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.
Interpretation
This quote encourages individuality and the courage to defy social norms for deeper power.
Robert Greene's quote emphasizes the significance of individuality in a conformist society. By advocating for a blend of traits traditionally seen as either masculine or feminine, Greene suggests that embracing a unique identity can captivate attention and lead to a greater sense of personal power, which surpasses the shallow pursuits of societal acceptance or conformity.
In practice
During a leadership seminar, I quoted this to inspire attendees to embrace their unique qualities.
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.
What had been (at the beginning) no bigger than a full stop had expanded into a comma, a word, a sentence, a paragraph, a chapter; now it was bursting into more complex developments, becoming, one might say, a book - perhaps an encylopaedia - even a whole language.
I think we live in a culture that is actually hedging all of it towards comfort and immediacy, things that scare me. All the things that they sell us as a way of life scare me.
Loyalty to the Nation all the time, loyalty to the Government when it deserves it.
The most lively thought is still inferior to the dullest sensation.
But mostly they were lies I told; it wasn't my fault, I couldn't remember, because it was as though I'd been to one of those supernatural castles visited by characters in legends: once away, you do not remember, all that is left is the ghostly echo of haunting wonder.
Skepticism relieved two terrible diseases that afflicted mankind: anxiety and dogmatism.
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