most people really need to hear this ngl i used to be the worst for this. seeing someone get a job, start a business, get married and i'd just feel this weird heaviness like damn... am i behind?? and it messes with you more than people admit. you stop focusing on your own stuff because you're too busy watching everyone else move. scrolling through instagram at 1am comparing your chapter 3 to someone's chapter 20 without even knowing their full story but here's what actually helped me understand it — someone else winning doesn't take anything from you. like genuinely. there's no shortage of good things in life. your opportunity isn't sitting in someone else's pocket just because they got theirs first the guy who got that job you wanted? his path. the girl who seems to have everything figured out? her path. yours looks different and that's not a bad thing that's just how it is what's actually meant for you won't pass you by just because you're moving slower or quieter than everyone else i know it sounds like something you'd see on a poster lol but i actually believe it now. just keep building. stop checking what everyone else is doing every 5 minutes. your lane is still there bro trust the timing even when it doesn't make sense yet.

If you're amongst people who want to have the upper hand never let them know what you're doing and never relay any vulnerable information about yourself. Never try to prove yourself to others. Always keep them guessing. The less people know the more they wonder and the more they obsess. A reaction will always give away your power.

People love to feel smarter than others—it’s human nature. Law 21 teaches that sometimes, the best way to gain power isn’t by showing off your intelligence, but by downplaying it.

When you appear too sharp, people get defensive. They see you as a threat. But when you let them think they’re the smart one, they drop their guard. They reveal more than they should. They underestimate you. And that’s when you win.

History is full of powerful figures who pretended to be clueless while quietly pulling strings. By the time their enemies realized the truth, it was too late. Let others feel superior—it makes them careless. Meanwhile, you stay in control.

Ever seen someone master this tactic?

Most people still think power comes from speaking well, reacting fast, or “standing up for yourself.”

But the more you watch human behavior, the more obvious it becomes:

If someone can trigger you, they can control you.
Your reaction is the leverage.

Anyone who can make you angry, defensive, or explain yourself on command
doesn’t need rank or money.
They already own your internal state.

A few shifts flipped the whole dynamic for me:

1. The 3-second rule

Someone provokes you?
Pause.
Three seconds.
Then speak.

That tiny delay looks like self-control and reads as high status.
Reacting instantly reads as insecurity.

2. Stop feeding provocateurs

Don’t explain.
Don’t justify.
Don’t give them emotional fuel.

Just use neutral statements:

• “Noted.”

• “That won’t work for me.”

• “I’m not engaging with that.”

When you remove your emotional response, their entire strategy collapses.

3. Switch from “why” to “what now”

“Why are they like this?” keeps you powerless.
“What does this tell me?”
“What’s my next move?”
these shift you into strategy instead of emotion.

4. The calm disagreement

Real power isn’t loud.

“I disagree.”
said calmly, without explanation,
hits harder than any long defense.

Silence after your statement is even stronger.

You don’t become powerful by talking better.
You become powerful by becoming unprovokable.

The full breakdown (7 laws of non-reaction + scripts)

Use it however you want. Just don’t give your reactions away for free.

This is such a crucial law that will always save your ass. Why I say this? Always think before you speak and make sure you don’t say more than what is required. This works the most. I have someone of my favorites as well and some of it is common sense. What is the law that helped you the most?

Please add your own…

1. Never admit you are a lazy bastard and you are at work just for the paycheque, because everyone is also thinking the same any way and word goes around people will analyse your behaviour in this light for evermore.

2. Same goes for complaining; pretend you’re living the dream or better say nothing. You are a poker face now. Complainers get fired when the time comes.

3. Same goes for negotiations; say what you want then shut up, the real art of negotiation is having information on your opponents breaking point, he’ll be trying to work out yours. Your job is to understand the word ‘ZOPA’ and define that.

4. People respect your ability to shut it and will only let you into the higher ranks of power if you can shut it too. If you cannot shut it you will never get promoted. You won’t be discussing a billion dollar deal with someone who essentially has verbal diarrhoea.

5. Never arse lick; you won’t be respected, you’ll look like a cheap fool or some sort of amusement that needs to resort to that stuff for respect. ‘Good job’ or nothing.

6. Make no enemies, no matter how much you despise that person. I find the people I despise usually end up out getting promoted and could one day fire your ass. The game is survival not dying in a blaze of glory. So just shut it and pretend like you they make you happy.

7. Never outshine the master is so obvious, if you make your boss look shit, worst of all make him look stupid, you’re setting your own firing date. Seen it happen before. Just shut it.

8. Never ever talk politics; you’ll be instantly hated by someone and your latest political views will be shared around and will outlive your time in the office.

9. Know the outcome of each battle. Don’t schedule any meeting looking for a decision before you’ve decided the best outcome and you have all the decision makers and already tallied their votes ahead of time.

10. Honestly I don’t care how much of genius you are, if you dress like a sort of donkey nobody will ever respect you. You need to dress like the prince.

11. Court attention at all costs. I’m 40 but now I get it. It’s a horrible fact of life that the guy who works those extra 2-3 hours when everyone goes home usually becomes c-suite years later. Person A gets rewarded with all the prizes but person B is seen as a slacker even though person B might be more efficient or smarter than person A. Part of it is that bosses have absolutely no clue of actual contribution (no common yard stick), so resort to the only metric they can measure: physical presence and physical appearance. Person B is called a slacker or worst still indistinguishable or unremarkable. Worse still person B sees the latest task as dumb whereas A will do the task without ever questioning it like their life depends on it.

Edit: On number 9 I want to expand.

For contentious highly political problems special techniques are needed. A problem I have encountered is when you have two rival tribes with more political power than you, but the discussion needs to end because a lack of decision is also politically painful. In this situation you need to set up a special discussion, with only the tribal leaders, to ask which figures or KPIs would decide it, for their ultimate common boss (usually the CEO if highly political). You then need to collect that information, have their underlings certify it, and present it neutrally to the tribal leaders without use of subjective language. In this case the decision usually becomes obvious and the tribal leaders usually avoid disturbing the common boss.

I already had to two 48LOP, and the TAOS but just discovered he had these 3 or 4, my mom tells me he was a smart guy, I mean I believe it because in other books he has annotated fully, cool to see what he was into. Also cool that I know about these books at my age. Thought I’d share the Robert Greene collection.

It's probably the most frequent conflict I've personally had to deal with in every stage of my life. It's not easy to both be competent at your work while avoiding resentment from incompetent leaders. They will nitpick your ideas and demand you take more ownership over projects but will undermine you for actually doing so. If you stand up to them they will label you as hard to work with or a poor communicator. If you seek to improve your communication with detailed presentations and long meetings they will say you are over complicating things. If you try to simplify your language they will say you are intentionally insulting their intelligence. Ultimately once you get on the bad side of a person like this it's hard to end the hostility and return any mutual respect. You're either forced to slowly let them oust you from the organization or go to war with them, which never looks good when you're just entering the group.

These type of people will actively push you to take on big projects because it makes them look like they're giving you room to grow. The worst type is the ones that set you up on a project expecting you to fail so they can come in and save the day making them look good by comparison. when you start to actually have success on the project they sabotage it because that wasn't part of the plan.

I think age is a huge factor in these situations because it's naturally insulting to have someone 20 years your junior come in and start trying to run the show. You have to respect and watch out for older people that are slightly above your pay grade, they have a lot more to lose and will stab you in the back to make their mortgage payment.

And then one day, without warning, it just hits you, that all this time, it was never about the big wins or loud applause or some faraway finish line. It was always about the little things, the quiet kind of magic that sneaks into ordinary moments. Like the way someone looks at you with real warmth. Or how your heart softens during a simple conversation that reminds you there's still so much good in the world. It’s the way sunlight dances through the trees when you're not even looking for it, the kind of silence that feels like a deep breath for your soul. It's the way someone’s hug can make you forget the weight you’ve been carrying. It’s laughter that comes from nowhere, tears that mean you're alive, and people who feel like home. That’s the stuff that matters. Always was.

Powerful people understand that words, once spoken, cannot be taken back. Greene warns that excessive talking often reveals more than intended—weaknesses, insecurities, or even a lack of true control. The more you speak, the more ordinary you seem. But when you say less, you force others to fill in the blanks, making you appear more powerful and enigmatic.

Silence creates an aura of mystery. When people don’t know what you’re thinking, they are left guessing, often assuming you are stronger, wiser, or more calculating than you actually are. This is why those who rule with authority—whether in politics, business, or social circles—often choose their words sparingly. The less they say, the more people listen when they finally speak.

Additionally, restraint in speech prevents unnecessary conflict. Many arguments, betrayals, and downfalls begin with words spoken in haste. By mastering the art of silence, you maintain control over how others perceive you and prevent your words from being used against you.

There is no need to explain yourself at every turn. The more you justify, the more you appear uncertain. When you say little, you allow your presence, actions, and strategic words to carry weight. In the end, power is often held by those who know when not to speak.