
  worked onthepre5x'—
  den!afa large bank in
  Omulm. The[phony]
  deal invnlwed the
  purtlmye of(heytrvcl
  railway x_v.m=nz of
  Omaha, includirlga
  bridgeacros.\' IIII4
  MISSI.YSip[)I RIVHL My
  pr:'ncz'pal.r were sup/,»os-
  ally t']t*mzarz am!Ihad
  (0rlegotitlle with
  Iiurlirz. While awaiting
  word from them. I
  inrmrlz/('ed myfake
  mining-stock proposre
  /ion. Since this man
  wasrich, Idecided to
  playforhigh nuke. . .
  Mearnvlzilzt Iplayed
  golfwith theIyrmkrr.
  visited hisImme, and
  men: Inrhctheater wizlz
  him and hiswife.
  Ttmugh heshowed
  wine inter am?inmy
  xmck deal, hestill
  warn 'Icon virzced, Ihad
  built itupInthepoint
  that aninvestruem of
  3I,25(I.()0[) war
  requirmi. Oflhis Iwas
  (0put up$9()().l)(l(), tho
  Imrzker $35t),(IO0. But
  still in»]zesr'€ti!m€.
  One eve-mug when I
  was atilulfhomflfor
  (Iilmcr Iwore xumo
  perfume-—Coty'5"April
  Vi0le1.x" I!


TxText:
  wax rm:[hm
  considered effemimzle
  foraman Ir)use uzlrlsh
  z)_/'pnrfurrze. The
  (maker '3wife though!("I
  very IIM'('I_V."W11 eredid
  you getif?'"
  “IIis:1rare blend,"
  Itold her,“especially
  madefur mebyu
  LAW 33
  I/rench per/]xrrie'r. Do
  you lift?it?”
  “Ilove it,”3!to replied.
  Thefollowing dayI
  went through my
  cffctrts andfound two
  empty bonlrns. Bath hat]
  come from France, but
  went empty. Iwant It) (1
  downtown department
  rlure and])llfC'llLl£'(l
  ten ounces ofCot_v'.r
  "April Vmlz. .
  poured this into [its
  two !"ren<:h bottles,
  mrvfuliy xeulml «mm.
  wrzzppwi them in
  fissile paper.
  That £.'Vl'HiIlg Idmppea'
  bytlzrbankers' home-
  andpresenled the two
  btJttle.s' tohiswife.
  "Theywere especially
  put upforme m
  CoI()gne,"ltt;I(1/wr.
  The next daythe
  bunker called atmy
  hotcl. Hi.\'wife was
  mmprurerl bymy
  perfume, She t'zm§id-
  cred itthe most
  W(>TI(l('?'flil, (hemm!
  l'.l'OIi(“ frugraizctt she
  hm! ever «med. 1did no!
  tellmebanker hecould
  getailIn»warrtczi righ!
  inOmtrhat.
  “Site mid."the[tanker
  adriatl, "that Iwas
  formnule [0be'u.\:mt'i-
  ztttrtl with aman like
  mat." Frmn than onhis
  uttilttde wax t'/zarzged,
  forhehad('amp/ale
  faith inhiswt'fc3'jut1g-
  merit. . . ,Hapartrrl
  with $35(),0l)U. This,
  incivieumllywas my
  big,-;z¢'.rt [con]sums.
  "YELLOW 1<u:“wr:t1,.
  lX75—l'J76
  276 LAW 33head ofanengineering company,and entered into conversation with him.
  Loller had made hisfortune only recently, andforgingsocial connections
  wasvery importanttohim. Hefelthonored and somewhat intimidated by
  thissophisticated man, who spoke perfect Englishwith ahint ofaforeign
  accent Over thedaystocome, thetwo became friends.


TxText:
  Loller ofcourse did most ofthetalking, and onenight heconfessed
  that hisbusiness wasdoing poorly,with more troubles ahead. Inreturn,
  Lustig confided inhis new friend that he too had seriousmoney
  prob1ems——Communisls had seized hisfamilyestate and allitsassets. He
  was tooold tolearn atrade and gotowork. Luckilyhehad found anan
  swer——“a money—makingmachine." “You counterfeit?” Loller whisperedin
  half—shock. No,Lusiig replied, explainingthatthroughasecret chemical
  process.hismachine could duplicate anypaper currencywith completeac»
  curacy.Putinadollar billand sixhours laxeryou hadtwo, both perfect.He
  proceeded toexplainhow themachine had been smuggled outofEurope,
  how theGermans haddevelopedittoundermine theBritish, how ithad
  supportedthecount forseveral years,and onand on.When Loller insisted
  on ademonstration, the two men went toLustig's room, where the count
  producedamagnificent mahoganybox fitted with slots, cranks, and dials.
  Loller watched asLustiginserted a.dollar billinthebox. Sure enough,
  earlythefollowing morning Lustig pulled out twobills, still wet from the
  chemicals.
  Lustig gave the notes toLoller, who immediately took thebills toa
  local bank—-——which accepted them asgenuine. Now thebusinessman fever-
  ishly begged Lusugtosellhim amachine. The count explainedthat there
  wasonlyone inexistence, soLoller made him ahighoffer: $25,000, then a
  considerable amount (more than $400,000 intoday's terms). Even so,
  Lustig seemed reluctant: Hedid notfeelright about making hisfriendpay
  somuch. Yetfinallyheagreed tothesale. After all,hesaid, “Isupposeit
  matters little whatyou payme. You are, after all,goingtorecover the
  amount within afewdays byduplicating yourown bills.” Making Loller
  swear never toreveal themachine's existence toother people, Lustigac»
  cepted themoney.Later the same dayhechecked outofthehotel. Ayear
  later, after manyfutileattemptsatduplicating bills, Loller finallywent to
  thepolicewith thestory ofhow Count Lustighad conned him with apair


TxText:
  ofdollar bills, some chemicals, and a.worthless mahoganybox.
  Interpretation
  Count Lustlghad aneagle eyeforother people's weaknesses. He saw them
  inthesmallest gesture. Loller, forinstance, overtipped waiters, seemed
  nervous inconversation with theconcierge, talked loudlyabout hisbusi»
  ness. Hisweakness, Lustig knew, was hisneed forsocial validation and for
  therespect that hethoughthiswealth had earned him. He was also chroni-
  cally insecure. Luslighad come tothehotel tohunt forprey. InLoller he
  horned inontheperfectsucker»-—a man hungeringfor someone tofillhis
  psychicvoids.
  InofferingLoller hisfriendship, then, Lustig knew hewasoffering him
  theimmediate respect oftheother guests.As acount, Lustigwas also offer-
  ingthenewlyrich businessman access totheglittering world ofoldwealth.
  And forthecoupdegrace,heapparentlyowned amachine that would res-
  cueLoller from hisworries. Itwould even puthim on aparwith Lustig
  himself, who had also used themachine tomaintain hisstatus. Nowonder
  Loller took thebait.
  Remember: When searching forsuckers, alwayslook forthedissatis-
  fled, theunhappy, theinsecure. Such peopleareriddled with weaknesses
  and have needs thatyoucanfill.Their neediness isthegrooveinwhich
  youplace your thumbnail and turn them atwill.
  Observance III
  Intheyear 1559, theFrench king Henri lldied inajousting exhibition. His
  sonassumed thethrone, becomingFrancis 11,butinthebackgroundstood
  Henri's wife andqueen, Catherine de'Médjcis, awoman who hadlong
  agoproven herskill inaffairs ofstate. When Francis died thenext year,
  Catlierine took control ofthecountryasregenttoher next soninline of
  succession, thefuture Charles IX,amere tenyearsold atthetime.
  The main threats tothequeens powerwere Antoine deBourbon, king
  ofNavarre, and hisbrother, Louis, thepowerful prince ofCondé, both of
  whom could claim therighttoserve asregent instead ofCatherine, who,
  after all, was Italian——-a foreigner. Catherine quickly appointed Antoine
  lieutenant general ofthekingdom,atitle that seemed tosatisfy hisambi-
  tion. Italso meant that hehad toremain incourt, where Catherine could
  keepaneyeonhim.


TxText:
  Her next move provedsmarter still: Antoine had a
  notorious weakness foryoung women, sosheassigned oneofher most at-
  tractive maids ofhonor, Louise deRouet, toseduce him. Now Antoine's
  intimate, Louise reportedallofhisactions toCatherine. The move worked
  sobrilliantlythat Catherine assignedanother ofher maids toPrince
  Condé, and thus was formed her atcadron 2mla1Lt——“lly1'ng squadron”-—of
  young grls whom she used tokeeptheunsuspecting males inthe court
  under hercontrol.
  In1572 Catherine married 05herdaughter, Marguerite deValois, to
  Henri, the sonofAntoine and the newking ofNavarre. Toputafamilythat
  hadalways struggled againsther soclose topowerwas adangerous move,
  sotomake sure ofHenri's loyaltysheunleashed onhim theloveliest mem-
  berofher“flying squadron,”Charlotte deBeaune Semblancay,baroness
  ofSauves. Catherine didthis even thoughHenri wasmarried toherdaugh-
  ter.Within weeks, Marguerite deValois wrote inhermemoirs, “Mme. de
  Sauves socompletely ensnared myhusband that we nolonger sleptto-
  gether,nor even conversed.”
  The baroness was anexcellent spy andhelpedtokeep Henri under
  Cathei-ine's thumb. W'hen thequeen's youngest son, theDuke ofAlencon,
  grewsoclose toHenri that shefeared the twomight plot against her, she
  assigned thebaroness tohim aswell. This most infamous member ofthe
  flying squadron quicklyseduced Alengon, and soon thetwo youngmen
  foughtover herandtheir friendship quickly ended, alongwithanydanger
  ofaconspiracy.And while Iam onthe
  subject, them isartwher
  fact that d¢'.vvrw's
  mmrimi. Itisthis. A
  man sltows hischurat:«
  [erjust intheway in
  which hedeals' with
  tr1fz'es—~for than he IS
  ojfliis guard. This will
  ofzeri zzfford tlgood
  opparmni/y ofalzserw
  ingtheboundless
  egnism ofamun '.5'
  nature, and hisf0!Il/
  luck oirunsidemlitm
  fororlzyrs; andiffht'.Yl'
  defects show (Izmi-
  selvw insmall I/tings,
  ormerely inhisgeneral
  rlz-mmmmr. you will


TxText:
  find (Italthey ll/S/J
  underlie hisuctirm in
  matters ofimportance,
  although hemay
  dlS'gt(i5't' thefurl. Tlzis it
  anopportunity w/Itch
  should not benzmml.
  Ifin thelittle u_/jrmzv of
  every day-«the tn,'/[er of
  life.,.—-aman is
  inctzn.vizlcrute and stir!/x'.t
  only what isadvumw
  gmusormnvertizmt to
  lzimsvlfi tothopreju-
  drcv olotlicrrs' riglm; if
  heopprrrprialcs to
  his-n.s-«If rim! which
  bzdorzgstoallalilm, you
  may beAura there isno
  jItsliCL' in]ti.\'heart. and
  that hewould bea
  xcnumlrsl rm awitch'-
  sale scale, only that law
  andcvnipulsion bind
  Ixishands".
  ART]urn
  Srtic)Pt:NII/umk.
  1788 1860
  LAW 33 277
  'l'l||I ll\F'|'|.lt r'\'l'
  Pll;\R>i,\l.l.\
  When the (W1) armies
  /Julius Cazamriv tmrl
  Pampry's]were came
  intu Plturyzllitt, and
  both mmmpterl Ilwre.
  Pompreyis tlzrmghtx ran
  the xurne wayasthey
  had done before,
  agtumtfiglztiug‥ . .But
  those who were about
  him were grmtly (,'(mfl-
  zlrm onu'cz'ss. . ,usif
  tlugv hml «I/ready
  mru/uerod‥ . .The
  rruvulrv t.'.i'/7r'<tt'all_vwere
  obstinate farfigltrtrzg,
  bflmg vplerzt/izlly armed
  andbravely mnuntzvrl.
  and valuirtg thmzsrelves
  upon thcfine horses
  they kept, and upon
  their own hand mrm"
  persons.'asalso upon
  theatlvunmgc oftheir
  numl1er\'. fortheywere
  five Ihtmyaml against
  one thousand of
  (Trtcxtrrit. Nor were the
  number: ofthe infamr_v
  lesst1i.\[Irt)pnrtitmult'.
  there lwing forty-five
  thousand ofPompeyIt
  uguimt !WL'7t/'V-(wt)
  thottsunrl uflho enemy.
  (The mut day] whilst
  theinfantrywas thus
  sharply engagml inthe
  main battle, onthe
  /tcmh POInp4:y'.s' horse
  rode upam,/irlemly.
  andnpenerl [his
  cavalry'.


TxText:
  s'l ranks very
  wide, that they might
  surround theright wing
  ofCaesar. Butbefore
  they engaged, Caesar's
  whorls l'll.\'h€(I outand
  attacked them, and did
  notdun their mveltus
  atatlistarm'. I1rN'.S'lrlh'('
  atthethighv and legs,
  asthey usually didin
  rlose battle. butaimerl
  attlmir frurcx. For thus
  275 LAW 33Interpretation
  Catherine had seen very earlyonthesway that amistress has over aman
  ofpower: Her own husband, Henri II,hadkeptone ofthe most infamous
  mistresses ofthem all,Diane dePoitiers. What Catherine learned from the
  experiencewas that aman like herhusband wanted tofeel hecould win a
  woman over without havingtorelyonhisstatus, which hehad inherited
  rather than earned. And such aneed contained ahugeblindspot:Aslong
  asthe woman began theaffair byactingasifshehad beenconquered,the
  man would fail tonotice that asdine passedthemistress had come tohold
  powerover him, asDiane dePoitiers did over Henri. Itwas Catherine's
  strategytoturn this weakness toheradvantage, using itasawaytoconquer
  and control men. Allshehad todowas unleash theloveliest women inthe
  court, her“flying squadron,”on men whom she knew shared her hus«
  ba.nd's vulnerability.
  Remember. Alwayslook forpassionsand obsessions that cannot be
  controlled. The strongerthepassion,the more vulnerable theperson.This
  mayseem surprising,forpassionate peoplelookstrong.Infact, however,
  theyaresimply filling thestagewith their theatricality, distracting people
  from how weak and helpless they reallyare. Aman's need toconquer
  women actuallyreveals atremendous helplessnessthat hasmade suckers
  outofthem forthousands ofyears. Look atthepartofapersonthat ismost
  visible—their greed, their lust, their intense fear. These arethe emotions
  theycannot conceal, and over which theyhave theleast control. And what
  peoplecannot control, youcancontrol forthem.
  Observance IV
  Arabella Huntington, wife ofthegreat late-nineteenth-centuryrailroad


TxText:
  magnate Collis P.Huntington,came from humble originsand always
  struggledforsocial recognition amongherwealthy peers.When shegavea
  partyinher San Francisco mansion, fewofthesocial elite would showup;
  most ofthem took herfor agold digger,nottheir kind. Because ofherhus-
  band's fabulous wealth, artdealers courted her, butwith such condescen-
  sionthey obviouslysaw her asanupstart. Onlyone man ofconsequence
  treated herdifl'erently:thedealer JosephDuveen.
  Forthefirst fewyearsofDuveen's relationshipwith Arabella, hemade
  noeifort tosellexpensivearttoher. Instead heaccompaniedher tofine
  stores, chatted endlesslyaboutqueensandprincessesheknew, onand on.
  Atlast, shethought,aman who treated her asanequal,even asuperior,in
  high society. Meanwhile, ifDuveen didnottrytosell arttoher, hedid sub-
  tlyeducate her inhisaesthetic ideas——n-amely,that the best at was the
  most expensiveart.And after Arabella had soaked uphiswayofseeing
  things, Duveen would act asifshealwayshadexquisite taste, even though
  before she met him her aesthetics had been abysmal.
  When Collis Huntington died, in1900, Arabella came into afortune.
  She suddenly started tobuy expensive paintings, byRembrandt and
  Velazquez, forexa.rnple—and only from Duveen. Years later Duveen sold
  herGainsb0rough's Blue Boyforthehighest priceever paid for awork of
  artatthetime, anastounding purchase for a.family thatpreviously had
  shown little interest incollecting.
  Interpretation
  josephDuveen instantly understood Arabella Huntingtonand what made
  hertick: She wanted tofeelimportant,athome insociety. lntenselyinse-
  cure about her lowerclass background, she needed confirmation ofher
  new social smtus. Duveen waited. lnstead ofrushinginto tryingtoper-
  suade her tocollect art, hesubtlywent towork onher weaknesses. He
  made herfeel that shedeserved hisattention notbecause she was thewife
  ofoneofthewealthiest men intheworld butbecause ofher own special
  character--and thiscompletelymelted her. Duveen never condescended
  toArabella; rather than lecturingtoher, heinstilled hisideas inherindi-
  rectly.


TxText:
  The result was oneofhisbest and most devoted clients, and also the
  saleofTheBhze Bay.
  People'sneed forvalidation andrecognition, their need tofeelimpor~
  tant, isthebest kind ofweakness toexploit. First, itisalmost universal; sec-
  ond,exploitingitissovery easy. Allyouhave todoisfindwaystomake
  peoplefeelbetter about their taste, their social standing, their intelligence.
  Once the fish arehooked, youcan reel them inagain and again,for
  yea.rs——youarefillingapositive role, giving them whattheycannotgeton
  their own. They mayneversuspect that youareturning them like athumb«
  screw, andiftheydothey maynot care, because youaremakingthem feel
  better about themselves, and that isworthanyprice.
  Observance V
  In1862 King William ofPrussia named Otto Von Bismarck premierand
  minister forforeign affairs. Bismarck was known forhisboldness, hisa.rnbi~
  tion—~and hisinterest instrengthening themilitary.Since Wflliam was sur-
  rounded byliberals inhisghvemmentandcabinet, politicians who already
  wanted tolimit hispowers,itwasquite dangerous forhim toputBismarck
  inthis sensitive position.Hiswife, Queen Augusta,had tried todissuade
  him, butalthoughsheusually gother way with him, this time William
  stuck tohisguns.
  Onlyaweek after becoming prime minister, Bismarck made anim-
  promptu speechtoafew dozen ministers toconvince them oftheneed to
  enlarge thearmy. Heended bysaying, “The great questionsofthetime
  willbedecided, notbyspeeches and resolutions ofmajorities, butbyiron
  andblood.” Hisspeechwasimmediately disseminated throughout Ger-
  many.Thequeenscreamed ather husband that Bismarck was abarbaric
  militar-ist who was out tousurpcontrol ofPrussia, andthat William had to
  firehim. The liberals inthegovernment agreed with her. Theoutcrywas
  sovehement that Williarn begantobeafraid hewould endupon ascaf-
  fold, likeLouis XVI ofFrance, ifhekeptBismarck on asprimeminister.
  Bismarck knew hehad togettotheking before itwas toolate. Healso
  knew hehadblundered, and should have temperedhisfierywords. Yet as
  hecontemplatedhisstrategy,hedecided not toapologizebut todothe
  exact opposite,Bismarck knew thekingwell.(Yzciar had in;trloczirri


TxText:
  them, inltoper rim:
  young gentlemen, who
  hurl notknown much
  c'/flzutrlnr and wounds,
  but came wearing their
  hair long. inzhzvflower
  nfrheir ageandheight
  ofthllll' beauty, would
  bemore uppre/1t'r1.s'ive
  afiuch blows, and not
  am:forlmzurding hmh
  adangrlr II!pr:-smu cum'
  1:bleniish farthe
  future,
  And soitpmved, for
  theywere .m_/nrfrom
  l.Vc'rzr'11-xg thextmke of
  rlwjavclins, that Iizey
  could notSlund the
  sight oft/rem. but
  turned about, and
  covered their 1224,-es to
  xc-cure rhem. ()nm in
  rlimrdm; pr:-xemly they
  ruined ubom Ia/iy;and
  somost shamcfully
  ruilwd all.For (hm?
  who hm] hm! then:
  back atonce
  nmfimzkeri theinfamry.
  andfallingontheir
  rear, cu!then: (0pieces
  Pompey, who
  commanded ther)Ihr=r
  wing ofthearmy, whorl
  hrSaw hisraw:/ry rims
  broken llfldflfiflg.was
  nolonger lzimself;nor
  didhenow I'eI11ember
  that hewasPompeythe
  Gmzt, bur,likp one
  whom some god /(ml
  tlepriwd of/Iii' s'em'e.i',
  rt/Iired Inhismu with-
  outspeaking/1word,
  and there ml to(',.\:]7('('I
  the event. til!thewhole
  armywas routed.
  THE LIFE orl\)!.lUS
  <'A(=.SAl<.
  P:v-\!<( H.
  cA.n.~1o—-12!)
  LAW 33 279
  280 LAW 33When thetwo men met, William, predictably,had been worked into a
  tizzy bythequeen. Hereiterated hisfearofbeing guillotined. ButBismarck
  only replied, “Yes, then weshall bedead! We must die sooner orlater, and
  could there beamore respectable wayofdying?Ishould dielightingfor
  the cause ofmykingand master. Your Majestywould diesealingwithyour
  own blood your royal rights granted byGod's graze. Whether uponthe
  scafiold oruponthebattlefield makes nodifference totheglorious staking
  ofbodyand life onbehalf ofrights granted byGod's grace!“Onhewent,


TxText:
  appealingtoWilliam's sense ofhonor and themajestyofhispositionas
  head ofthearmy.How could thekingallow peopletopushhim around?
  Wasn't thehonor ofGermanymore importantthan quibblingover words?
  Notonlydidtheprimeminister convince thekingtostand uptoboth his
  wife and hisparliament,hepersuadedhim tobuild uptheam1y—Bis-
  matclwfsgoalallalong.
  Interpretation
  Bismarck knew thekingfeltbullied bythose around him. Heknew that
  William had amilitary backgroundand adeepsense ofhonor, and that he
  feltashamed athis cravenness before hiswife and hisgovernment.Wdliam
  secretly yearnedtobe agreat andmighty king,but hedared notexpress
  thisambition because hewasafraid ofending uplike Louis XVI. Where a
  show ofcourageoften conceals aman's timidity,William's timiditycon-
  cealed hisneed toshow courage andthumphischest.
  Bismarck sensed thelongingforglorybeneath William's pacifist front,
  soheplayedtotheking's insecurityabout hismanhood, finally pushing
  him into three wars and thecreation ofaGerman empire. Timidityisa.po-
  tent weakness toexploit. Timid souls oftenyearntobetheiropposite——to
  beNapoleons.Yettheylack theinner strength. You, inessence, can be-
  come their Napoleon, pushingthem into bold actions that serveyour
  needs while alsomaking them dependentonyou.Remember: Look tothe
  oppositesand never takeappearancesatface value.
  Image: The
  Thumbscrew.
  Your enemy
  has secrets that
  heguards,thinks
  thoughtshewill
  not reveal. But
  theycome out in
  wayshe cannot
  help. Itisthere some
  where, agroove of
  weakness onhishead,
  athisheart, over his
  belly.Onceyoufind the
  groove, put yourthumb in
  itand turn him atwill.
  Authority:Finzi outeach man's thumbscrew. "l'is the artofsettingtheir
  wills inaction. Itneeds more skill than resolution. You must know
  where togetatanyone. Everyvolition has aspecialmotive which varies
  accordingtotaste. All men areidolaters, some offame, others ofself-
  interest, must ofpleasure.Skill consists inknowing these idols inorder
  tobringthem into play. Knowing anyman's rnainspringofmotive
  youhave asitwere thekeytohiswill. (Baltasar Gracién, 1601-1658)
  REVERSAL


TxText:
  Playingonpeople's weakness has onesignificant danger: Youmaystirup
  anaction youcannot control.
  Inyour games ofpower youalwayslook several steps ahead andplan
  accordingly.Andyouexploitthefactthat other peopleare more emotional
  andincapable ofsuch foresight. Butwhen youplayontheir vulnerabilities,
  the areas over whichtheyhave least control, youcan unleash emotions
  thatwillupset your plans.Push timidpeopleinto bold action andthey may
  gotoofar; answer their need forattention orrecognition andthey may
  need more thanyouwant togivethem. Thehelpless,childish elementyou
  areplayingoncan turn against you.
  The more emotional theweakness, thegreaterthepotential danger.
  Know thelimits tothisgame, then, and never getcarriedaway byyour
  control overyourvictims. You areafterpower,notthethrill ofcontrol.
  LAW 33 281
  34
  BEROYAL INYOUR OWN
  FASHION: ACT LIKE A
  KING TO BETREATED
  LIKE ONE
  JUDGMENT
  Thewayyou ccmy yourself willoftendetermine howyou
  aretreated: [71,thelong mm, appearing vulgarorcom-
  mon will make people disrespect you.For aking respects
  himselfandzflspiresthe same xmtimmt inothers.By
  acting regzzllyandconfident ofyaur powers, youmake
  yourselfseem destined towear 52crown.
  TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  InJuly of1830, arevolution broke out inParis that forced theking,
  Charles X,toabdicate. Acommission ofthehighestauthorities intheland
  gatheredtochoose asuccessor, and the man they pickedwas Louis-
  Philippe, theDuke ofOrleans.
  From thebeginningitwas clear thatLouis~Philippewould beadiffer
  amkind ofking,and notjustbecause hecame from adifferent branch of
  theroyal family,orbecause hehad notinherited the crown buthad been
  given it,byacommission, puttinghislegitimacyinquestion.Rather itwas
  that hedislikedceremonyand thetrappings ofroyalty;hehad more
  friends among thebankers thanamongthenobility;and hisstylewas not
  tocreate anew kind ofroyal rule, asNapoleonhaddone, buttodownplay
  hisstatus, thebetter tomix with thebusinessmen and middle-class folk
  who had called him tolead. Thus thesymbolsthat came tobeassociated
  withLouis-Philippewere neither thescepternor the crown, but thegray
  hatandumbrella with which hewould proudlywalk thestreets ofParis, as


TxText:
  ifhewere abourgeois outfor astroll. VVhen Louis—Philippeinvited James
  Rothschild, the most importantbanker inFrance, tohispalace,hetreated
  him asanequal.And unlikeanyking before him, notonlydidhetalk busi-
  nesswith Monsieur Rothschild butthat wasliterallyallhetalked, forhe
  loved moneyand had amassed ahuge fortune.
  Asthereignofthe“bourgeois king” plodded on,peoplecame tode
  spirehim. The aristocracy could notendure thesightofanunkingly king,
  andwithin afewyears they turned onhim. Meanwhile thegrowing class of
  thepoor, including theradicals who had chased outCharles X,found no
  satisfaction inaruler who neither acted asakingnorgovernedasaman of
  thepeople.The bankers towhom Louis-Philippewas themost beholden
  soon realized thatitwastheywho controlled thecountry,nothe,andthey
  treated him with growing contempt. One day,atthestart ofatraintripor-
  ganizedfortheroyal family, JamesRothschild actually berated him-and
  iripublic-—for being late. Once thekinghad made news bytreatingthe
  banker asanequal;now thebanker treated thekingasaninferior.
  Eventually theworkers' insurrections that hadbrought down Louis-
  Phi1ippe's predecessor began toree.-merge,and theking putthem down
  with force. Butwhat was hedefendingsobrutally?Nottheinstitution ofthe
  monarchy,which hedisdained, nor ademocratic republic,which hisrule
  prevented.What hewasreally defending,itseemed, was his own fortune,
  andthefortunes ofthebankers—-not awaytoinspire loyalty among the
  citizenry.
  Inearly 1848, Frenchmen ofallclasses began todemonstrate forelec-
  toral reforms that would make thecountry trulydemocratic. ByFebruary
  thedemonstrations had turned violent. Toassuagethepopulace,Louis-
  Philippefired hisprime minister andappointedaliberal asareplacement.
  Butthiscreated theopposite ofthedesired effect: Thepeople sensed they
  could pushthekingaround. The demonstrations turned into al'ull~fledged
  revolution, withgunfire and barricades inthe streets.z'\/ever [are your
  self-rre¢'[)ect. nor betoo
  fimu/far with yourself
  .when you arealone.
  I11yrmr imegri/[V ilxr,-If
  beyour own rraizdard
  ofrrclilude. and he
  more indebted to(he


TxText:
  Arvrzrily oj'yuurawn
  judgnmit ofyaum-elf
  than toallexternal
  prewpls. Desist from
  mlsreemly rundurr.
  rather ourofrespect
  foryour own virme
  thanforIke.a'n'i(l1rrr?5
  cvfexlernal zzurlzoriry.
  Come (0hold yourself
  inawe. and you will
  have noneed of
  Smear'; zrrmginury
  tutor.
  BAIII.-NS/\R GRA(~m.\'.
  1001 I058
  LAW 34 293
  284 LAW 34On thenight ofFebruary 23,acrowd ofParisians surrounded the
  palace. With asuddenness that caught everyone bysurprise,Louis-
  Philippe abdicated thatvery evening and fled toEngland.Heleft no sue»
  cessor, nor even thesuggestionofone-—his whole governmentfoldedup
  and dissolved like atravelingcircus leavingtown.
  Interpretation
  Louis-Philippe consciouslydissolved the aura that natu.rally pertainsto
  kingsand leaders. Scoffingatthesymbolismofgrandeur,hebelieved a
  new world wasdawning, where rulers should actand be likeordinaryciti
  zens. He wasright:Anew world, without kingsandqueens,wascertainly
  onitsway.He wasprofoundly wrong, however, inpredictingachangein
  thedynamicsofpower.
  Thebourgeois king'shatand umbrella amused theFrench atfirst, but
  soongrew irritating. Peopleknew thatLouis-Philippewas notreallylike
  them atall—that thehatand umbrella wereessentiallyakind oftrick toen-
  couragethem inthefantasy that thecountryhadsuddenly grownmore
  equal. Actually, though, thedivisions ofwealth had never beengreater.
  The French expected their ruler tobe abitofashowman, tohave some
  presence.Even aradical likeRobespierre, who hadbrieflycome topower
  during theFrench Revolution fifty years earlier, had understood this, and
  cenainly Napoleon, who had turned therevolutionary republic into anim
  per-ial regime, had known itinhisbones. Indeed assoon asLouis—Phi1ippe
  fled thestage,the French revealed their true desire: Theyelected
  Napoleon's grand-nephew president.He was avirtual unknown, butthey
  hopedhewould recreate thegreat general's powerful aura, erasing the
  awkwardmemory ofthe“bourgeois king.”
  Powerful people maybetemptedtoaffect acommon-man aura, trying
  tocreate theillusion thatthey and their subjectsorunderlingsarebasically


TxText:
  the same. Butthepeoplewhom this falsegestureisintended toimpress will
  quicklyseethroughit.Theyunderstand thattheyarenotbeing givenmore
  power——thatitonly appearsasifthey shared inthepowerful person's fate.
  Theonlykind ofcommon touch that works isthekind ailected byFranklin
  Roosevelt, astylethat said thepresidentshared values andgoalswith the
  common peopleeven while heremained apatricianatheart. He never
  pretendedtoerase hisdistance from thecrowd.
  Leaders who trytodissolve that distance throughafalse chumrniness
  graduallylose theabilitytoinspire loyalty, fear, orlove. Instead they elicit
  contempt.Like Louis—Philippe, theyare toouninspiringeven tobeworth
  theguillotine-——thebesttheycan doissimplyvanish inthenight,asifthey
  were never there.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  When Christopher Columbus wastryingtofindfunding forhislegendary
  voyages, manyaround him believed hecame from theItalian aristocracy.
  This view waspassedintohistory throughabiographywritten after the ex-
  plorer'sdeath byhisson, which describes him asadescendant ofaCount
  Colombo oftheCastle ofCuccaro inMontferrat. Colombo inturn was said
  tobedescended from thelegendary Roman general Colonius, and twoof
  hisfirst cousins were supposedly direct descendants ofanemperor ofCon
  stantinople.Anillustrious backgroundindeed. But itwasnothingmore
  than illustrious fantasy,forColumbus wasactuallythe sonofDomenico
  Colombo,ahumble weaver who hadopenedawine shop when Christa»
  pherwas ayoung man, and who then made hisliving byselling cheese.
  Columbus himself had created themyth ofhisnoble background, be-
  cause from earlyonhefelt thatdestiny had singledhim out forgreat
  things, and that hehad akind ofroyaltyinhisblood. Accordinglyheacted
  asifhewere indeed descended from noble stock. After anuneventful ca-
  reer as amerchant on 3commercial vessel, Columbus, Originallyfrom
  Genoa, settled inLisbon. Using thefabricated story ofhisnoble back
  ground,hemarried into anestablished Lisbon family that had excellent
  connections with Portuguese royalty.
  Through hisin—laws, Columbus finagledameetingwith thekingof
  Portugahjoao II,whom hepetitionedtofinance awestwardvoyage aimed
  atdiscoveringashorter route toAsia. Inreturn forannouncingthatany
  discoveries heachieved would bemade inthekings name, Columbus


TxText:
  Ihwanted aseries ofrights: thetitle Grand Admiral oftheOceanic Sea; the
  office ofViceroyoveranylands hefound; and 10percentofthefuture
  commerce with such lands. Allofthese rightswere tobehereditaryandfor
  alltime. Columbus made these demands even thoughhehadpreviously
  been amere merchant, heknew almost nothing about navigation,hecould
  notwork aquadrant,and hehad never led agroupofmen. Inshort hehad
  absolutelynoqualificationsforthejourneyheproposed. Furthermore, his
  petitionincluded nodetails astohow hewould accomplishhisplans, just
  vague promises.
  “Then Columbus finished hispitch, joao IIsmiled: Hepolitelyde-
  clined theoffer, butleftthedooropenforthefuture. Here Columbus must
  have noticed somethinghewould never forget: Even astheking turned
  down the sailor's demands, hetreated them aslegitimate. Heneither
  laughedatColumbus norquestioned hisbackgroundand credentials. In
  factthekingwasimpressed bytheboldness ofColumbus'srequests,and
  clearlyfeltcomfortable inthecompany ofaman who acted soconfidently.
  Themeetingmust have convinced Columbus that hisinstincts were cor'
  rect:Byaskingforthemoon, hehadinstantly raised his own status, forthe
  king assumed that unless aman who setsuch ahigh priceonhimself were
  mad, which Columbus didnotappear tobe,hemust somehow beworth it.
  Afew years later Columbus moved toSpain. UsinghisPortuguese
  connections, hemoved inelevated circles attheSpanish court, receiving
  subsidies from illustrious financiers and sharing tables with dukes and
  princes.Toallthese men berepeated hisrequestforfinancing for avoyage
  tothewe-st——and also fortherights hehad demanded from joao II.Some,
  such asthepowerfulduke ofMedina, wanted tohelp,butcould not, since
  they lacked thepowertogrant him thetitles andrightshewanted, But
  Columbus would not back down. He soon realized thatonlyonepersonIlll'I*m:I,1~,Im‥- AT
  ?4l(I\'().\
  Inrim mun gwwrminn
  rhe/izmi/y lwecnrne
  mm]: more ftlmom
  /Ium before IlzmughI/zr?
  distinctimr conferred
  upnn ubyClam-rlrenm
  [he nzusler of.\'ic_wn.
  (.'lt'ix1/runes‥ .had a
  zlnugltmg Agarzstu,
  whom hewished to
  marry tolite'best man


TxText:
  inall(fruece. 30during
  1/2/z0l'_wrpi4* gxlnmy,in
  whirl: hehad him. .r'_,s"
  mm theChariot race, he
  had apm')lir;amumnczh
  men! murlc, tothee/Ierl
  that any Greek who
  mcmghr himself good
  enoughtobecunze
  (,'lr:i.v1hcnc.v' .s'rm—in-law
  should presrnt Irirzzwlf
  iw'.rherI-becuu.\'e he
  :'mm(lc'd, willxiri the
  ymr /ollowirzg the
  ulrtirilh day, Inhr,-Imlh
  his(1(llIg]l(t'I'InJzw
  /inure husbrmd
  Cl1*is!]rzvu'.v liar! had a
  racetrack and .1
  u'r('xIIing~rir1K i'p(!<'iullv
  fllflt/(' forIrispurpose,
  andpmwntly thenu"!-
  am'begun tonr/ive——
  every numof(Irerrk
  nationalily who had
  mrrmtlairzg11)be/mmd
  nfrairlmr in/1ixcountry
  orinfiirmx»/fl…
  Cl('i.s'1h(.'n£'.$' began I?)-
  rzvkilig mclz [«.z_['rhc
  /mnmmur .s'uimrs/ in
  turn tonmnc his(mm-
  rryum!parvn/:1ge;IIx(-n
  hekepz r/rem in]Is'.\'
  Iinzme for ayear. Inget
  toknow man: well.
  entering mm a2nversa—
  mm with (hem S()IIl€A
  timer singly. .s'()me'Iime5
  allmg:-Jlwr, andrmling
  each.ofthem forlzir
  LAW 34 285
  manly quuliliztr «ml
  te'm,n£'r. edumlirm and
  manners. . .But my
  mm! impnmml ms!of
  all was t/m'r lnalmvirmr
  atthedinnurmlilo. All
  this wmz onthrough-
  outtheir wry inSz't'y(:/1.
  and all[hemm' he
  enlerraimm' (hem fraud»
  snmr'iy_
  For Um' !t'G.)'t)fl or
  (n.v,(:£'lu'I ix'was the lwo
  Allsmiarzs who
  lmpmrsed C/€[a'rI1en('.v
  most /'mrnmm'7l_v. and
  0/"Ike Iwn Ti,mrrdw".s'
  sunlIl[)pr)t'lL'l(lL'.\' mine
  (0bepre_/errretl… .


TxText:
  Atlast l/H.'duy curnt'
  which had been /ixwi
  for thebelrrrrlmrl, and
  Clni.n'l1e1irz,r had to
  declare his('iznice. Ile"
  nmrkczl thedaybytin'
  sczcrzfice rafa hurztirml
  oxen. and Ilzen grew: ti
  great banquet, Inwhirl:
  notonly the .rm'Im'.s' but
  everyone ufrmte in
  Sicyvn was invitrszl.
  When dinner was over.
  the.\'u[t0r5 lacgzmIr)
  cornpcle with ('MC')
  allmr inmum' and in
  talking inmmpmzy.
  Inboth tirtasv at'mm~
  [)ll.Y/llIIL'Ill.\' IIwas
  f1ip;)o<'l1'i'¢z'e.i' who
  pmvetl byfar1129
  zloughiicsl clmmpiurl,
  until atlam. asmore
  and rrmre wine Wm
  drunk, heasked Ill!'
  fluIt'—[)l[1]'('I'I(I playhim
  atune and began m
  dance toit.Now itmay
  well bethan ht,'rlumsorl
  tohis own .mzis-/'action;
  C'leirthene.s'. howevvr,
  who was wan.'/ting
  theperjmnmncc.
  begun tohave .s'eriou\'
  dmzlrfs about thewlwle
  larzsiners. Preseml y.
  afterabrirfprizaw.
  Ilippzrr/eidtai rm:for:1
  table; thetable was
  brought, and
  2.56 LAW 34could meet hisdemands: QueenIsabella. In1487 hefinally manageda
  meeting with thequeen,andalthoughhecould notconvince her tofinance
  thevoyage,hecompletely charmed her, and became afrequent guest in
  thepalace.
  In1492 theSpanish finally expelledtheMoorish invaders who cen-
  turies earlier had seized parts ofthecountry.With thewartime burden on
  hertreasury lifted, Isabella feltshecould finally respond tothedemands of
  herexplorer friend, and shedecided topayforthree ships, equipment,the
  salaries ofthecrews, and amodest stipendforColumbus. More important,
  shehad a.contract drawnupthatgranted Columbus thetitles andrightson
  which hehad insisted. Theonlyone shedenied——and onlyinthecontract's
  fineprint—was the 10percent ofallrevenues fromanylands discovered:
  anabsurd demand, since hewanted notime limit onit.(Had the clause


TxText:
  been leftin,itwould eventually have made Columbus and hisheirs the
  wealthiest familyontheplanet.Columbus never read thefineprint.)
  Satisfied that hisdemands had been met, Columbus setsailthat same
  yearinsearch ofthepassagetoAsia. (Before helefthewas careful tohire
  thebestnavigatorhecould find tohelp him getthere.) The mission failed
  tofind such apassage, yetwhen Columbus petitioned thequeentofinance
  aneven more ambitiousvoyage thefollowing year, sheagreed. Bythen
  shehad come toseeColumbus asdestined forgreat things.
  Interpretation
  As anexplorer Columbus was mediocre atbest. Heknew less about the
  seathan didtheaveragesailor onhisships,could never determine thelati-
  tude andlongitudeofhisdiscoveries, mistook islands forvast continents,
  and treated his crewbadly.But inone area hewas agenius:Heknew how
  tosellhimself. How else toexplainhow the sonofacheese vendor,a.low-
  level seamerchant, managed toingratiatehimself with thehighest royal
  and aristocratic families?
  Columbus had anamazing powertocharm thenobility,and itall
  came from thewayhecarried himself. Heprojectedasense ofconfidence
  that wascompletely outofproportiontohis means. Nor was hisconfidence
  theaggressive, ugly selfipromotion ofanupsmrt—itwas aquietand calm
  selflassurance. Infactitwas the same confidence usually shown bythe no
  bilitythemselves. Thepowerfulintheo1d—style aristocracies felt noneed to
  proveorassert themselves; being noble, they knew they alwaysdeserved
  more, and asked forit.With Columbus, then, theyfelt aninstant aflinity,
  forhecarried himself justtheway theyclid——elevated above thecrowd,
  destined forgreatness.
  Understand: Itiswithinyour powertosetyourown price.How you
  carry yourself reflects whatyouthink ofyourself. Ifyouaskforlittle, shuf-
  fleyourfeet and loweryour head, people will assume this reflects your
  character. Butthisbehavior isnotyou»-—itisonly howyouhave chosen to
  present yourselftoother people.You canjustaseasily presenttheColum~
  bus front: buoyancy, confidence, and thefeeling thatyouwere born to
  wear acrown.
  With allgreat decsivm there isanoteworthyoccummre towhich theyowe their
  power.Intheactual actofdeception theyare overcomebybelief inthemselves: itis


TxText:
  thiswhich then speakssomiraculously andcampellinglytothose mound them.
  F7“H'(i7”iC]L Nietzr4'Iu.>, I6'-'r'4— I900
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Aschildren, we start our lives with great exuberance, expectingand de-
  manding everythingfrom theworld. This generally carries over into our
  firstforaysinto society,aswebeginour careers. But aswegrow older the
  rebuffs and failures weexperiencesetupboundaries thatonly getfirmer
  with time. Comingtoexpect lessfrom theworld, weaccept limitations that
  arereally self-imposed.'We start tobow andscrapeandapologizefor even
  thesimplest ofrequests.The solution Losuch ashrinking ofhorizons isto
  deliberately force ourselves intheoppositedirection-——to downplay the
  failures andignorethelimitations, tomake ourselves demand andexpect
  asmuch asthechild. Toaccomplish this,wemust use aparticular strategy
  upon ourselves. Call ittheStrategy oftheCrown.
  TheStrategyoftheCrown isbased on asimplechain ofcause and ef-
  fect:Ifwebelieve we aredestined forgreat things,ourbelief will radiate
  outward, justasacrown creates anaura around aking. This outward radi-
  ance willinfect thepeople around us,who willthink wemust have reasons
  tofeel soconfident. People who wear crowns seem tofeel noinner sense of
  thelimits towhat theycan askfor orwhat theycanaccomplish. This too
  radiates outward. Limits and boundaries disappear.Use theStrategyofthe
  Crown andyouwill besurprised how often itbears fruit. Take asanexa.m~
  plethose happychildren who askforwhatever they want, andgetit.Their
  high expectationsaretheir charm. Adults enjoy grantingtheirwishes-——just
  asIsabella enjoyed grantingthewishes ofColumbus.
  Throughout history, peopleofundistinguished birth-—-the Theodora: of
  'Byzantium,theColumbuses, theBeethovens, theDisraelis-——-have managed
  towork theStrategyoftheCrown, believingsofirmly intheir own greatness
  thatitbecomes aseIf~fulfil1ing prophecy.The trick issimple: Beovercome
  byyourselfibelief. Even whileyouknowyouarepracticingakind ofde-
  ceptiononyourself,actlike aking. You arelikelytobetreated asone.
  The crown may separate you from other people, butitisuptoyouto
  make thatseparationreal: You have toactdifferently, demonstrating your
  distance from those aroundyou.


TxText:
  One waytoemphasize yourdifference is
  toalwaysactwithdignity,nomatter thecircumstance. Louis~Philippe gave
  nosense ofbeing different from other people—hewas thebanker king.
  And the moment hissubjectsthreatened him, hecaved in.Everyone
  sensed this andpounced. Lacking regal dignityand firmness ofpurpose,
  Louis-Philippeseemed animpostor,and the crown was easily toppled
  from hishead.
  Regal bearingshould notbeconfused with arrogance. Arrogance may
  seem theking's entitlement, butinfactitbetrays insecurity. Itisthevery
  opposite ofaroyaldemeanor.Ilippo('[oir1<<s'. rlimhing
  ontoit,dancvtrl first
  Mwli' Lucrmmn zlaazces,
  marl some Attic ones,
  and endnl bymzmlilzg
  onhis"In-ad and Imu-
  irzglink' with hislegsin
  1/11'air.The I.z11'mu'an.
  andAttic rlwzces were
  but!mough; bur
  Clei.\'IlLm(e.\', I/tough
  healrmrly lomlzezl I/11>
  I/tough! ofhlwingR
  San-m~1aw like Ahm.
  new/'!l1el¢'&r res-rrairxecl
  lzimself mm' nzzmogcd
  toamid anm,uImr,s.r;
  butwin»: hesaw
  Hippwleidex boating
  time with hislegs', he
  could bear 1'!nolonger.
  “Sari nfTiyamler."he
  CI'i.('d, “you have
  dancer! away your
  nmxriagr."
  'IIHiHL\"!UR1i-'5.
  HY-:li()l)(>1'L'S.
  Fll")'H (T.'\"! may or.
  LAW :54
  288 LAW 34Haile Selassie, ruler ofEthiopiaforfortyorsoyears beginningin1930,
  was once ayoungman named LijTafari. He came from anoble family, but
  there was noreal chance ofhimcoming topower, forhewas fardown the
  lineofsuccession from thekingthen onthethrone, Menelik II.Neverthe-
  less, from anearly age heexhibited aself~coufidence and aroyal bearing
  thatsurprised everyone around him.
  Attheageoffourteen, Tafari went tolive atthecourt, where heimme—
  diately impressed Menelik and became hisfavorite. Tafarfs grace under
  fire, hispatience, and hiscalm selflassurance fascinated theking. The other
  young nobles, arrogant, blustery,and envious, would pushthisslight,
  bookish teenager around.


TxText:
  Buthenever gotangry-—-thatwould have been a
  sign ofinsecurity,towhich hewould notstoop.There were already people
  around him who felthewould somedayrise tothetop,forheacted asifhe
  were already there.
  Years later, in1936, when theItalian Fascists had taken over Ethiopia
  andTafari, now called Haile Selassie, wasinexile, headdressed theLeague
  ofNations topleadhiscountry'scase. The Italians intheaudience heckled
  him with vulgar abuse, but hemaintained hisdignified pose,asifcom-
  pletely unaffected. This elevated him while making hisopponentslook
  even uglier. Dignity,infact, isinvariablythemask toassume under difficult
  circumstances: Itisasifnothingcan affectyou,andyou have allthetime
  intheworld torespond.This isanextremely powerful pose.
  Aroyaldemeanor has other uses. Con artists have longknown the
  value ofanaristocratic front; iteither disazms peopleand makes them less
  suspicious,orelseitintimidates them andputs them onthe defensive———and
  asCount Victor Lustig knew, once youputasucker onthedefensive heis
  doomed. The con man Yellow KidWell, too, would often assume thetrap
  pings ofaman ofwealth, along with thenonchalance that goes with them.
  Alludingtosome magical method ofmaking money,hewould stand aloof,
  like aking, exuding confidence asifhereallywere fabulouslyrich. The
  suckers would begtobeinonthecon, tohave achance atthewealth that
  hesoclearly displayed.
  Finally,toreinforce theinner psychologicaltricks involved inproject-
  ingaroyal demeanor, there areoutward strategiestohelp youcreate the
  effect. First, theColumbus Strategy: Alwaysmake abold demand. Setyour
  price highand donot waver. Second, inadignified way, goafter thehigh-
  estpersoninthebuilding.This immediately puts youonthe same planeas
  thechief executiveyouareattacking. ItistheDavid and Goliath Strategy:
  Bychoosingagreat opponent, youcreate theappearance ofgreatness.
  Third, giveagiftofsome sort tothose aboveyou.This isthestrategy
  ofthose who have apatron: Bygiving your patronagift, youareessentially
  sayingthat thetwoofyouareequal.Itistheold con game ofgivingsothat
  youcan take. When the Renaissance writer Pietro Aretino wanted the


TxText:
  Duke ofMantua ashisnerd patron, heknew thatifhewas slavish and
  sycophantic,theduke would think himunworthy;soheapproachedthe
  duke with gifts, inthis case paintings bythewn'ter's goodfriend Titian.
  Accepting thegiftscreated akind ofequalitybetween duke and writer: The
  duke wasputateasebythefeelingthat hewasdealing with aman ofhis
  own aristocratic stamp. Hefunded Aretino generously.Thegiftstrategyis
  subtle andbrilliant because you donotbeg: You askforhelp inadignified
  waythatimplies equalitybetween twopeople,oneofwhom justhappens
  tohave moremoney.
  Remember: Itisuptoyoutosetyourown price. As]: forless and that
  isjustwhatyouwillgetAsk formore, however, and you send asignal that
  youareworth aking'sransom. Even those who turnyou down respect you
  foryour confidence, and that respect willeventually pay offinways you
  cannot imagine.
  Image:The Crown. Place itupon yourhead
  and youassume adifferent pose——tranqui1
  yetradiatingassurance. Never show
  doubt, never loseyour dignity beneath
  thecrown, oritwill notfit.Itwill seem
  tobedestined for one more worthy.Do
  not wait for acoronation; thegreat»
  estemperorscrown themselves.
  Authority: Everyoneshould beroyal after his own fashion. Letallyour
  actions, even though theyare not those ofaking, be, intheir own
  sphere, worthyofone. BCsublime inyour deeds, loftyinyour
  thoughts;and inallyour doingsShow thatyou deserve tobe aking
  even though youare not one inreality. (Baltasar Gracizin, l60l~lC>58)
  LAW 34 289
  290 LAW 34REVERSAL
  The idea behind theassumption ofregalconfidence istosetyourself apart
  from other people, butifyou take this too faritwill beyour undoing.
  Never make themistake ofthinkingthatyouelevate yourself byhumiliat-
  ingpeople. Also, itisnever agoodidea toloom toohighabove the
  crowcl—youmake aneasy target.And there aretimes when anaristocratic
  poseiseminently dangerous.
  Charles I,king ofEngland duringthe16405, faced aprofound public
  disenchantment with theinstitution ofmonarchy. Revolts erupted through»
  outthecountry,ledbyOliver Cromwell. Had Charles reacted tothetimes
  with insight, supportingreforms andmakingashow ofsacrificingsome of


TxText:
  hispower, history mighthave been different. Instead hereverted toan
  even more regal pose, seeming outraged bytheassault onhispowerand
  onthedivine institution ofmonarchy.Hisstiffkingliness offended people
  andspurredontheir revolts. And eventuallyCharles losthishead, literally
  Understand: You areradiating confidence, notarroganceordisdain.
  Finally,itistrue thatyoucan sometimes find somepower throughaf-
  fectingakind ofearthy vulgarity,which willprove amusing byitsextreme-
  ness. But tothe extent thatyouwin thisgame bygoing beyondthelimits,
  separating yourselffrom other people byappearingeven more vulgar than
  they are, thegameisdangerous: There willalways bepeoplemore vulgar
  thanyou,andyouwilleasilybereplacedthefollowingseason bysomeone
  youngerand worse.
  LAW
  35
  MASTER THE ART
  OFTIMING
  'JUDGMENT
  Never seem tobeinahurrjv——h'wr1ying betraysalackof
  control aver yourselfiand over time. Alwaysseem fra-
  tient, as2]"you know that everything will come toyou
  eventually.Become adetective oftheright moment; snijj'
  outthespirit cflhe limes, tketmnak that willsang; youto
  power.Leam tostand back when thetime isnotyetripe,
  and tosmkefiercelywhen ithasreachedfmition.
  291
  .-l]R'H>l[ll lI-':~~;4>\
  S('IN)VIlL\' 'Kstrmgtltwax
  now Itlpltlly tm~reast'rt,q,
  forallthetribes
  lretweeh. theEbro imr)
  theI'yrt*nec.\'(It/lint' over
  tohisSllle, and troops
  <'urm:jlncltt'rtg rluilyto
  join himfrom every
  quarter. /itthe sunte
  time' he was troubled
  bytheluckofdisciplttte
  and the()V('VCl)I'Z/ldfllltft'
  aftlimér newly arrived
  lmrhttrium. who would
  slxrmt athim tnatturk
  theerterny and had no
  paticnte with histlolttyu
  mg luL'l'lC.\', and he
  Ih(?t'(f_ltH'(', tried towin
  them (IVCY bytlrgtumvlt.
  But wlwn hesaw that
  they were dixcrmterttcd
  andpt'V.\'i.\It'tlinpren-
  im;their (Iernantls
  regurtllen ofthe
  ('lrt'tlm.\'l(,lt'll.'£'.,\', helet
  them have their way
  and alltrvwtl them to
  engage theL-rmny; he
  hopml that they would
  suffer4!


TxText:
  severe defeat
  without htetng
  ttotitpletcly crushvd,
  and that this would
  malcr tlzrm better
  di.\'p0.\'edtoobey his
  orttcrs inj't¢turz*,
  The event turned Uut as
  heexporter! and St-r'tu—
  rius ctzrrw tollllflt
  Vcflflll'. provirlrccla
  rallying point for the
  [llglllH'.&', and ledthem
  safely brick inhis
  ('tmtp. Hi.\'rzextstcpwas
  torevive tltcir (le;'t*cIm'l
  spirits, amt so atfew
  dayslater ho
  summoned [Igeneral
  a.\',\'(',ml)l]'. BC_l(Irtf ithe
  produced two ltrtrsex,
  oneo/"them oldand
  ('Ilfl't'hl£'ll, thentlwr
  large andlusty tlrlll
  292 LAW 35OBSERVAN CE OF THE LAW
  Startingoutinlife asanondescriptFrench seminary-school teacher, Joseph
  Fouché wandered from town totown formost ofthedecade ofthe 17805,
  teaching mathematics toyoung boys.Yethenevercompletelycommitted
  himself tothechurch, never took hisvows asapn'est—hehadbigger plans.
  Patiently waiting forhischance, hekepthisoptions open.And when the
  French Revolution broke out, in1789, Fouché waited nolonger: Hegotrid
  ofhiscassock, grew hishairlong,and became arevolutionary.Forthis was
  thespiritofthe times. Tomiss theboat atthis critical moment could have
  speltdisaster. Fouché did not miss theboat: Befriendingtherevolutionary
  leader Robespierre,hequicklyrose intherebel ranks. In1792 thetown of
  Nantes elected Fouché tobeitsrepresentativetotheNational Convention
  (created thatyeartoframe anew constitution for aFrench republic).
  When Fouché arrived inParis totake hisseat attheconvention, avio-
  lent rifthad broken outbetween themoderates and theradical Jacobins.
  Fouché sensed that inthelongrunneither side wouldemerge victorious.
  Power rarely endsupinthehands ofthose who start arevolution, oreven
  ofthose who further it;powersticks tothose who bring ittoaconclusion.
  That was theside Fouché wanted tobeon.
  His sense oftimingwasuncanny.Hestarted asamoderate, formoderv
  ates were inthemajority. When thetime came todecide onwhether ornot
  toexecute Louis XVI, however, hesaw that thepeoplewere clamoringfor


TxText:
  theking's head, sohecast thedeciding vote~—for theguillotine. Now he
  had become aradical. Yet astensions came totheboil inParis, heforesaw
  thedanger ofbeingtooclosely associated withanyonefaction,sohe ac-
  ceptedapositionintheprovinces, where hecould lielow for awhile. A
  fewmonths later hewasassignedtothepostofproconsulinLyons,where
  heoversaw theexecution ofdozens ofaristocrats. At acertain moment,
  however, hecalled ahalt tothekillings, sensing that themood ofthe coun-
  nywasturning—and despitetheblood alreadyonhishands, thecitizens of
  Lyons hailed him asasavior from what had become known astheTerror.
  SofarFouché hadplayedhiscards brilliantly,but in1794 hisold
  friend Robespierrerecalled him toParis toaccount forhisactions inLyons.
  Robespierrehad been thedriving force behind the Terror. Hehad sent
  heads onboth therightand theleftrolling, and Fouché, whom he no
  longer trusted, seemed destined toprovidethe next head. Over the next
  few weeks, atense struggleensued: WhileRobespierrerailed openly
  against Fouché, accusing ofhimdangerousambitions andcallingforhis ar»
  rest, thecraftyFouché worked more indirectly, quietly gaining support
  among those who were beginningtotireofRobespierre'sdictatorial con-
  trol. Fouché wasplayingfortime. Heknew that thelongerhesurvived, the
  more disaffected citizens hecould rally against Robespierre.Hehad to
  have broad supportbefore hemoved againstthepowerful leader. Heral-
  lied support amongboth themoderates and thejacobins, playingonthe
  widespreadfear ofRobespierre-—everyonewas afraid ofbeing the next to
  gototheguillotine. Itall came tofruition onJuly 27:The convention
  turned against Robespierre, shoutingdown hisusual lengthy speech.He
  wasquickly arrested, and afewdayslater itwasRobespierre's head, not
  Fouché's, that fell'into thebasket.
  Wlhen Fouché returned totheconvention after Robespien-e's death, he
  playedhis mostunexpectedmove: Havingled theconspiracy against
  Robespierre,hewasexpectedtositwith themoderates, butloandbehold,
  heonce again changed sides, joiningtheradical Jacobins.Forperhapsthe
  firsttime inhislifehealigned himself with theminority. Clearlyhesensed
  areaction stirring: Heknew that themoderate faction that had executed


TxText:
  Robespierre,and was now about totakepower,would initiate anew round
  oftheTerror, this time againsttheradicals. Insidingwith thejacobins,
  then, Fouché wassitting with themartyrs ofthedaystoeome—the people
  whowould beconsidered blameless inthetroubles that were ontheirway.
  Takingsides with what was about tobecome thelosingteam was arisky
  gambit, ofcourse, butFouché must have calculated hecouldkeephishead
  longenoughtoquietlystirupthepopulace againstthe moderates and
  watch them fallfrompower. And indeed, althoughthemoderates didcall
  forhisarrest inDecember of1795, and would have sent him totheguillo~
  line, toomuch time had passed. The executions had become unpopular
  with thepeople,and Fouché survived theswing ofthependulumone more
  time.
  Anew governmenttook over, theDirectoire. Itwas not, however, a
  jacobin government, but amoderate one-———more moderate than thegov'
  emment that hadreimposedtheTerror. Fouché, theradical, hadkept his
  head, but now hehad tokeepalowprofile.Hewaited patientlyonthe
  sidelines for severalyears, allowingtime tosoftenanybitter feelings
  against him, then heapproachedtheDirectoire and convinced them he
  had anew passion: intelligencegathering.Hebecame apaid spyforthe
  government,excelled atthejob,and in1799 was rewarded bybeing made
  minister ofpolice. Now hewas notjustempowered butrequiredtoextend
  hisspyingtoeverycorner ofFra.nce—-~a responsibilitythat would greatly
  reinforce hisnatural abilitytosniff outwhere thewind wasblowing.One
  ofthefirst social trends hedetected, infact, came intheperson of
  Napoleon,abrashyoung general whose destiny heright awaysaw was en-
  twined with thefuture ofFrance. When Napoleonunleashed acoup d'état,
  onNovember 9,1799, Fouché pretendedtobeasleep.Indeed heslept the
  whole day.Forthisindirect assistance-«it mighthave been thoughthisjob,
  after all,topreventamilitary coup-—Napoleou kepthim on asminister of
  policeinthe new regime.
  Over thenext fewyears, Napoleoncame torelyonFcmché more and
  more. He evengave thisformer revolutionaryatitle, duke ofOtranto, and
  rewarded him with greatwealth. By1808, however, Fouché, alwaysat-
  tuned tothetimes, sensed thatNapoleonwas onthedownswing. Hisfutile


TxText:
  warwithSpain,acountrythatposednothreat toFrance, was asign that he
  waslosingasense ofproportion. Never one tobecaughtonasinking ship,
  Fouché conspiredwith Talleyrand tobring about Napoleon's downfall. Al—possesxingaflowing
  mil, which was remark-
  ableforthethickness
  and baauqv ofits flair.
  Bythesirlcofthe weak
  Item: slood atall
  jrrrmg man. andbythe-
  rideofthepovmrful
  horse ashort man of
  mmn plxyslqne. At 1:
  xignalrimstrongman
  seized themilafhii
  horse and tried with all
  his.$'lYE'fl[[[]l topull it
  inwards him, asif10
  tear itof]:while the
  weak man beganI!)
  pull [hehairs oneby
  onefrom thetailofthe
  stronglim-sr.e.
  Thestrong man, after
  tugging with ullhis
  might tonopurpose
  and('during thespecta-
  Iwas' itgreat dealof
  amusmzwnl inthe
  protresmfirlully gave up
  tlwattempt, while the
  weak man quirklyand
  with very little trouble
  .3'!l'l[Ip¢'¢l hishr_vrse's tail
  (romp/elely bare. There
  .S'm't(>rizl.r rate tohis
  feet and said, “Now
  youcan 381'. nay'friemis'
  and allies. (I111! perse-
  verance ismore effrc»
  rive I/mu hrulc strength,
  and that (here aremany
  difficulllex thul (armor
  beovercome ifyou try
  10dommrythingat
  once. butwhich will
  yield lfyuu master
  them little bylittle. The
  truth isthat asteady
  continu0u.\' effortis
  irresistible, forthis is
  theway in.which Time
  capturesand sarbdrms
  thegrremesz powerson
  eanh. Now Time, you
  yhaultl remmwer, isa
  good friend andallyI0
  tli().s'z,' who usetheir
  liztelliglance InC/10().$'(€
  theright moment. but a
  marl dangerous enemy
  LAW 35 293
  tothosze wlm rush int!)
  action atthewrong
  (me."
  LIFE orSERTORIUS.
  PLLTARCH.
  cA1). 46-120
  Mr. S/iih had two sons:
  om: loved lreumi1zg.'tIiv
  othrr war.Thefirst
  cxpourided hismom!
  teachingsatthe
  rttlnziring court ofCh'i
  and was made atutor.
  while thesecond talked


TxText:
  strategyatthehelli('o.\*e
  court ofCh ":4and was
  made itgerwriii. '1'/te
  impecuniour Mr.Mcng,
  lwrtring nftharié
  successes, sent his own
  two .S'!)lL\' out tofollow
  thcexample oftin'
  Shih bays. Thejirst
  expmmdcd hismom]
  tmching.s' atthemm'!
  afCh'a'rz, buttheKing
  ofC/fin will.' “At
  present flu: states are
  quarrr,-ling violently
  and everyv prince is
  busy arming histroops
  totheteeth. IfI
  followed thisprigir
  pratingsWK'.\'lH)Lil(l
  soon beannihilated."
  Sohehad thefellow
  castrated. Meanwhile.
  the.im'0nrl bmtlurr
  tiispliiyezl hismilitary
  geniusatthecourt of
  Wci. But thnKing of
  Wei said: “llrlirze is:1
  weak riatra. l/'Iftfliell
  onfarce imzeati of
  dzplormtcy,werlzould
  soon bewipedout. If,"
  onilwmlicr hand, Ilet
  thisfire-eater go,hr
  willoffer his.\'ervice:; to
  another start: and than
  294 LAW 35thoughtheconspiracy failed—Talleyrandwas fired; Fouché stayed,but
  waskepton atight leash—it publicizedagrowing discontent with the em-
  peror, who seemed tobelosing control. By1814 Napoleon's powerhad
  crumbled and allied forces finally conqueredhim.
  The next governmentwas arestoration ofthemonarchy,intheform
  ofKing Louis XVIII, brother ofLouis XVI. Fouché, his nose alwayssniff-
  ingtheairforthenext social shift, knew Louis would notlastlong—he had
  none ofNapoleon'sflair. Fouché once again playedhiswaiting game, lying
  low, staying awayfrom thespotlight.Sure enough,inFebruary of1815,
  Napoleon escaped from theisland ofElba, where hehad been imprisoned.
  Louis XVIII panicked:Hispolicies had alienated thecitizenry,who were
  clamoring forNap0leon'sreturn. SoLouis turned tothe one man who
  could maybe have saved hishide, Fouché, theformer radical who had sent
  hisbrother, Louis XVI, totheguillotine, but was now one ofthe mostpop-
  ular andwidely admired politiciansinFrance. Fouché, however, would not


TxText:
  side with aloser: Herefused Louis'srequest forhelpbypretendingthat his
  helpwasunnecessaiy—by swearing thatNapoleonwould never return
  topower (althoughheknew otherwise). Ashort time later, ofcourse,
  Napoleonand his new citizenarmywere closing inonParis.
  Seeinghisreignabout tocollapse, feelingthat Fouché hadbetrayed
  him, and certain that hedid not want thispowerful and able man on
  Napoleon's team, King Louis ordered theIni.n.ister's arrest and execution.
  On March 16,1815, policemensurrounded Fouché's coach on aParis
  boulevard. Was thisfinallyhisend? Perhaps,but notimmediately: Fouché
  told thepolicethat anexvmember ofgovernment could notbearrested on
  the street. Theyfellforthestoryand allowed him toretum home. Later
  that day, though, theycame tohishouse and once again declared him
  under arrest. Fouché nodded—but would theofficers be sokind asallow a
  gentlemantowash and tochange hisclothes before leavinghishouse for
  thelast time? They gave their permission, Fouché lefttheroom, and the
  minutes went by.Fouché did not return. Finallythepolicemenwent into
  thenext room—where theysaw aladder againstanopen window, leading
  down tothegardenbelow.
  Thatdayand thenext thepolicecombed Paris forFouché, butbythen
  Napoleon'scannons were audible inthedistance and thekingand allthe
  king'smen had tofleethecity.As soon asNapoleonentered Paris, Fouché
  came outofhiding. Hehad cheated theexecutioner once again. Napoleon
  greeted hisformer minister ofpoliceandgladlyrestored him tohisold
  post. During the 100daysthatNapoleonremained inpower,until Water-
  loo, itwasessentiallyFouché who governedFrance. Alter Napoleon fell,
  Louis XVIII returned tothethrone, and like acatwith nine lives, Fouché
  stayedontoserve inyetanother goVemment—by then hispower and in-
  fluence hadgrownsogreatthat not even thekingdared challengehim.
  Interpretation
  In aperiodofunprecedented turmoil, JosephFouché thrived throughhis
  masteryofthe artoftiming. Heteaches usanumber ofkeylessons.
  First, itiscritical torecognizethespiritofthe times. Fouché always
  looked two steps ahead, found the wave that wouldcarryhim topower,
  androde it.


TxText:
  You must alwayswork with thetimes, anticipate twists and
  turns, and never miss theboat. Sometimes thespiritofthetimes isobscure:
  Recognizeitnotbywhat isloudest and most obvious init,butbywhat lies
  hidden and dormant. Look forward todieNapoleons ofthefuture rather
  thanholdingontotheruins ofthepast.
  Second, recognizingtheprevailingwinds does notnecessarilymean
  runningwith them. Any potentsocial movement creates apowerfulreac-
  tion, and itiswise toanticipate what that reaction will be, asFouché did
  after theexecution ofRobespierre.Rather than ride thecrestingwave of
  themoment, wait forthetide's ebb tocarry you back topower. Uponocca~
  sionbet onthereaction that isbrewing, andplace yourself inthevanguard
  ofit.
  Finally,Fouché had remarkable patience. Without patienceasyour
  sword andshield, your timing willfailandyouwillinevitably findyourself
  aloser. When thetimes were against Fouché, hedid notstruggle, getemo-
  tional, orstrike outrashly. Hekepthiscool and maintained alowprofile,
  patiently building support amongthecitizenry,thebulwark inhisnext rise
  topower. Whenever hefound himself intheweaker position, heplayedfor
  time, which heknew would alwaysbehisallyifhe waspatient. Recognize
  themoment, then, tohide inthegrassorslither under arock, aswell asthe
  moment tobareyour fangs and attack.
  Spacewecan recover, time never.
  N:1;tmle07: Bomzpanle,1769-1821
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Time isanartificial conceptthat weourselves have created tomake the
  limitlessness ofeternityand the universe more bearable, more human.
  Since wehave constructed theconcept oftime, we arealso able tomold it
  tosome degree,toplaytricks with it.The time ofachild islongandslow,
  with vastexpanses;the time ofanadult whizzes byfrighteninglyfast.
  Time, then, dependsonperception, which, weknow, can bewillfullyal-
  tered. This isthefirstthingtounderstand inmastering theartoftiming. If
  theinner turmoil caused byour emotions tends tomake time move faster,
  itfollows that once wecontrol ouremotionalresponsestoevents, time will
  move much more slowly. This altered way ofdealingwith thingstends to
  lengthenourperceptionoffuture time, opens uppossibilitiesthat fear and
  angerclose off,and allows usthepatiencethat istheprincipal requirement
  intheartoftiming.


TxText:
  There arethree kinds oftime for ustodeal with; each presents prob-
  lems that can besolved with skill andpractice.First there islongtime: the
  drawn»out, years—long kind oftime that must bemanagedwith patience
  andgentle guidance. Ourhandling oflongtime should bemostlydefen-
  sive—this isthe artofnotreacting impulsively,ofwaitingforopportunity.weshall beintrouble.”
  Sohe'had thefellows
  feet on!off B0111 farm'-
  liesdidexa('tl_y lhc
  same thing, but one
  timer! itright,theother
  wrong. Thus ,\'uC(:(2.r.s'
  depends on . ‥rhythm.
  Lit]-1 T71
  rm; cu .
  GLASS.
  DENNIS Bi.o0owoR'rH,
  1967ll.0'l'l—'.l) lN
  .LLOOKING
  The sullan /ofPersia]
  had sentenced two men
  todeath. One of/hem,
  knowing how much the
  Sltltflll loved hisrm]-
  lizm, offeredtoteach
  thehome toflywithin a
  year inreturn forhis
  life. Thesulmn,fancy—
  mg/zirn.s*el/'as theridcr
  ofthe0f1lyfl_YlI1g horse
  inIheworld, agreed,
  The other prisoner
  looked athisfriend in
  disbelief “You know
  horses don'rfly. What
  made youcome up
  with 4:crazy idea likc
  that? You're only post—
  porting Ihcinevitable."
  “Not So," Xllill the/first
  prisoner]. "Ihave acm-
  allygiven myselffaur
  chances forfreedom.
  First, thesultan might
  dierlurmg theyear.
  Second, Imight die.
  Third, thehorse might
  rlie.AnrlfourIh. , .I
  might teach thehorse
  Io,/ly!"
  [HE CRAFI' or-' POWER.
  R.G.H.Sim,
  1979
  LAW 35 295
  Till', l'Ri?l"l' KM)
  HIE (Ll§§€.'l~i(),\
  Aftlvlwrmmz inthe
  month ofMay .r(tmcl
  angltngonthebank of
  (IntTltames with rm
  arr!/lcitzlfly.Hethrew
  hisbail with soInuch
  an,that 4:young rmm
  waxrurftmg ruwrzm' it,
  when she was
  prevetztzrl byhm'
  tmvrhrr. “Navcr. "mid
  rile,“my chtld, betoo
  precipitate,when: there
  ixllpo.


TxText:
  r.\'t'bili(_v of
  danger. Take due Itme
  toconsider, ltefore you
  risk anaction aim: ntny
  tie/"am!How know
  you whether yon
  tlppmtlailcz' hrimlr.-ed a
  fly. orIhte snare ofan
  unetny? Let someone
  else make theexpert?
  mm: before you.Ifit
  beu/i')=, hewill very
  p!'()b(£[71]' elude thefin:
  tzlmck: and theSecottd
  may bemade, iftmt
  with sitccesx. atleast
  with .st1fe1y."
  Shit had nostmmtr spo-
  lmn,1hmz agttdgeon
  suizecl thepretended
  fly.and becmne mt
  exanxplc tothegiddy
  tlaughrer oflhe impor-
  tance ofhermother":
  counsel.
  r/xnuas.
  ROBERT Donsmv.
  1'/tl3—l 764Next there isfimed time: theshort—term time that we canmanipulateasan
  offensiveweapon, upsettingthetiming ofouropponents. Finallythere is
  endlime, when aplanmust beexecuted with speedand force. We have
  waited, found themoment, and must nothesitate.
  Long Time. The famous seventeenth-century Ming painterChou Yung
  relates astorythat altered hisbehavior forever. Late one winter afternoon
  hesetout to visit atown thatlayacross theriver from his own town. He
  wasbringingsome importantbooks and papers with him and had commis-
  sioned ayoung boytohelphimcarry them. Astheferry neared theother
  side oftheriver, Chou Yungasked theboatman ifthey would have time to
  gettothetown before itsgates closed, since itwas amileawayandnight
  wasapproaching.The boatman glancedattheboy,and atthebundle of
  looselytiedpapersandbooks-“Yes,” hereplied,“ifyou donotwalk too
  fast.”
  Asthey started out, however, the sun was setting. Afraid ofbeing
  locked outofthetown atnight, preytolocal bandits, Chou and theboy
  walked faster and faster, finally breakinginto arun.Suddenlythestring
  around thepapersbroke and thedocuments scattered ontheground. It
  took themmanyminutes toputthepacket together again,andbythetime
  theyhad reached thecitygates,itwas toolate.
  Whenyouforce thepaceoutoffear andimpatience, youcreate anest


TxText:
  ofproblemsthatrequire fixing,andyouenduptaking much longer than if
  youhad takenyourtime. Hurriersmay occasionally getthere quicker,but
  papers flyeverywhere,new dangers arise, andtheyfind themselves incon-
  stant crisis mode, fixingtheproblemsthattheythemselves have created.
  Sometimes notactinginthe face ofdanger isyourbestmove»-you wait,
  youdeliberately slow down. Astimepassesitwilleventually present op
  portunities youhad notimagined.
  Waitinginvolves controllingnotonly yourown emotions butthose of
  your colleagues, who, mistakingacfion forpower, may trytopush youinto
  makingrash moves. Inyour rivals, ontheother hand, youcan encourage
  this same mistake: Ifyouletthem rush headlonginto trouble whileyou
  stand back andwait, youwill soon findripemoments tointervene andpick
  upthepieces.This wisepolicywas theprincipal strategyofthegreat early-
  seventeenthcentury emperor Tokugawa Ieyasuofjapan. When hisprede~
  cessor, theheadstrong Hideyoshi,whom heserved as 3.general, stageda
  rash invasion ofKorea, leyasudidnotinvolve himself. Heknew the inva-
  sion would beadisaster and would lead toHideyoshfsdownfall, Better to
  stand patientlyonthesidelines, evenfinmany years,and then beinposition
  toseizepowerwhen thetime isrightmexactlywhat Ieyasu did, withgreat
  anistry.
  You donotdeliberatelyslow time down tolivelonger,ortotake more
  pleasureinthemoment, but thebetter toplaythegame ofpower. First,
  whenyour mind isuncluttered byconstant emergencies you will see fur»
  ther into thefuture. Second, youwill beable toresist thebaits thatpeople
  dangleinfront ofyou,andwillkeep yourselffrom becoming another im~
  patient sucker. Third, you will have more room tobeflexible. Opportuni-
  tieswillinevitably arise that you had notexpected andwould have missed
  hadyouforced thepace. Fourth, you will not move from one deal tothe
  next without completing thefirst one. Tobuild your power'sfoundation
  cantakeyears;make sure that foundation issecure. Donotbeaflash inthe
  pan—-«successthat isbuiltupslowly andsurelyistheonlykind that lasts.
  Finally, slowing time down willgive youaperspectiveonthetimes
  youlivein,letting youtake acertain distance andputting you inaless
  emotionally charged positiontoseetheshapes ofthingstocome. Hurriers


TxText:
  will often mistake surface phenomenafor areal trend, seeing onlywhat
  they want tosee.How much better toseewhat isreally happening,even if
  itisunpleasantormakes your task harder.
  Forced Time. The trick inforcing time istoupsetthetiming ofothers-——t0
  make them hurry, tomake them wait, tomake them abandon their own
  pace,todistort their perception oftime. Byupsetting thetiming ofyour op~
  ponentwhileyoustaypatient, you open uptime foryourself, which ishalf
  thegame.
  In1473 thegreatTurkish sultan Mehmed theConquerorinvited nego-
  tiations with Hungarytoend theelf-andam war the two countries had
  waged foryears.When theHungarian emissaryarrived inTurkeytostart
  thetalks, Turkish officials humbly apologized——Mehmed hadjustleftIstan-
  bul, thecapital,tobattle hislongtime foe, Uzun Hasan. But heurgently
  wantedpeacewith Hungary,and had asked that theemissary join him at
  thefront.
  When theemissary anived atthe siteofthefighting,Mehmed had al-
  readyleftit,movingeastward inpursuit ofhisswift foe. Thishappened
  several times. Wherever theemissary stopped,theThrks lavished gifts and
  banquetsonhim, inpleasurablebuttimeconsuming ceremonies. Finally
  Mehrned defeated Uzun and met with theemissary. Yethisterms forpeace
  with Hungarywere excessivelyharsh. After afewdays,thenegotiations
  ended, and theusual stalemate remained inplace. But this was fine with
  Mehmecl. Infact hehadplanneditthatwayallalong: Plotting his cam-
  paign against Uzun, hehad seen thatdiverting hisarmies tothe eastwould
  leave hiswestern flank vulnerable. Toprevent Hungary from taking advan»
  tageofhisweakness and hispreoccupation elsewhere, heflrstdangled the
  lure ofpeacebefore hisenemy, then made them wait»-all onhis own
  terms.
  Making peoplewait isapowerful way offorcing time, aslongasthey
  donotfigureoutwhat youareupto.You control theclock, they linger in
  limbowand rapidlycome unglued, opening upopportunitiesforyouto
  strike. The oppositeeffect isequally powerful: You make your opponents
  hurry. Start offyour dealingswith them slowly,then suddenly apply pres-
  sure, making them feel thateverythingishappeningatonce. Peoplewho


TxText:
  lack thetime tothink will make mistakes-—so settheir deadlines forthem.
  298 LAW 3.1This was thetechniqueMachiavelli admired inCesare Borgia, who, during
  negotiations, would suddenly press vehementlyfor adecision, upsetting
  hisopponent's timing and patience. For who would dare make Cesare
  wait?
  Joseph Duveen, thefamous artdealer, knew thatifhegaveanindeci-
  sivebuyerlikeJohnD.Rockefeller adeadline»-the paintinghad toleave
  thecountry, another tycoonwas interested init—the client would buyjust
  intime. Freud noticed thatpatientswho hadspent yearsinpsychoanalysis
  without improvement would miraculouslyrecover justintime ifhefixed a
  definite date fortheend ofthetherapy. Jacques Lacan, thefamous French
  psychoanalyst,used avariation onthis tactic—he would sometimes end
  thecustomary hour session oftherapy after onlytenminutes, without
  warning. After thishappenedseveral times, thepatientwould realize that
  hehad better make maximum useofthetime, rather than wasting much of
  thehour with alotoftalkthat meant nothing.The deadline, then, isapow-
  erful tool. Close offthevistas ofindecision and force peopletomake up
  their damn minds orgettothepoint—never letthem makeyouplayon
  their excruciatingterms. Never give them time.
  Magicians and showmen areexperts inforcing time. Houdini could
  often wriggle free ofhandcuffs inminutes, buthewould draw theescape
  out toanhour, making theaudience sweat, astime came toanapparent
  standstill. Magicianshavealwaysknown that thebestwaytoalter ourpet-
  ception oftime isoften toslow down thepace. Creating suspense brings
  time toaterrifying pause:The slower themagician's hands move, the eas-
  ieritistocreate theillusion ofspeed, making peoplethink therabbit has
  appeared instantaneously. The great nineteenthcentury magician _]ean—Eu—
  gene Robert~Houdin took explicitnotice ofthis effect: “The moreslowlya
  storyistold,” hesaid, “the shorter itseems.”
  Going slower also makes wha).youaredoingmore interesting»-the
  audience yieldstoyour pace,becomes entranced. Itisastate inwhich time
  whizzes delightfully by.You must practicesuch illusions, which share inthe


TxText:
  hypnotisfs powertoalterperceptions oftime.
  End Time. You canplay thegamewith theutmost artistry—--waiting pa-
  tientlyfortheright moment toact,putting your competitorsofftheir form
  bymessingwith their timing~—-butitwon't mean athingunlessyouknow
  how tofinish. Donotbeoneofthosepeoplewho look likeparagonsofpa«
  tieuce but areactually justafraid tobring thingstoaclose: Patience is
  worthless unless combined with awillingnesstofallruthlesslyonyour op-
  ponentattherightmoment. You canwait aslongasnecessaryforthe con
  clusion tocome, butwhen itcomes itmust come quickly.Use speedto
  paralyze your opponent,coverupanymistakesyoumight make, and im-
  press peoplewithyouraura ofauthorityandfinality.
  With thepatienceofasnake charmer, youdraw the snake outwith
  calm andsteady rhythms.Once thesnake isout,though,would youdangle
  yourfoot above itsdeadlyhead? There isnever agoodreason toallow the
  slightesthitch inyour endgame. Your masteryoftimingcanreally onlybe
  judged byhowyouwork with end time——-how youquickly change thepace
  andbring thingstoaswift anddefinitive conclusion.
  Image: The Hawk. Patientlyandsilentlyitcircles thesky,high
  above, allxseeingwith itspowerful eyes.Those below have
  no awareness thattheyarebeingtracked. Suddenly,
  when the moment arrives, thehawkswoops
  down with aspeedthat cannot bede
  fancied against; before itsprey
  knows what has happened,
  thebird's viselike talons
  have carried it
  upinto the
  sky.
  Authority:There isatide intheaffairs ofmen, /Which, taken attheflood,
  leads ontofortune; I'Omitted, allthevoyageoftheir life/Isbound in
  shallows and inmiseries. (julius Caesar, William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)
  REVERSAL
  There isnopowertobegainedinletting goofthereins andadapting to
  whatever time brings.Tosome degree youmust guide time oryouwill be
  itsmerciless Victim. There isaccordinglynoreversal tothis law.
  LAW' 515 .900
  30036
  DISDAIN THINGS
  YOU CANNOT HAVE:
  IGNORING THEM IS
  THE BEST REVENGE
  _]UDGMEN'I'
  Byacknowledgingapetty problem yougiveitexistence
  and credibility.The meme altentirmyoupayanenemy,
  thestronger youmake him; and asmall mistake isoften
  made worse and more visible whenyoutrytofiicit.Itis
  sometimes best toleave things alone. Ifthere issomething


TxText:
  youwant but cannot have, show mntemptfaiit.The less
  interest youreveal, the more supenbryouseem.
  TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  TheMexican rebel leader Pancho Villa started out asthechief ofagang of
  bandits, but after revolution broke out inMexico in1910, hebecame a.
  kind offolkhero—robbing trains andgiving themoneytothepoor,lead
  ingdaring raids, andcharmingtheladies with romantic escapades.His ex-
  ploitsfascinated Americans—he seemed aman from another era, part
  Robin Hood, partDonJuan.After afewyearsofbitter fighting, however,
  General Carranza emergedasthevictor intheRevolution; thedefeated
  Villa and histroopswent back home, tothenorthern state ofChihuahua.
  Hisarmydwindled and heturned tobanditry again, damaging hispopu-
  larity. Finally, perhapsoutofdesperation,hebegantorailagainstthe
  United States, thegringos,whom heblamed forhistroubles.
  InMarch of1916, Pancho Villa raided Columbus, New Mexico. Ram»
  paging throughthetown, heand hisgang killed seventeen American sol-
  diers and civilians. President Woodrow Wilson, likemany Americans, had
  admired Villa; now, however, thebandit needed tobepunished.Wilson's
  advisers urgedhim tosend troops into Mexico tocaptureVilla. For a
  poweraslargeastheUnited States, they argued,not tostrike back atan
  armythat had invaded itsterritorywould send the worst kind ofsignal.
  Furthermore, they continued, manyAmericans saw Wilson asapacifist,a
  principle thepublic doubted asaresponsetoviolence; heneeded toprove
  hismettle and manliness byorderingthe useofforce.
  ThepressureonWflson was strong, and before themonth was out,
  with theapprovaloftheCarranza government, hesent anarmy often
  thousand soldiers tocapturePancho Villa. The venture was called the
  Punitive Expedition,and itsleader was thedashingGeneral john Persh-
  ing,who had defeated guerrillasinthePhilippinesand Native Americans
  intheAmerican Southwest. Certainly Pershingcould find andoverpower
  Pancho Villa.
  The Punitive Expedition became asensational story, and carloads of
  US. reporters followed Pershing into action. The campaign, they wrote,
  would be atest ofAmerican power.


TxText:
  The soldiers carried the latest in
  weaponry,communicated byradio, and were supported byreconnais-
  sance from theair.
  Inthefirst fewmonths, thetroops split upinto small units tocomb the
  wilds ofnorthern Mexico. The Americans offered a$50,000 rewmd forin-
  fonnation leadingtoVilla'scapture.But theMexican people,who had
  been disillusioned with Villa when hehad returned tobanditry,now idol-
  izedhim forfacing thismightyAmericanarmy. They begantogive Persh-
  ingfalse leads: Villa had been seen inthisvillage,orinthat mountain
  hideaway, airplanes would bedispatched, troopswouldscurryafter them,
  and no one would ever seehim. Thewilybandit seemed tobealwaysone
  stepahead oftheAmerican military.
  Bythe summer ofthatyear,theexpeditionhad swelled to123,000
  men. Theysuffered throughthestultifying heat, themosquitoes,thewild
  terrain. Trudgingover acountrysideinwhich theywere already resented,HI; I'().'\ :\.\I)
  'lllli tIR.r\l'l'‥'s'
  /lstarving fox. . .
  saw :1cluster
  Oflurriour-looking
  grapes ofpurplish.
  luster
  Dangling ubuve him an
  alrelliscvfrume.
  Hewould have dearly
  liked lhem forhir
  lunch,
  But when hetried and
  failed toreach the
  bunch:
  “Ah well, it's more than
  likely the_v're not
  Sweet-
  (load onlyfor grew:
  fools1:)eat.'"
  Warn'! hewise tomy
  they were unripe
  Rather than whine
  and gripe?
  FAELES.
  JEAN DELAF<)N'IAlNI€.
  16214695
  Once when G.K.
  Fliesterronlr ecrmorrzic
  views were abu.\'t'd in
  prim byGeorge
  Bernard Shaw, his
  friends waited invain
  forhim toreply.
  Htrtoriurz Hiluire
  Belloc re-pmached him.
  "My dear Bellov,"
  Chesterton said, “I
  have answerer! him.
  Toaman uf'§'huw's
  wit, silence is[he one
  unbearable reparlee."
  ri-re LlT'l'I.E, l$R()W.\'
  BUOK ()1?AN!-,('I)()1
  Cl.ll'”l'0N FAIHMAN, E17,,
  1985
  LAW 35 30]
  '|H|. \~«i \.\|)
  IHI: (.\|il)l.\«'I.li


TxText:
  /In um'lldll ()II1'(' by
  some accident lost his
  tail, which was (1griev-
  ousajflielion tohim;
  and hewas every where
  seeking :1/terit, being
  fool enough /0think he
  could getitset on
  again. Hepassed
  throughameadow, and
  afterwards go!into a
  garden. Thegardener
  .Y€('lllg him, and not
  able toendure the
  misehiefhewasdoing
  intrampling down his
  plums, fell into a
  violent rage, ran tothe
  u.i'.s', imd never sumding
  onthe('en*m0riy ofa
  pillory. outoffboth his
  ears, and heal him out
  ofthe ground.Thus the
  ass. who henmanxid the
  lossofhistail. was in
  fargreater ujflierion
  when herawhimself
  without ears.
  FABLENZ
  PILPAY.
  INu1A,
  FOURTH ('ENTURY
  llll'. l'R<>l)|(.\r' U\'
  Once, when theToku-
  daijr HllIll.Y1('l' ofthe
  rightwaschief ofthe
  iI7t[M.'rl[1l])()li(,'é',he was
  holdingameeting of
  hisstaffatthemiddle
  gale when anax
  belonging toanofficial
  nameilAkikane got
  loose and wandered
  into theministry build-
  ing.[Iclimbed upon
  -302 LAW 36theyinfuriated both thelocal peopleand theMexican government.Atone
  point Pancho Villa hid inamountain cave torecover from a.gunshot
  wound hereceived inaskirmish with theMexicanarmy; lookingdown
  from hisaerie, hecould watch Pershinglead the exhausted American
  troopsback and forth across themountains, never getting anycloser to
  their goal.
  Allthewayinto winter, Villa playedhiscat-and—mousegame.Ameri-
  cans came toseetheaffair asakind ofslapstickfa,rce—in factthey beganto
  admire Villa again, respectinghisresourcefulness ineludingasuperior
  force. InJanuaryof1917, Wilson finallyordered Pershing'swithdrawal. As
  thetroopsmade theirwayback toAmerican territory, rebel forces pursued
  them, forcingtheU.S. Armytouseairplanestoprotectitsrear flanks. The
  Punitive Expeditionwasbeing punisheditself—it had turned into aretreat
  ofthemost humiliatingsort.
  Interpretation
  Woodrow Wilson organizedthePunitive Expeditionasashow offorce: He


TxText:
  would teach Pancho Villa alesson and intheprocessShow theworld that
  noone, largeorsmall, could attack themightyUnited States andgetaway
  with it.Theexpeditionwould beover inafewweeks, andVilla would be
  forgotten,
  That was nothow itplayedout. Thelonger theexpedition took, the
  more itfocused attention ontheAmericans' incompetenceand onVilla's
  cleverness. Soon what wasforgottenwas notVilla but theraid that had
  started itall.As aminorannoyancebecame aninternational embarrass-
  ment, and theenragedAmericans dispatchedmore troops,theimbalance
  between thesizeofthepursuerand thesizeofthepursued—whostill man-
  agedtostayfree—ma.de theaffair ajoke. And intheend this white ele-
  phant ofanarmyhad tolumber outofMexico, humiliated. The Punitive
  Expedition didtheopposite ofwhat itsetout to do:ItleftVilla notonly
  free but more popularthan ever.
  What could Wilson have done differently?Hecould have pressured
  theCarranza governmenttocatch Villa forhim. Alternatively,since many
  Mexicans had tired ofVilla before thePunitive Expedition began,hecould
  have worked quietlywith them and won their supportfor amuch smaller
  raid tocapturethebandit. Hecould have organizedatrapontheAmeri-
  can side ofdieborder, anticipatingthenext raid. Orhecould have ignored
  the matter altogether forthetime being, waiting fortheMexicans them-
  selves todoawaywith Villa oftheir own accord.
  Remember: You choose toletthingsbotheryou.You canjustaseasily
  choose not tonotice theirritating offender, toconsider the matter trivial
  andunworthyofyourinterest That isthepowerfulmove. Whatyoudo
  not react tocannot drag youdown inafutileengagement.Your prideisnot
  involved. The best lessonyoucan teach anirritating gnatistoconsignitto
  oblivion byignoringit.Ifitisimpossibletoignore (Pancho Villa had infact
  killed American citizens), then conspireinsecret todoawaywith it,but
  never inadvertentlydraw attention tothebothersome insect that will go
  awayordie onitsown. Ifyouwaste time andenergyinsuch entangle
  ments, itisyourown fault. Learn toplaythecard ofdisdain and turnyour
  back onwhat cannot harmyouinthelongrun.
  jusi thinkwit castyour government $130 million totrytogetme.Itook them
  overrough, hilly country. Szrmetmwrforfiftymiles atastretch theyhad nowater:


TxText:
  Theyhadnothingbutthesun andmosquitoes…And nothingwasgainerl.
  Ikmcfw Villa, 1878-1923
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW
  Intheyear 1527, King HenryVIII ofEngland decided hehad tofind a
  waytogetridofhiswife, Catherine ofAragon. Catherine had failed topro-
  duce ason, amale heir who would ensure thecontinuance ofhisdynasty,
  andHenry thought heknew why: Hehad read intheBible thepassage,
  “And ifaman shall take hisbrother's wife, itisanunclean thing: hehath
  uncovered hisbrother's nakedness; theyshall bechildless.” Before marry
  ingHenry,Catherine had married hisolder brother Arthur, butArthur
  had died five months later. Henry had waited anappropriate time, then
  hadmarried hisbrother's widow.
  Catherine was thedaughterofKing Ferdinand andQueenIsabella of
  Spain,andbymarrying herHenry hadkeptalive avaluable alliance. Now,
  however, Catherine had toassure him that herbrief marriagewith Arthur
  had never been consummated. Otherwise Henrywould view their rela-
  tionshipasincestuous and their marriageasnull and void. Catherine in-
  sisted that shehad remained avirgin throughhermarriagetoArthur, and
  PopeClement VIIsupportedherbygivinghisblessingtotheunion, which
  hecould nothave done had heconsidered itincestuous. Yetafter yearsof
  marriagetoHenry, Catherine had failed toproduceason, and intheearly
  1520s shehad enteredmenopause.Totheking this could onlymean one
  thing: She had lied about hervirginity,their union was incesmous, and
  God hadpunishedthem.
  There was another reason whyHenry wanted togetridofCatherine:
  Hehad fallen inlove with ayounger woman, Anne Boleyn. Notonlywas
  heinlove with her, butifhemarried herhecould stillhopetosire alegiti-
  mate son. The marriage toCatherine had tobeannulled. Forthis, how-
  ever, Henryhad toapplytotheVatican. ButPopeClement would never
  annul themarriage,
  Bythe summer of1527, rumors spread throughout EuropethatHenry
  was about toattempttheimpossible-—to annul hismarriage against
  Clement's wishes. Catherine would never abdicate, letalone voluntarily
  enter anunnery,asHenryhadurgedher.ButHenryhad his own strategy:
  Hestopped sleepinginthe same bed with Catherine, since heconsidered
  herhissister~in-law, nothislawful wife.


TxText:
  Heinsisted oncalling her Princessthedais wlzexre theC/tie]
  was Seated and hay
  tltere, chewing itscud.
  EwrrylzneWm' sure that
  this was some grave
  portem, andurged that
  the oxbesent toayin-
  yrmg(liviner. Ilowe yer,
  theprime minister. the
  father ofrlxe minister of
  theright, said, “An ox
  has nodr'_scrimr'uariorz.
  Ithmleg.r—-(here is
  nowhere itwon '1go.it
  does notmake senor In
  deprivermunrlsrpuirl
  ama!afthe wretched
  (1.:heneeds inorder I!)
  attend court."He
  returned the wetoits
  owner andchanged the
  mattingonwhich ithad
  Iain. N0untoward
  event ofanykind
  occurrarl afterward.
  '1'hey.mythatifyou see
  aprodigy and donot
  near itassuch, itschar-
  acter asaprodigy is
  iiertroyed.
  ESSAYS INnn.i~m«:ssx
  Kenko.
  JAPAN,
  mum:-zrwm camunv
  LAW 36 303
  Am] in this View itis
  advimhle toleteveryone
  ofyaur (lL'(.,'ulItIl1(1IlL't'4
  whether man or
  wornan—frrelnow and
  than that you could
  very well (lisprznse Wlill
  zlmir company. This
  will consolidate
  friena'ship. Nuy. with
  most people there will
  benoharm inocca-
  sionally mixingatgrain
  ofdisdaln with your
  rmatmem oftliomg that
  will make them value
  your friendship allthe
  mom. Chi non stima
  vieu stimato, asa
  subtle Italian proverb
  has it— 10(lismgard is
  /0winregard. Butifwe
  really xhmk very highly
  ofa person,weshould
  contract I!from him
  like A:Crime. This isnot
  avery gratifying thing
  todo,butitisright.
  Why. u(lug Will not
  bear being treated (00
  kindly,[(51alrmre llnmn!
  ARTHUR
  S('HL)|'l€'~lllAlVI4R.
  17884860
  'l||l' \1(l'\K|l\' .v\?\l)
  'rm-3 vr.\.<
  Amonkeywasctm'_V-
  ing twohandfuls ul
  peas. Our' little pea
  dropped out. Hetried
  topickitup,andspill
  twenty. Hetried topick
  upthetwmty. andspilt
  them ull.Then heIurt
  his !<'


TxText:
  Nl]7£'t', smtmred rim
  peas inalldirections.
  and ran Away.
  mores.
  Ll.-'U To1,s'roY.
  l8Z8—l9l0
  304 LAW 36Dowager ofWales, her title asA.rthur's widow. Finally,in1531, heban-
  ished herfrom court andshippedherofftoadistant castle. Thepopeor»
  dared him toreturn her tocourt, onpain ofexcommunication, the most
  severe penaltyaCatholic could suffer. Henry notonly ignored thisthreat,
  heinsisted that hismarriagetoCatherine had been dissolved, and in1533
  hemarried Anne Boleyn.
  Clement refused torecognize themarriage, butHenrydid not care.
  He nolonger recognized thepope's authority,andproceededtobreak
  with theRoman Catholic Church, establishingtheChurch ofEnglandin
  itsstead, with thekingasthehead ofthe new church. And so,notsurpris-
  ingly,thenewlyformed Church ofEngland proclaimedAnne Boleyn Eng-
  land's rightful queen.
  Thepope tried every threat inthebook, butnothing worked. Henry
  simply ignored him. Clement fumed—no one had ever treated him socon-
  temptuously. Henryhad humiliated him and hehad nopowerofrecourse.
  Even excommunication (which heconstantlythreatened but never camed
  out) would nolongermatter.
  Catherine toofeltthedevastating stingofHenry'sdisdain. She tried to
  fight back, butinappealingtoHenryherwords fell ondeaf ears, and soon
  theyfell on noone's. Isolated from thecourt, ignored bytheking, mad
  withangerandfrustration, Catherine slowly deteriorated, andfinally died
  inJanuaryof1536, from acancerous tumor oftheheart.
  Interpretation
  Vllhenyou pay attention toaperson,the two ofyou become partners of
  sorts, each movinginsteptotheactions and reactions oftheother. Inthe
  process youloseyourinitiative. Itisadynamicofallinteractions: Byac-
  knowledgingother people,even ifonlytofightwith them, you open your-
  self totheir influence. Had Henrylocked horns with Catherine, hewould
  have found himself mired inendless arguments thatwould have weakened
  hisresolve andeventuallyworn him down. (Catherine was astrong, stub-
  bom woman.) Had hesetout toconvince Clement tochange hisverdict on
  themarriages validity,ortried tocompromise andnegotiatewith him, he


TxText:
  would have gotten boggeddown inClement's favorite tactic: playing for
  time, promising flexibility,butactually gettingwhatpopes always got-
  theirway.
  Henrywould have none ofthis. Heplayedadevastating power
  game——tota.l disdain. Byignoring people you cancel them out. This unset
  tlesand infuriates them—but since they have nodealingswithyou,there is
  nothing theycan do.
  This istheoffensiveaspectofthelaw.Playingthecard ofcontemptis
  immensely powerful, foritletsyoudetermine theconditions oftheconflict.
  The war iswagedonyourterms. This istheultimate power pose:You are
  theking,andyouignore what offendsyou.Watch how this tactic infuriates
  people-—half ofwhat theydoistogetyour attention, and whenyouwith-
  hold itfrom them, theyflounder infmstralzion.
  MAN: Kickhim.—Iae'l€forrg£ve you. Flatter him-~51:mayormaynot
  seethrough you. But igrzorehim and he'llhate you.
  Idries Shah, Caravan ol"Dreams. I968
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Desire often creates paradoxical effects: The moreyouwant something,
  the more you chase after it,the more iteludesyou.The more interest you
  show, the moreyourepeltheobject ofyourdesire. This isbecauseyourin«
  terest istoo su~ong—--it makes people awkward, even fearful. Uncontrol-
  lable desire makesyouseem weak, unworthy, pathetic.
  You need toturnyourback onwhat you want. showyour contempt
  anddisdain. This isthekind ofpowerful responsethatwilldriveyourtar-
  getscrazy. Theywillrespondwith adesire oftheir own, which issimplyto
  have aneffect onyou—perhapstopossess you, perhapstohurtyou.Ifthey
  want topossess you, youhave successfully completedthefirst step ofse-
  duction. Iftheywant tohurtyou, youhave unsettled them and made them
  playbyyourrules (see Laws 8and 39onbaiting peopleintoaction).
  Contemptistheprerogative oftheking.Where hiseyes turn, what he
  decides tosee, iswhat hasreality; what heignoresand turns hisback onis
  asgoodasdead. That was theweapon ofKingLouis XlV—-if hedid not
  likeyou,heacted asifyouwere notthere, maintaining hissuperiority by
  cutting offthedynamicofinteraction. This isthepower youhave when


TxText:
  youplaythecard ofcontempt, periodically showing peoplethatyoucan
  dowithout them.
  Ifchoosingtoignore enhances your power,itfollows that theopposite
  approach-—commitmentandengagement--ofien weakens you. Bypaying
  undue attention toapuny enemy, youlookpuny,and thelongerittakes
  youtocrush such anenemy,thelargertheenemyseems. When Athens set
  outtoconquertheisland ofSicily, in415 B.C., 3,giant powerwasattackinga
  tinyone. Yetbyentangling Athens inalong—drawn—out conflict, Syracuse,
  Sicily'smost important city-state,was able togrowinstature and confi»
  dence. Finally defeating Athens, itmade itself famous for centuries to
  come. Inrecent times, President johnF.Kennedymade asimilar mistake
  inhisattitude toFidel Castro ofCuba: His failed invasion attheBay of
  Pigs,in1961, made Castro aninternational hero.
  Asecond danger: Ifyousucceed incrushingtheirritant, oreven ifyou
  merelywound it,youcreate sympathy forthe weaker side. Critics of
  Franklin D.Roosevelt complained bitterlyabout themoneyhisadminis-
  tration spentongovernment projects,buttheir attacks had no resonance
  with thepublic,who saw thepresidentasworkingtoend the Great De~
  pression.Hisopponents thought theyhad anexamplethatwould show just
  how wasteful hehad become: hisdog, Fala, which helavished with favors
  and attention. Critics railed athisinsensifivitywspendmg taxpayers'
  moneyon adogwhile somanyAmericans were stillinpoverty.ButRoo-
  sevelt had aresponse: How dare hiscritics attack adefenseless little dog?As'some rrzake g()S.\'.'[I
  outofever_va'hing,so
  others make much ado
  about everything. They
  am'always mlking big,
  [and]lake tcvcryrhing
  .verir)u.x'i'y, making(1
  quarrel and amystery
  ofil. You should mke
  wryfew grievances tn
  /mart' for todosoisto
  gr'Wyourself gmzmat
  less worry. I!isamp5):-
  Iurvy wayufbelzaving
  torake tohear! care-;
  which youought£0
  throw over your shoal'
  der. Man V1]:ings which
  scented imporiam [at
  therimrtj turn out inhe
  ofno rwrvuur what:
  theyarelg/lured; and
  01/1!-r.\', whirh seem


TxText:
  trifling, appear formi-
  dable when you /my
  rmenIx'r.m totliem,
  'I'll/rig»:canwlxily be
  settled atflu.'olcfset, hm
  not A!)later on.In
  many miss, therctnect'_r
  itself isIhe cause ofshe
  disease.' to11'!rlzingxE3.'
  isnottheleast saIi.r_[ac—
  wry(lflifek rules:
  BALMSAR GnA<'iA~,
  l601—1658
  LAW 36 305
  306'|'lllC '\1l\'\ \\ll
  H11' :~'|lr\l)()\\
  There wax ucerium
  originalman who
  desire!) tocatch his
  own shadow. Hemakes
  as'(¢>p ortwo toward it,
  butitmover away from
  him. Hequickenr his
  pare; itdoes the mine.
  A:(as:hetakes to
  mrming; but the'
  quicker hegoes, Iltr
  quicker mm the
  .vhaa'ow aim, umarly
  rrfusing togive itself'
  up,justasifithail beer:
  atreasure. But see.' our
  eccemriu friend
  smidenly turns mumi.
  and walks away from
  it.And presently lie
  looks behind him; now
  meshadow f'IN'l‥S'
  ufier him.
  I.arlie.rfair. Ihave
  often ()h.verved …that
  Forzunz: treaty usin 1!
  Similar way. One mun
  tries with I!”hismight
  toseize (hegotltlz.-23$
  andonlyl().\'6.5 hislime
  and histmublu.
  Annrhm .veen2.s'. Inall
  uppmruncc,tobe
  winning (mlofher
  siglii; hug. no:she
  l1:'r.u'lf mini: (1piezzmre
  inpm:vm'ng him.
  r/\m.Ls.
  lwm Kkimrr.
  17684844
  LAW 3!")Hisspeechindefense ofFala was one ofthemost popularheever gave. In
  this case, theweak party involved was thepresident's dog and theattack
  backfired-in thelong run, itonlymade thepresidentmore sympathetic,
  sincemany people willnaturallyside with the“underdog,” justasthe
  American publiccame tosympathizewith thewilybutoutnumbered Pan-
  choVilla.
  Itistemptingtowant tofixourmistakes, but theharder wetry,the
  worse weoften make them. Itissometimes more politictoleave them
  alone. In1971, when theNew Ybrk limes publishedthePentagon Papers,a


TxText:
  group ofgovernment documents about thehistoryofUS. involvement in
  Indochina, Henry Kissinger eruptedinto avolcanic rage. Furious about the
  Nixon administi-ation's vulnerabilitytothis kind ofdamaging leak, he
  made recommendations thateventuallyled totheformation ofagroup
  called thePlumbers toplugtheleaks. This was theunit that later broke into
  Democratic Party offices intheWatergate Hotel, setting offthechain of
  events that ledtoNixon's downfall. InrealitythepublicationofthePenta-
  gonPaperswas not aserious threat totheadministration, butKissingefs
  reaction made itabigdeal. Intryingtofix oneproblem, hecreated an-
  other: aparanoiaforsecuritythat intheend was much more destructive to
  thegovernment. Had heignoredthePentagon Papers,thescandal they
  had created would eventuallyhave blown over.
  Instead ofinadvertently focusingattention on aproblem, makingit
  seem worse bypublicizing how much concern and anxiety itiscausing
  you, itisofien farwiser toplaythecontemptuous aristocrat, notdeigning
  toacknowledgetheproblem's existence. There areseveral waystoexecute
  thisstrategy.
  First there isthesour-grapes approach. Ifthere issomething youwant
  butthat you realize youcannot have, theworst thing youcandoisdraw at-
  tention toyour disappointment bycomplainingabout it.Aninfinitely
  more powerfultactic istoact asifitnever reallyinterestedyouinthefirst
  place.When thewriter George Sand's supportersnominated her tobethe
  first female member oftheAcadémie Frangaise, in1861, Sand quicklysaw
  that theacademy would never admit her. Instead ofwhining, though,she
  claimed shehad nointerest inbelongingtothisgroupofworn—out, over-
  rated, outAof—touch windbags.Her disdain was theperfect response:Had
  sheshown herangeratherexclusion, shewould have revealed how much
  itmeant toher. Instead shebranded theacademyaclub ofoldmem-and
  why should shebeangryordisappointedatnothavingtospendher time
  with them? Crying“sour grapes”issometimes seen asareflection ofthe
  weak; itisactuallythetactic ofthepowerful.
  Second, when youareattacked byaninferior, deflectpeople'satten-
  tionbymakingitclear that theattack has not even registered. Look away,
  oranswer sweetly, showinghow little theattack concerns you. Similarly,
  when youyourselfhave committed ablunder, thebestresponseisoften to
  make lessofyourmistake bytreating itlightly


TxText:
  TheJapanese emperor Go-Saiin,agreat discipleoftheteaceremony,
  owned apriceless antiqueteahowl that allthecoui-tiers envied. One daya
  guest, Dainagon Tsunehiro. asked ifhecouldcarrythe teabowl into the
  light,toexamine itmore closely. The bowl rarelyleftthetable, butthe em-
  perorwas ingood spiritsand heconsented. AsDainagori carried thebowl
  totherailingoftheverandah, however, and held ituptothelight,it
  slippedfrom hishands and fell on arock inthegarden below, smashing
  intotinyfragments.
  The emperor ofcourse was furious. “It was indeed most clumsy ofme
  toletitdrop inthisway,” said Dainagon,with adeep how, “but really
  there isnotmuch harm done. This ldo tea~bowl isavery old one anditis
  impossibletosayhow much longer itwould have lasted, butanyhow itis
  not athing ofanypublic use, soIthink itrather fortunate that ithasbroken
  thus.” Thissurprising responsehad animmediate effect: Theemperor
  calmed down. Dainagonneither sniveled noroverapologized, butsignaled
  hisown worth andpower bytreating hismistake with atouch ofdisdain.
  The emperor had torespondwith asimilar aristocratic indifference; his
  angerhad made him seem low andpetty——an image Dainagonwas able to
  manipulate.
  Among equalsthis tactic might bacldire: Your indifference could make
  youseem callous. Butwith amaster, ifyouactquicklyand without great
  fuss, itcan work togreateffect: Youbypass hisangry response,save him
  thetime andenergyhewould waste bybroodingover it,andallow him the
  opportunitytodisplayhis own lack ofpettiness publicly.
  Ifwemake excuses and denials when we arecaughtinamistake ora
  deception,westirthewaters and make thesituation worse. Itisofien wiser
  toplay thingstheopposite way. The Renaissance writer Pietro Aretino
  often boasted ofhisaristocratic lineage,which was, ofcourse, afiction,
  since hewasactuallythe sonofashoemaker. When anenemyofhisfinally
  revealed theembarrassing truth, word quiddy spread,and soon allof
  Venice (where helived atthetime)was aghast atAretino's lies. Had he
  tried todefend himself, hewould have only draggedhimself down. His re-


TxText:
  sponsewas masterful: Heannounced that hewas indeed the sonofashoe-
  maker, but thisonly provedhisgreatness,since hehad risen from the
  lowest stratum ofsocietytoitsvery pinnacle. From then onhenever men-
  tioned hisprevious lie,trumpeting instead his new positiononthematter
  ofhisancestry.
  Remember: Thepowerful responsestoniggling, petty annoyancesand
  irritations arecontemptand disdain. Never show thatsomethinghas af-
  fectedyou,orthat youareoffended——that onlyshowsyouhave acknowl-
  edgedaproblem. Contemptisadish that isbest served cold and without
  affectarion.
  LAW 36 307
  3083LAW 36Image:
  TheTiny
  Wound.
  Itissmall butpainfulandirritating.You
  tryallsorts ofmedicaments, youCorn-
  plain, youscratch andpickatthe scab.
  Doctors only make itworse, transforming
  thetinywound into agravematter. Ifonly
  youhad left the wound alone, letting time
  heal itand freeing yourself ofworry.
  Authority: Know how toplay thecard ofcontempt. Itisthe most politic
  kind ofrevenge.For there aremanyofwhom weshould have known
  nothing iftheir distinguished opponentshad taken nonotice ofthem.
  There isnorevengelikeoblivion, foritistheentombment ofthe unwor-
  thyinthedust oftheir own nothingness. (Baltasar Gracién, 1601-1658)
  REVERSAL
  You must playthecard ofcontempt with care anddelicacy.Most small
  troubles will vanish ontheir own ifyou leave them be;but some willgrow
  and fester unless youattend tothem. Ignoreaperson ofinferior stature and
  thenext timeyoulook hehasbecome aserious rival, andyour contempt
  has made him vengefulaswell. The geat princesofRenaissance Italy
  chose toignoreCesare Borgiaattheoutset ofhis career asayoung general
  inthearmy ofhisfather, PopeAlexander VI.Bythetime they paida1ten~
  tion itwas too lat.e——the cub was now alion, gobbling upchunks ofItaly.
  Often, then, whileyoushowcontempt publicly youwill also need tokeep
  aneyeontheproblem privately, monitoring itsstatus andmakingsure it
  goes away. Donotletitbecome acancerous cell.
  Developtheskill ofsensing problemswhentheyarestill small and
  takingcare ofthem before theybecome intractable. Leam todistinguish
  between thepotentially disastrous and themildly irritating,the nuisance
  that willquietly goawayonitsown.


TxText:
  Ineither case, though,never com—
  pletely takeyour eyeoil"it.Aslongasitisalive itcansmolder andspark
  into life.
  LAW
  37
  CREATE COMPELLING
  SPECTACLES
  JUDGMENT
  Striking imageryandgrand symbolic gestumscreate the
  auraofpower-—-—everycme respondstothem.Stage spectcr
  clesfarthose zmnmdyou, then,fullofarrasting visuals
  and radiant symbols that heighten your presence.Daz-
  zled byappearancas,no onewill mvlice tuba!youare
  really drying.
  '309
  .\\'l'U\\ \\.|) fl.!Il)l'\l'k\
  She relied above all
  upon herphysical pms»
  enre and thespell and
  eurhmurnern which [I
  wait! cream. . . .She
  came sailing upthe
  rn-'rr Cydrms in $1barge
  wirh apimp 0f,L,'m'(1. its
  purple sails billowing
  inthewind. while her
  rowers curesrcd the
  water with arm'of
  rilt-er whirrlt dippnlin
  lime tothemusic oftho
  flaw, in-cmiapmzied by
  pipes and liner.
  CIL'0]1alI(I herself
  rcrliner! beneath it
  rrannpy ofcioth of
  gold. tlrerxuzd inIht'
  character ofAphmrlilf.
  us'we seeher Inpar!!!-
  ings, while oneiiher
  siaie Inrr)m;rIe!c the
  piCIurr' stool! boys'
  rusmnzcd axCupid;
  who cu0I('a' her' wirh
  lherr farm Ireslem! of:1
  crew thebarge was
  lined wilh 11:4' m()sr
  brzauliful ofhcr wailv
  mg-women mtirml as
  Nereids mm' Graces,
  came attheruzms.-:5,
  otizcrx orthelm-kie of
  themils, and all(he
  while anirztir'sr:rrIhab[y
  rid!perfume, e.r1mle:1
  from mnurnerublr
  cehserx, waswe/led
  from theverve! to(he
  rivrtrbtmks (Irma:
  mzilmndzm zIc'cmnpa-
  rvieri thisroyal
  pmgre.r.r.some ofthem
  following the zjuecm on
  both sides' ofthe river
  from inwry mouth,
  while others hurried
  down from thecityof
  'l'ur.su.r togaze atthe
  siglx/. Gratlzmllv the
  crowds rlri/led LH1-'(U2
  from thenzarkaiplucc.


TxText:
  370 LAW 37OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW I
  Intheearly 1780s. word spread throughBerlin ofthestrangeandspectacu-
  larmedical practice ofaDr.Weisleder. Heperformedhismiracles inan
  enormous converted beer hall, outside which Berliners begantonotice
  ever longerlines ofpeople—-the blind, thelame, anyonewith anillness in
  curable bynormal medicine. When itleaked outthat thedoctor worked by
  exposingthepatienttotheraysofthemoon, hesoon became dubbed The
  Moon Doctor ofBerlin.
  Sometime in1783, itwasreportedthat Dr.Weisleder had cured awell»
  to—do woman ofaterrible ailment. Hesuddenlybecame acelebrity.Previ~
  ously onlythepoorestBerliners had been seen waiting outside thebeer
  hallintheirrags;nowmagnificent carriageswere parked outside, and gen-
  tlemen infrock coats, and ladies with enormous coiffures, lined the street
  assunset drew near. Even folk with themildest ofailments came, outof
  sheer curiosity, Astheywaited inline, thepoorerclients would explainto
  thegentlemenand ladies that thedoctor only practicedwhen the moon
  was initsincrescent phase. Many would add that theythemselves had al
  ready been exposedtothehealing powershecalled forth from therays of
  the moon. Even those who feltcured kept coming back, drawn bythis
  powerful experience.
  Inside thebeer hall, astrange andstirring spectacle greeted thevisitor:
  Packed into the entrance hall was acrowd ofallclasses and ethnic bar.k~
  grounds,averitable Tower ofBabel. Throughtallwindows onthenorthern
  side ofthehall,silvery moonlight pouredinatoddangles.The doctor and
  hiswife, who, itseemed, was also able toeffect thecure, practicedonthe
  second floor, which was reached byatstairway,attheendofthehall. Asthe
  lineedgedcloser tothestairs, thesick would hear shouts and cries from
  above, and word would spread of,perhaps,ablind gentleman suddenly
  able tosee.
  Once upstairs,theline would fork intwodirections, toward anorth-
  ern room forthedoctor, asouthern one forhiswife, who worked onlyon
  theladies. Finally,after hours ofanticipationandwaitinginline, thegen-


TxText:
  tlemen patientswould beledbefore theamazing doctor himself, ancl'
  derlyman with afewstalks ofwildgrayhair and anairofnervousenergy.
  Hewould take thepatient (letussayayoung boy, broughtinbyhisfa-
  ther), uncover theafflicted body part,andlifttheboy uptothewindow,
  which faced thelight ofthe moon. Hewould rub the siteoftheinjuryor
  illness, mumble something unintelligible, look knowinglyatthe moon,
  andthen, after collecting hisfee, send theboyand hisfather ontheirway.
  Meanwhile, inthesout.h~faciug room, hiswife would bedoing the same
  with the 1adies~——which wasodd, really,since the moon cannotappearin
  twoplacesatonce; itcannot have been visible, inother words, from both
  windows. Apparentlythe mere thought, idea, andsymbol ofthe moon
  were enough, fortheladies did notcomplain,and would later remark
  confidentlythat thewife oftheMoon Doctor had the same healing powers
  ashe.
  Interpretation
  DrWeisleclermayhave known nothing about medicine, but heunder-
  stood human nature. Herecognized thatpeopledonotalwayswant words,
  orrational explanations,ordemonstrations ofthepowersofscience; they
  want animmediate appealtotheir emotions. Give them that andtheywill
  dotherest—such asimagine theycanbehealed bythelightreflected from
  arock aquarter million milesaway.Dr.Weisleder had noneed ofpills,or
  oflengthylectures onthemoon'spower,orofanysillygadgetrytoamplify
  itsrays.Heunderstood that thesimplerthespectaclethebetter—justthe
  moonlight pouringinfrom theside, thestairway leadingtotheheavens,
  and theraysofthe moon, whether directlyvisible ornot.Anyadded ef-
  fectsmighthave made itseem that the moon was notstrong enoughonits
  own. And the moon wasstrong enough——itwas amagnetforfantasies, asit
  hasbeen throughout history. Simply byassociating himself with theimage
  ofthemoon, thedoctor gained power.
  Remember: Your search forpower dependsonshortcuts. You must al-
  wayscircumvent people's suspicions,theirperversedesire toresistyour
  will.Imagesare anextremelyeffective shortcut: Bypassingthehead, the
  seatofdoubt and resistance, theyaimstraight fortheheart. Overwhelming
  theeyes, theycreate powerful associations, bringing people together and
  stirring their emotions. With thewhite light ofthe moon intheireyes, your
  targetsareblinded tothedeceptions youpractice.


TxText:
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAW II
  In1536 thefuture kingHenri IIofFrance took hisfirst mistress, Diane de
  Poitiers. Diane was t.hirty—sevenatthetime, and was thewidow ofthe
  grandseneschal ofNormandy. Henri, meanwhile, was asprightlyladof
  seventeen, who wasjustbeginningtosow hiswild oats. Atfirst their union
  seemed merely platonic,with Henri showinganintensely spiritualdevo-
  tion toDiane. Butitsoon became clear that heloved herinevery way, pre-
  ferring herbed tothat ofhisyoung wife, Catherine de'Médicis.
  In1547KingFrancis died and Henri ascended tothethrone. This new
  situation posed perilsforDiane dePoitiers. She hadjustturned forty-eight,
  anddespiteher notorious cold baths and rumored youth potions,she was
  beginningtoshow her age;now that Henri wasking, perhapshewould re-
  turn tothequeen's bed, and do asother kingshad done—choose mis-
  tresses from thebevyofbeauties who made theFrench court theenvyof
  Europe.He was, after all,only twenty-eight,and cut adashing figure.But
  Diane did notgive upsoeasily.Shewould continue toenthrall herlover,
  asshehad enthralled him forthepastelevenyears.
  Diane's secret weaponswere symbolsandimages,towhich shehad al-
  ways paid great attention. Earlyoninherrelationship with Henri, shehad
  created amotif byintertwiningher initials with his, tosymbolizetheir
  union. The idea worked like acharm: Henri putthisinsignia everywhere-
  onhisroyal robes, onmonuments, onchurches, onthe facade ofthewhere Antony uwaitvri
  thequeen emhroned on
  histribunal, mm"! atlast
  hewasleftsitting quite
  alonn. And theword
  spread onevery side
  [hatAphrodite had
  come tonavel with
  Dionysus for the
  happiness ofAxia.
  /imony than smr a
  message inviting
  C'Ieo[1utratodine with
  him. But shethought it
  more appmprime thal
  heshould come toher,
  and so. ashewished to
  show hiscourtesy and
  goodwill, heaccepted
  and went. Hefound the
  prcpariuirmx made to
  receive himrnagnificent
  Ileyolxd words, but


TxText:
  what a.s'toni.s'hezl him
  most ofall was the
  extraordinary number
  ofIiglits. Somany of
  them itissaid, were let
  down from theroof
  and ¢Il.x'[)luyell onall
  sides atante. and they
  were arranged and
  grouped m.Yll('l'l inge-
  nious patterns inrela-
  tion toemrh olhr-.r,.s'mm-
  insquares and some in
  circles, thm they (.'f€(lll'll
  asbrilliant aspectacle
  ascan ever haw been
  zle\«'is'ed todelight
  the eye.
  LIFE OF ANTONY.
  l'LlI'i'AR('H.
  c.A.D. 4ti—l20
  IntheMiddle Ages /he
  .\'ymlwli.\'t umrudv was
  much more inevidmce.
  . . .Syrnbolisrn appears
  as (1sort o_/Crlwrt outof
  thought. lmtezul of
  looking fortherelaliml
  LAW 37 311
  between twothings by
  followingthehidden
  demurs oftheir causal
  cormexions, thought
  makes aleap and
  discovers their relation
  nothnhecnnnenon
  ofcause and effects,
  butinaconnexion of
  signification‥ . .
  Symbolist thought
  permitsaninfinity of
  relations between
  things. Each thing may
  denote anumber of
  distinct ideas byits
  different special quali-
  ties. and aquality may
  have several symbolic
  meanings. Thehighest
  conceptions have
  symbols bythethou-
  sand. Nothing istoo
  humble torepresent
  andglorythesublime.
  The walnut signifies
  Christ: the sweet kernel
  isHisdivine nature, the
  greenandpulpv outer
  peelisHishumanity,
  thewooden shell
  between isthe cross.
  Thus allthings raise
  histhoughts tothe
  eternal. ‥ .Every
  precious stone, besides
  itsnatural splendour
  sparkles with thebril-
  liance ofits symbolic
  values. The assimilation
  ofmrer andvirginity is
  much more than a
  poetic comparison, for
  itreveals their common
  essence. Aseach nation
  arises inthemind the
  logic of.t_vmbolism
  creates anharmony
  ofitieas.
  ll-IF. wmsmo orTH]:
  MIDDLE AGES.
  .ImmN HUIZINGA,
  I928
  312 LAW 37Louvre, then theroyal palaceinParis. Dia.


TxText:
  ne's favorite colors were black
  andwhite, which she wore exclusively,and wherever itwaspossiblethein-
  signia appearedinthese colors. Everyone recognizedthesymboland its
  meaning. Soon after Henri took thethrone, however, Diane went still fur»
  ther: She decided toidentifyherself with theRoman goddess Diana, her
  namesake. Diana was thegoddess ofthehunt, thetraditional royal pastime
  and theparticular passionofHenri. Equally important,inRenaissance an
  shesymbolized chastityandpurity.For awoman likeDiane toidentifyher-
  selfwith thisgoddess would instantlycallupthose imagesinthecourt, giv-
  ingher anairofrespectability. Symbolizingher“chaste” relationshipwith
  Henri, itwould also setherapartfrom theadulterous liaisons ofroyalmis-
  tressespast.
  Toefiect thisassociation, Diane began bycompletely transformingher
  castle atAnet. She razed thebuilding'sstructure and initsplaceerected a
  magnificent Doric-columned edifice modeled after aRoman temple. Itwas~
  made inwhite Normandystone flecked with black silex, reproducing
  Diane's trademark colors ofblack and white. The insignia ofher and
  Henn"s initialsappearedonthecolumns, thedoors, thewindows, the can
  pet.Meanwhile, symbolsofDiana—crescent moons, stags,and hounds-
  adomed thegatesand facade. Inside, enormous tapestries depicting
  episodesinthelifeofthegoddess layonthefloors andhungonthewalls.
  Inthegarden stood thefamous Goujon sculptureDiane Chasseresxe, which is
  now intheLouvre, and which had anuncannyresemblance toDiane de
  Poitiers. Paintings and other depictionsofDiana appearedineverycomer
  ofthecastle.
  Anet overwhelmed Henri, who soon wastrumpetingtheimageof
  Diane dePoitiers asaRoman goddess. In1548, when thecouple appeared
  togetherinLyonsfor aroyal celebration, thetownspeoplewelcomed them
  with atableau vimznt depictingascene with Diana thehuntress. France's
  greatest poetoftheperiod,Pierre deRonsard, began towrite verses in
  honor ofDiana—indeed akind ofcult ofDianasprang up,allinspired by
  theking's mistress. Itseemed toHenri that Diane hadgivenherself akind
  ofdivine aura, and asifhewere destined toworshipherforthe restofhis
  life.And until hisdeath, in1559, hedidremain faithful toher—makingher
  aduchess, givingheruntold wealth, anddisplayinganalmost religious do
  votion tohisfirst andonlymistress.


TxText:
  Interpretation
  Diane dePoitiers,awoman from amodest bourgeois background,man-
  agedtocaptivateHenri for over twenty years. Bythetime hedied she was
  well into hersixties, yethispassion forheronlyincreased with theyears.
  She knew theking well. He was not anintellectual but alover ofthe out-
  doors——he particularlyloved jousting tournaments, with their bright pen-
  nants, brilliantly caparisoned horses, and beautifully dressed women.
  Henri's love ofvisual splendorseemed childlike toDiane, and sheplayed
  onthisweakness ofhisatevery opportunity.
  Most astute ofall was Diane's appropriationofthegoddessDiana.
  Here shetook thegame beyond physical imageryinto therealm ofthepsy-
  chicsymbol. Itwasquiteafeat totransform aking'smistress into anem-
  blem ofpowerandpurity,but shemanagedit.Vfithout the resonance of
  thegoddess, Diane wasmerely anragingcourtesan. With theimageryand
  symbolismofDiana onhershoulders, sheseemed amythic force, destined
  forgreatness.
  You too canplaywith imageslikethese, weavingvisual clues into an
  encompassing gestalt,asDiane didwith hercolors and herinsignia.Estab-
  lish atrademark like these tosetyourself apart.Then take thegame fur
  ther: Find animageorsymbolfrom l'.l1epastthat willneatlyfityour
  situation, andputitonyour shoulders like acape. Itwill make youseem
  larger than life.
  Because ofthelight itshines ontheother stars which makeupakindof
  court around it,became ofthejust andequal distribution ofitsrays to
  allalike, because ofthegood itbringstoallplaces, [zmducing life,joy
  and action, bemuse ofitswnstamy fromwhich itnever varies, Ichose
  the mm asthemost magnificent imagetorepresentagreatleader.
  Louis XIV theSunKing, 16384715
  KEYS TOPOWER
  Using words toplead yourcase is business: Words aredangerousin-
  struments, and oftengoastray. The words peopleuse topersuadeusvirtu-
  allyinvite ustoreflect onthem with words ofour own; wemull them over,
  and often end upbelieving theopposite ofwhat they say.(That ispart of
  ourperverse nature.) Italsohappensthat words offend us,stirring upasso-
  ciations unintended bythespeaker.
  The visual, ontheother hand, short-circuits thelabyrinth ofwords. It


TxText:
  strikes with anemotional powerandimmediacythat leave nogapsfor re-
  flecfion and doubt. Like music, itleaps rightover rational, reasonable
  droughts. Imagine theMoon Doctor tryingtomake acase forhismedical
  practice, tryingtoconvince theunconverted bytellingthem about the
  healing powers ofthemoon, and about hisownspecialconnection toadis-
  tantobject inthesky.Fortunately forhim, hewas able tocreate acom-
  pelling spectaclethat made words unnecessary. The moment hispatients
  entered thebeer hall, theimage ofthe moon spoke eloquently enough.
  Understand: Words putyouonthedefensive. Ifyouhave toexplain
  yourself your powerisalreadyinquestion. Theimage,ontheother hand,
  imposes itself asagiven. Itdiscourages questions,creates forceful associa-
  tions, resists unintended interpretations,communicates instantly,and
  forges bonds that transcend social dilferences. Words stiruparguments
  anddivisions; images bring people together. Theyarethequintessentialin-
  struments ofpower.
  The symbolhas the same force, whether itisvisual (the statue ofThen: was aman
  named Saknmoroyn
  Hechigwan who [wed
  inupper Kyoto‥ . .
  When [Emperor]
  Hideyor/zi gave his
  great Chmno-yu [ma
  ceremony] meeting at
  Kimno inthetemh
  month of1588. Her:hig-
  wrm relupagrant red
  mnhrelln nine feet
  across mounted on a
  stick seven feethigh,
  Thecircunrference of
  thehandle lu-
  .-rurrourzdedfor allow
  twofeet byareed fence
  insuch away that the
  raysoftherim were
  reflected from itand
  difjizsed thecolour of
  theumbrella all
  around. '1']ri.r device
  pleased Hide]-oshiso
  much that heremitted'
  Hechigwuniv laxex asa
  reward.
  can-no-yo:
  run .3/\PANESF TEA
  ¢'léRl?M(\NY.
  A.L.Sm»;-.n.
  1962
  LAW 37 313
  314 LAW 37Diana) oraverbaldescription ofsomethingvisual (the words “the Sun
  King”). Thesymbolic object stands forsomething else, somethingabstract
  (such astheimage “Diana” standingforchastity).The abstract concept-
  purity, patriotism, courage,lovc~—~is fullofemotional andpowerfulassocia-
  tions. The symbolis ashortcut ofexpression, containing dozens of
  meaningsinonesimple phraseorobject.Thesymbol oftheSunKing,as


TxText:
  explained byLouis XIV, canberead onmany layers,butthebeauty ofitis
  that itsassociations requirednoexplanation, spoke immediatelytohissub-
  jects, distinguishedhim from allother kings, andconjured upakind of
  majestythat went farbeyond thewords themselves. Thesymbolcontains
  untoldpower.
  The firststepinusing symbols and imagesistounderstand thepri-
  macyofsight among the senses. Before theRenaissance, ithasbeen an
  gued, sightand theother senses--taste, touch, and soon-—-operatedon a
  relatively equal plane. Since then, however, thevisual has come todomi-
  nate theothers, and isthe sense wemostdependonand trust. AsGracién
  said, “The truth isgenerally seen, rarely heard.” When theRenaissance
  painterFraFilippo Lippiwas acapturedslave among theMoors, hewon
  hisfreedom bysketchingadrawing ofhismaster on awhite wall with a
  piece ofcharcoal; when the owner saw thedrawing, heinstantlyunder-
  stood thepowerofaman who could make such images, and letFraLippi
  go.That oneimagewas far more powerfulthananyargumenttheartist
  could have made with words.
  Never neglect theway you arrange things visually. Factors likecolor,
  forexample,have enormous symbolicresonance. When the con artist Yel-
  low Kid Weil created anewsletter touting thephonystocks hewas ped-
  dling, hecalled itthe “Red Letter Newsletter” and had itprinted,at
  considerable expense, inredink. The color created asense ofurgency,
  power,andgoodfortune. Weil recognized details like these askeystode-
  ception—asdomodern advertisers and mass-marketers. Ifyouuse“gold”
  inthetitle ofanything youaretrying tosell, forexample, print itingold.
  .Since theeyepredominates, people willrespondmore tothecolor than to
  theword.
  The wsual containsgreat emotionalpower.The Romanemperor Con-
  stantine worshipped the sun asagod formost ofhislife; oneday, though,
  helookedupatthe sun, and saw across superimposedonit.The vision of
  the cross over the sunprovedtohim theascendancyofthe new religion,
  and heconverted notjusthimself butthewhole Roman EmpiretoChris-
  tianitysoon thereafter. Allthepreachingandproselytizing intheworld
  could nothave been aspowerful. Find and associate yourself with theim-


TxText:
  ages andsymbols thatwill communicate inthisimmediatewaytoday,and
  youwill have untoldpower.
  Most effective ofallisanew con1bination—a fusion ofimagesandsym-
  bols that have notbeen seen together before, butthatthrough their associ-
  ation clearlydemonstrateyournew idea, message, religion. The creation of
  new imagesandsymbols outofold ones inthiswayhas apoetic effect-
  viewers' associations runrampant. giving them asense ofparticipation.
  Visual imagesoftenappearinasequence, and theorder inwhich they
  appearcreates asymbol.The first toappear,forinstance, symbolizes
  power;theimageatthecenter seems tohave central importance'
  Near theend ofWorld WarII,orders came down from General Eisen-
  hower thax American troopswere tolead thewayinto Paris after itsliber~
  ation from the Nazis. The French general Charles deGaulle, however,
  realized that thissequencewould imply that theAmericans now com-
  manded thefateofFrance. Through much manipulation,deGaulle made
  certain that heand theFrench Second Armored Division wouldappearat
  thehead oftheliberatingforce. Thestrategyworked: After hehad success
  fullypulled offthis stunt, theAllies started treatinghim asthe new leader
  ofanindependentFrance. DeGaulle knew that aleader has tolocate him'
  selfliterally atthehead ofhistroops. This visual association iscrucial tothe
  emotionalresponsethat heneeds toelicit.
  Things changeinthegameofsymbols: Itisprobablynolonger possiv
  bletoposeasa“sun king,”ortowrap themantle ofDiana aroundyou. Yet
  youcan associate yourselfwith such symbolsmore indirectly. And, of
  course, youcan make yourown mythology outoffiguresfrom more re-
  centhistory, peoplewho arecomfortably dead butstillpowerfullyassociaw
  fiveinthepublic eye.The idea istogive yourselfanaura, astature that
  yournormal banalappearance simply will not create. Byherself Diane de
  Poitiers had nosuch radiantpowers;she was ashuman andordinaryas
  most ofus.But thesymbol elevated her above thehuman lot,and made
  her seem divine.
  Using symbols also has acourtierlike effect, since theyareoftengen-
  tlerthan brutish words. The psychotherapistDr.Milton H.Erickson al-


TxText:
  waystried tofind symbolsand images that would communicate tothe
  patientinways that words could not. When dealingwith aseverelytrou~
  bled patient,hewould notquestion himdirectlybut would talk about
  something irrelevant, such asdriving throughthedesert inArizona, where
  hepracticedinthe 19505. Indescribing this hewould eventuallycome to
  anappropriate symbolforwhat hesuspectedwas theman's problem. Ifhe
  feltthepalientwasisolated, say,Dr.Erickson would talk ofasingle iron-
  wood tree, and how itsisolation leftitbattered bythewinds. Makingan
  emotional connection with the tree asasymbol,thepatientwouldopen up
  more readily tothedoctor': probing.
  Use thepower ofsymbolsasawaytorally, animate, and unite your
  troopsorteam. Duringtherebellion againsttheFrench crown in1648,
  those loyaltotheking disparagedtherebels bycomparingthem tothe
  slingshots (inFrench, fiandeslthat littleboysuse tofrighten bigboys. Cardi~
  naldeRetz decided toturn thisdisparagingterm into therebels'symbol:
  Theuprisingwas now known astheFronde, and therebels asfivndeurs.
  They began towear sashes intheir hats thatsymbolizedtheslingshot, and
  theword became their rallying cry.Without ittherebellion might well
  havepetered outAlwaysfind asymboltorepresent yourcause—the more
  emotional associations, thebetter.
  The bestwaytouseimagesandsymbolsistoorganize them into a
  LAW 37 .315
  grand spectacle that awes peopleand distracts them from unpleasant reali-
  ties. This iseasytodo:People love what isgrand, spectacular,andlarger
  than life.Appealtotheir emotions andthey will flock toyour spectaclein
  hordes. The visual istheeasiest route totheir heans.
  Image:
  The Cross and the
  Sun. Crucifixion and
  total radiance. With one
  imposedover theother,a
  new realitytakes shape—
  anewpowerisinthe
  ascendant. The sym-
  bol-no explanation
  necessary.
  Authority:The peopleare
  always impressed bythe
  superficial appearamze of
  things….The[prince] should,
  atfittingtimes oftheyear,
  keepthepeople occupied
  and distracted with festivities
  and spectacles. (Niccolo
  Maclliavelli, 1469-»l527)
  REVERSAL
  Nopowerismade available byignoring imagesandsymbols. There isno
  possiblereversal tothis law.
  316 LAW 37
  38
  TT[INH§¢AS'Y()[IIJI[E


TxText:
  BIJ17I3EI[AOJE LIFCE
  OTHERS
  JUDGMENT
  Ifyoumake ashow ofgoing againstthetimes, flaunting
  yourunconventional ideas and unorthodoxways, people
  will think that you onlywant attention and that you
  look down uponthem. They willfindawaytopunish
  youformakingthemfeelinferior.Itisforsafertoblend
  inand nurture the common touch. Shareyour orig2'nal—
  ityonlywéth tolerant fiiendsand those who are sure to
  appreciate your uniqueness.
  317'
  |HI\|\ \\II'l| Illl Ivl \X
  \\|)«'I*l-Hi \H'HI
  |I|I.\l\\\
  /Iin.ctzsy'(0nm mm
  drzluzcr bytry:/lg10
  rwinz against the
  szream. OntyaSmrrarav
  coufri attemptmdo
  that. Diwzgreemwilis'
  rztgaldetiaso/'f<>:z.~u'x'<>
  herzmw iiisa11Imlr'm-
  Manon 1/fihe view of
  U1/l(3r.Y;H1(' riumhmxx' of
  111:»rlisgmnrlwl grow,
  onurcoimt ei/her of
  mum' mm/er I/mt hm'
  been thealum'! of
  ('é,'I1.\'lIre orufsunm
  person who [tuxprai.\'ei1
  it:'l'm1li ivfor NH'few,
  error I)'asnsmll as '3'
  vulgar. Nor ix'IP14: n e
  man (0here<'ogni:»',4*d
  bylfhilf herays inthe
  marketplace. forhf
  vpcakr rhrre mil with
  his own voice. butwill
  that (7fur1iver.\'rII /'ally,
  h(m'ewrr mm:Iz /li.\'
  imnnrt tlirzughlx may
  gcunsay11.'The wise
  man avuiilx beirig
  cantradtcletl axsedu-
  laurly (IAheamid:
  cmrlmdicfi/lg; Ilw
  pm')[ir£ty ofl7£!Il.\I4l r'it
  wirlxhe-Iii ]'l'()IIl that
  whichre'ut§1e'_y provokes
  Ir.Timzrgh: isflrca: ii
  Lamml and rshnuld not
  becrierctrd; retire into
  (her.ram'tuary 0f_\=r)ur
  .5'nce undI/you
  5()melimes allow your-
  rulftobreak it,do so
  under thene;:i.s' ofu
  llI.S'L'Vt'L'I few.
  BALTAX/xR ('rR.-xi'!/x.~.


TxText:
  l(>(ll W058
  318 LAW 38TRANSGRESSION OFTHE LAW
  Around theyear478 B.C., thecityofSpartasent anexpeditiontoPersia led
  bytheyoung Spartan nobleman Pausanias. The city—statesofGreece had
  recently fought off amightyinvasion from Persia, and now Pausanias,
  along with allied shipsfrom Athens, had orders topunish theinvaders and
  win back the islands and coastal towns that the Persians had occupied.
  Both theAthenians and theSpartanshad great respectforPausanias-—he
  had proven himself asafearless warrior, with aflair forthedramatic.
  With amazing speed, Pausanias and histroops took Cyprus, then
  moved ontothemainland ofAsia Minor known astheHellespontand
  captured Byzantium [modem-day Istanbul). Now master ofpart ofthePer-
  sianempire,Pausanias begantoshow signsofbehavior that went beyond
  hisnormal flarnboyance.Heappearedinpublic wearing pomadesinhis
  hair andflowing Persian robes, andaccompanied byabodyguard ofEgyp-
  tians. Heheld lavish banquets inwhich hesatinthePersian manner and
  demanded tobeentertained. Hestopped seeing hisoldfriends, entered
  into communication with the Persian King Xerxes, and allinallaffected
  thestyle and manner ofaPersian dictator.
  Clearly powerand success had gone toPausanias's head. Hisarmy-
  Athenians andSpartans alike—at firstthoughtthis apassing fancy:Hehad
  always been abitexaggerated inhisgestures. But when heilaunted hisdis-
  dain fortheGreeks' simple wayoflife, and insulted the common Greek
  soldier, they begantofeel hehadgone toofar.Although there was nocon'
  crete evidence forthis, rumors spreadthat hehadgoneover totheother
  side, and that hedreamed ofbecomingakind ofGreek Xerxes. Toquell
  thepossibility ofmutiny,theSpartansrelieved Pausanias ofhiscommand
  and called him home.
  Pausanias, however, continued todress inthe Persian style,even in
  Sparta.After afewmonths beindependentlyhired atrireme and returned
  totheHellespont, tellinghiscompatriots hewasgoingtocontinue theFight
  against thePersians. Actually, however, hehad differentplans———tomake
  himself ruler ofallGreece, with theaidofXerxes himself. The Spartans
  declared him apublic enemyand sent ashiptoCapturehim. Pausanias sur-


TxText:
  rendered, certainlthat hecould clear himself ofthecharges oftreason. It
  did come outduringthetrial thatduringhisreignascommander hehad
  offended hisfellow Greeks time and again, erecting monuments, forin-
  stance, inhisown name, rather than inthose ofthecities whose troopshad
  fought alongside him, aswas the custom. YetPausanias proved right:De~
  spite theevidence ofhis numerous contacts with theenemy, theSpartans
  refused toimprisonaman ofsuch noble birth, and lethimgo.
  Now thinking himself untouchable, Pausanias hired amessengerto
  take aletter toXerxes, butthe messenger instead took theletter tothe
  Spartan authorities. These men wanted tofind out more, sotheyhad the
  messenger arrangetomeet Pausanias inatemple where theycould hide
  and listen behind apartition. l/Vhat Pausanias said shocked them»-they
  had never heard such contemptfortheirways spokensobrazenly byone
  oftheir 0wn—-—and they made arrangementsforhisimmediate arrest.
  Onhiswayhome from thetemple, Pausanias gotword ofwhat had
  happened.He ran toanother templetohide, but theauthorities followed
  himthere andplaced sentries allaround. Pausanias refused tosurrender.
  Unwillingtoforciblyremove him from thesacred temple,theauthorities
  kepthimtrapped inside, until heeventually died ofstarvation.
  Interpretation
  Atfirstglanceitmightseem that Pausanias simplyfellinlove with another
  culture, aphenomenonasold astime. Never comfortable with the asceti-
  cism oftheSpartans,hefound himself enthralled bythe Persian love of
  luxuryand sensual pleasure.HeputonPersian robes andperfumeswith a
  sense ofdeliverance from Greek disciplineandsimplicity.
  This ishow itappearswhenpeople adoptaculture inwhich theywere
  notraised. Often, however, there isalso something else atplay: People
  who flaunt their infatuation with adifferent culture areexpressingadis
  dain andcontemptfortheir own. Theyareusing theoutwardappearance
  oftheexotic toseparatethemselves from the common folk whounques-
  tioninglyfollow thelocal customs andlaws, and toexpresstheir sense of
  superiority.Otherwise theywould actwith more dignity, showing respect
  forthose who donot share their desires. Indeed their need toshow their


TxText:
  difference sodramaticallyoften makes them disliked bythepeoplewhose
  beliefs they challenge, indirectlyand subtly, perhaps,but'offensively
  nonetheless.
  AsThucydideswrote ofPausanias, “Byhiscontemptforthelaws and
  hisimitation offoreign wayshehad made himselfverywidely suspected of
  being unwillingtoabide bynormal standards.” Cultures have norms that
  reflect centuries ofshared beliefs and ideals. Donotexpecttoscoff atsuch
  thingswithimpunity.You will bepunished somehow, even ifjustthrough
  isolation—a position ofrealpowerlessness.
  Many ofus,likePausanias, feel thesiren calloftheexotic, theforeign'
  Measure and moderate this desire. Flaunting your pleasureinalienways of
  thinkingandacting will reveal adifferent motive————to demonstrateyoursu-
  periorityoveryourfellows.
  OBSERVANCE OFTHE LAVV
  Duringthelate sixteenthcentury,aviolent reaction againsttheProtestant
  Reformation eruptedinItaly.The Counter-Reformation, asitwas called,
  included itsown version oftheInquisitiontoroot outalldeviations from
  theCatholic Church. Amongitsvictims was the scientist Galileo, but an
  importantthinker who suffered even greater persecutionwas theDomini-
  canmonk andphilosopher Tommaso Campanella.
  Afollower ofthematerialist doctrine oftheRoman philosopher Epi-
  cums, Campanelladid notbelieve inmiracles, orinheaven and hell. The
  Church hadpromotedsuch superstitions, hewrote, tocontrol the common
  folkbykeepingthem infear. Such ideas vergedonatheism, and Cam-
  panella. expressedthem incautiously. In1593 theInquisition threw himBone vixil, qui bone
  latuit~“lIe lives well
  who ('0fl(,'(,'lZl.\' himself_
  well."
  Ovm,
  c.43 B.(7.—/\.D. 18
  Wise men /should be]
  like('offers with double
  bottoms: Which when
  ozhem look into, being
  opened. they see notall
  thatthey hold.
  SIR \V/\l,TFR l[Al.F.!('vH.
  1554-161 8
  \K|l|Cl\ 'l'|ll;\\NIlil(~2
  \X|~',l[l“,(1|M,\(y|ul)
  ()Il('.I.' uponayirrw
  Klzidn theteacher of
  Moms, culled upon
  Immklml with itwarm-
  ing.At acertain dtllt',
  hesaid. allthe water in
  theworld which had
  no! been specially
  huunlerl, would lllSLl[r-
  pear. Itwould then be


TxText:
  l'(f7té,'W€(l. with difjfarrzrtr
  water. wlzlcli would
  drive men marl.
  Onlyone man /iivtz-nod
  tothemeaning ofthis
  advice. Hecollected
  water and went toll
  secure plum where he
  .\'t0red it,and waiwd for
  the wiuer 11)change its
  i'ht2raL'm'.
  OntheIl[)]7(IlH[('.tl (I/715'
  the streanm.Str>p]7P(l
  running, thewells' want
  dry. and the man who
  had llA'(€H(>.'(l, seeing this
  LAW 33 319
  happening. went tofair
  retreat and rlmvak hrs
  preservedwater.
  When hesaw,from his
  s'ecuri!y, thewan-rfnlls
  again bagimzingto
  flow,this man
  (lra.\'m>nded armmg (he
  other sores nfmen. HP
  found that (hey were
  thinking andmlking in
  anmzrirely different
  wayfrom before; ye!
  they had nomenzwy of
  who! hadImppened.
  norofhaving been
  warned. When hetried
  totalk tothem, hereal»
  ized that theythought
  that hewas mad. and
  they showed hostility or
  compassion, no:tmdan
  standing.
  A!first hedrank nmw
  oflhe new water, but
  went back tohis
  concealment, I1)draw
  onhissupplies, every
  day.Finally, however.
  hetook theditrisimr to
  drink the new water
  bc('au.ra hecould not
  bear thelormlirresr of
  living. In-Imwng and
  thinking in redifferent
  wayfrom everyone
  else. Hedrank the new
  water, and became like
  the res!. 'T1101; heforgo!
  allaboul his own rmre
  ofspecial water. and
  hisfellows began to
  look upon him ata
  mailman who had
  miruc'ulr)u.vly been
  reslored Z0sanity.
  'lA1.ES OF
  'nu: maRvisnss,
  IDRIES SHAH.
  I967
  320 LAW 38intoprison forhisheretical beliefs. Sixyears later, asaform ofpartialre
  lease, hewas confined toamonasteryinNaples.
  Southern Italywas controlled bySpainatthetime, and inNaples


