Robert Greene

In a society where the roles everyone plays are obvious, the refusal to conform to any standard will excite interest. Be both masculine and feminine, impudent and charming, subtle and outrageous. Let other people worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen, and you are after a power greater than they can imagine.

When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike.

The moment people feel they know what to expect from you, your spell on them is broken. More: You have ceded them power.

The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.

The Nihilistic Troll might pretend to be acting in the service of some cause or leader, but don't be fooled. The cause and their supposedly strong convictions are simply a way to justify and provide cover for their abusive behavior.

Only create associations with positive affinities. Make this a rule of life and you will benefit more than from all the therapy in the world.

Remember that the essence of authority is that people willingly follow your lead.

Passive aggressors who are adept at this will have trained themselves to remain calm, while you get irritated and emotional.

Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.

Win through your actions, never through argument.

Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it.

Most people are perpetually locked in the present. Their decisions are overly influenced by the most immediate event; they easily become emotional and ascribe greater significance to a problem than it should have in reality.

Transforming yourself into a deep listener will not only prove more amusing as you open your mind to their mind, but you will gain the most invaluable lessons about human psychology.

If you're in business or politics, you need to have an intense understanding of what's going on around you.

We do not see people as they are, but as they appear to us. And these appearances are usually misleading.

Always remember that your calmness under fire is your best defense in any argument or discussion.

Weak character will neutralize all of the other possible good qualities a person might possess.

Understand: any phenomenon in the world is by nature complex. The people you deal with are equally complex. Any action sets off a limitless chain of reactions. It is never so simple as A leads to B. B will lead to C, D and beyond.

The authority you establish must emerge naturally from your character, from the particular strengths you possess.

People have more freedom to bring more of their personal qualities into the role they play once they have established themselves and their competence is no longer in question. But this is always within limits.

When I say 'Crush your enemy', I don't literally mean it.