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As promised here’s the first law of power in detail (although in the book it goes into much more detail than this, with numerous examples from history). The first section is an overview of what the law is about and what you are aiming to do to gain power, while the second section “Transgression of the Law” gives an example of someone who didn’t follow the law and suffered the consequences followed by the author’s interpretation of why it went so badly wrong for this person.
The third section gives an example of someone who did follow this law and benefited as a result, followed by the author’s interpretation of why it went so well for this person by following this first law of power. After this the “Keys to Power” section gives an overall explanation and assessment of the law, while the image simply gives the reader something to visualise to help them to remember the law.
Next there is a quote from an historical person that is relevant to this law, and the final “Reversal” section gives a special situation where you may have to do the reverse of what the law says to do in order to get ahead.
Law 1 – Never Outshine The Master
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
Transgression Of The Law
Nicolas Fouquet, Louis 14th’s finance minister in the first years of his reign, loved lavish parties, pretty women, and poetry, and also money, leading an extravagant lifestyle. He was indispensible to the king, so when the Prime Minister died in 1661 he expected to be named the successor, however Louis abolished the position.
Fouquet decided he was falling out of favour, so he decided to throw the most spectacular party the world had ever seen to celebrate the completion of his chateau, Vaux-le-Vicomte, although the real purpose of the party was to pay tribute to the king. The most important nobility of Europe and the greatest minds of the time attended, enjoying a 7 course meal with music followed by a promenade through the chateau’s gardens, which were later on to be the inspiration for Versailles.
Fouquet personally accompanied the king and at the garden’s canals they witnessed a massive fireworks display, followed by a play specially written to honour the king. The party went off without a hitch and everyone agreed it was the most amazing affair they had ever attended.
The next day Fouquet was arrested and went on trial for stealing from the country’s treasury, even though the “stealing” he had done he did on the king’s behalf and with his permission. He was found guilty and sent to the most isolated prison in France, high in the Pyrenees Mountains, where he spent the last 20 years of his life in solitary confinement.
Interpretation
Louis 14th was a proud and arrogant man who wanted to be the centre of attention at all times and couldn’t stand being out done in lavishness by anyone. To succeed Fouquet, Louis chose Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a man famed for being dull who made sure that Louis received any money liberated from the treasury. With the money he received, Louis built the magnificent Palace of Versailles and hosted parties even more lavish than the one that got Fouquet sent to prison.
The reason for Louis reaction is as follows. Fouquet imagined the spectacle to be a demonstration of his loyalty and devotion to the king, putting him back in the king’s favour, making the king see he was indispensible to him, and showing him what a good Prime Minister he would make.
Instead it seemed to Louis that his own friends and subjects were more charmed with Fouquet than with the king himself, and that Fouquet was just flaunting his wealth and power in front of everyone. Rather than flattering Louis, the spectacular offended his vanity, and while Louis wouldn’t admit this to anyone he found a convenient excuse to get rid of someone who had made him feel insecure. This is the fate, in some form or another, of anyone who unbalances the master’s sense of self, offends his vanity, or makes him doubt his pre-eminence.
Observance Of The Law
In the early 1600’s Galileo found himself in a precarious position. He depended on the generosity of rulers to support his research, so would make gifts of his inventions and discoveries to them, and in return they would give him gifts, making him dependant on them. There must be an easier way, he thought.
In 1610 he discovered the moons of Jupiter and decided that instead of dividing the discovery among his supporters – giving one the telescope he had used to make the discovery, dedicating his research paper to another etc – as he had done in the past, he decided to focus on the Medici family, the reason being that when Cosimo 1st had established the Medici dynasty in 1540 he had made Jupiter, the mightiest of the gods, the Medici symbol, linking the family to ancient Rome and its divinities.
Galileo turned the discovery of Jupiter’s moons into a huge event honouring the Medici’s greatness, saying the 4 moons of Jupiter harmonised with the number of Medicis (there were 4 brothers) revolving around the dynasty’s founder, Cosimo 1st. After dedicating the discovery to the Medicis, Galileo commissioned an emblem representing Jupiter sitting on a cloud with the four stars circling around him and presented this to the family as a symbol of their link to the stars.
In 1610 the Medicis made Galileo their official court philosopher and mathematician, with a full salary. This was a coup of a lifetime and meant that Galileo would never again have to beg for patronage in order to carry on his work.
Interpretation
With one act Galileo gained more than he had with years of begging, the reason being that all masters want to appear more brilliant than other people. The Medicis didn’t care about science, they did however care about their name and glory, and Galileo gave them infinitely more glory by linking their name with the cosmic forces than with some new scientific gadget or discovery.
Galileo didn’t make the Medicis feel inferior in any way, and by literally aligning them with the stars he made them shine brilliantly among the courts of Italy. He didn’t outshine the master, he made the master outshine everyone else.
Keys To Power
Everyone has insecurities. When you display your talents you stir up all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity, which is to be expected, and you cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others. With those above you, however, you need to take a different approach, as outshining the master is one of the worst mistakes in life that you can make.
Those who attain high standing in life want to feel secure in their positions and superior to those around them in all aspects of life, and it is a deadly but common misconception to believe that by displaying and flaunting your gifts and talents you are winning your master’s affection. They may feign appreciation, but at the first opportunity will replace you with someone less intelligent, less attractive, and less threatening, just as Louis 14th did. And like Louis, they will not admit the truth but find an excuse to rid themselves of your presence.
This Law involves two rules. First, you can inadvertently outshine your master by simply being yourself as there are masters who are hugely insecure and you may naturally outshine them with your charm, wit, and grace. If you have an outgoing personality and people are naturally attracted to you, make sure that around your master you curb your personality so as not to attract attention away from your master.
Secondly you must never imagine that because the master likes you that you can do anything that you want. History is littered with people who fell out of favour by taking their status for granted and daring to outshine their master, suffering terrible consequences as a result. Remember: Never take your position for granted and never let any favours that you receive from your master go to your head.
Now you know the dangers of outshining your master you can use this Law to your advantage. First you must flatter and puff up your master. Overt and obvious flattery can be effective but has its limits as it is too direct and obvious and looks bad to other people. Discreet flattery is a much more powerful tool. If for example you are more intelligent than your master seem the opposite – make him appear more intelligent than you, act naive, and make it seem that you need his expertise and experience. Commit harmless mistakes that will not hurt you in the long run but will give you a chance to ask for your master’s help, as masters adore such requests and one who cannot give you the benefit of his expertise and experience may direct ill will at you instead.
If your ideas are better than your masters attribute them to him, in as public a manner as possible. Make it clear that your advice is merely an echo of his advice. If you are wittier than your master that is OK as long as you do not make your master seem cold and surly by comparison. Tone down your humour and sense of good cheer if necessary, and find ways to make your master seem the bringer of amusement of good cheer.
If you are naturally more sociable than your master, be very careful not to be the cloud that blocks your master’s radiance from others. He must appear as the sun around which everyone revolves, radiating power and brilliance, the centre of attention. If you are put into a position of entertaining your master, a display of limited means is necessary, as any attempt to impress him with your grace, charm, and wit can prove to be fatal – learn from Fouquet with Louis 14th or pay the price.
It is not a weakness to disguise your strengths if in the end they lead to power. By letting your master outshine you, you remain in control instead of becoming a victim of their insecurity, and this will come in handy the day you decide to rise above your inferior status. If, like Galileo, you can make your master shine even more in the eyes of others, then you are a godsend and will be instantly promoted.
Image
The stars in the sky. There can only be one sun at a time. Never obscure the sunlight, or rival the sun’s brilliance; rather, fade into the sky and find ways to heighten the master star’s intensity.
Quote
Authority: Avoid outshining the master. All superiority is odious, but the superiority of a subject over his prince is not only stupid, it is fatal. This is a lesson that the stars in the sky teach us – they may be related to the sun, and just as brilliant, but they never appear in her company. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
Reversal
You cannot worry about upsetting every person you come across, but you must be selectively cruel. If your superior is a falling star, there is nothing to fear from outshining him. Do not be merciful – your master had no such scruples in his own cold-blooded climb to the top. Gauge his strength. If he is weak, discreetly hasten his downfall: Outdo, outcharm, and outsmart him at key moments.
If he is very weak and ready to fall, let nature take its course. Do not risk outshining a feeble superior as it might appear cruel or spiteful, but if your master is firm in their position, yet you know that you are more capable than they are, bide your time and be patient. It is the natural course of things that power eventually fades and weakens. Your master will fall someday, and if you play it right, you will outlive and someday outshine them.
My Opinion
This law boils down to just saying “For those people in a higher position than you, suck up to them and kiss their backside until you get what you want, but don’t be too obvious about it”. No doubt we all know at least one person, probably at work, who takes this law to the extreme and sucks up to their boss / management etc to try and advance their career prospects.
I must admit from time to time when I was an employee and really wanted something and the only way to get it was through a superior I did a bit of sucking up to further my own interests, but this law is basically saying do it all the time which in my opinion will just make you come across as a slimy, two-faced, backstabbing idiot who will be hated and mistrusted by all those around you, even those who you are trying to suck up to.
When I was a manager I could easily spot the people who were trying to curry favour with me and to tell you the truth I just humoured them and let them get on with it, but all they succeeded in doing was making me really suspicious and wary of them and more trusting of other people who were genuine and honest with me.
Now that I’m self-employed I don’t have that problem as I don’t have anyone working for me, but I must admit at the time it did make me feel kind of superior and special and did massage my ego but I’m glad to say I didn’t fall for it.
Well that’s it for the first law, opinions and discussion please and I’ll get to work on the second one.
The third section gives an example of someone who did follow this law and benefited as a result, followed by the author’s interpretation of why it went so well for this person by following this first law of power. After this the “Keys to Power” section gives an overall explanation and assessment of the law, while the image simply gives the reader something to visualise to help them to remember the law.
Next there is a quote from an historical person that is relevant to this law, and the final “Reversal” section gives a special situation where you may have to do the reverse of what the law says to do in order to get ahead.
Law 1 – Never Outshine The Master
Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.
Transgression Of The Law
Nicolas Fouquet, Louis 14th’s finance minister in the first years of his reign, loved lavish parties, pretty women, and poetry, and also money, leading an extravagant lifestyle. He was indispensible to the king, so when the Prime Minister died in 1661 he expected to be named the successor, however Louis abolished the position.
Fouquet decided he was falling out of favour, so he decided to throw the most spectacular party the world had ever seen to celebrate the completion of his chateau, Vaux-le-Vicomte, although the real purpose of the party was to pay tribute to the king. The most important nobility of Europe and the greatest minds of the time attended, enjoying a 7 course meal with music followed by a promenade through the chateau’s gardens, which were later on to be the inspiration for Versailles.
Fouquet personally accompanied the king and at the garden’s canals they witnessed a massive fireworks display, followed by a play specially written to honour the king. The party went off without a hitch and everyone agreed it was the most amazing affair they had ever attended.
The next day Fouquet was arrested and went on trial for stealing from the country’s treasury, even though the “stealing” he had done he did on the king’s behalf and with his permission. He was found guilty and sent to the most isolated prison in France, high in the Pyrenees Mountains, where he spent the last 20 years of his life in solitary confinement.
Interpretation
Louis 14th was a proud and arrogant man who wanted to be the centre of attention at all times and couldn’t stand being out done in lavishness by anyone. To succeed Fouquet, Louis chose Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a man famed for being dull who made sure that Louis received any money liberated from the treasury. With the money he received, Louis built the magnificent Palace of Versailles and hosted parties even more lavish than the one that got Fouquet sent to prison.
The reason for Louis reaction is as follows. Fouquet imagined the spectacle to be a demonstration of his loyalty and devotion to the king, putting him back in the king’s favour, making the king see he was indispensible to him, and showing him what a good Prime Minister he would make.
Instead it seemed to Louis that his own friends and subjects were more charmed with Fouquet than with the king himself, and that Fouquet was just flaunting his wealth and power in front of everyone. Rather than flattering Louis, the spectacular offended his vanity, and while Louis wouldn’t admit this to anyone he found a convenient excuse to get rid of someone who had made him feel insecure. This is the fate, in some form or another, of anyone who unbalances the master’s sense of self, offends his vanity, or makes him doubt his pre-eminence.
Observance Of The Law
In the early 1600’s Galileo found himself in a precarious position. He depended on the generosity of rulers to support his research, so would make gifts of his inventions and discoveries to them, and in return they would give him gifts, making him dependant on them. There must be an easier way, he thought.
In 1610 he discovered the moons of Jupiter and decided that instead of dividing the discovery among his supporters – giving one the telescope he had used to make the discovery, dedicating his research paper to another etc – as he had done in the past, he decided to focus on the Medici family, the reason being that when Cosimo 1st had established the Medici dynasty in 1540 he had made Jupiter, the mightiest of the gods, the Medici symbol, linking the family to ancient Rome and its divinities.
Galileo turned the discovery of Jupiter’s moons into a huge event honouring the Medici’s greatness, saying the 4 moons of Jupiter harmonised with the number of Medicis (there were 4 brothers) revolving around the dynasty’s founder, Cosimo 1st. After dedicating the discovery to the Medicis, Galileo commissioned an emblem representing Jupiter sitting on a cloud with the four stars circling around him and presented this to the family as a symbol of their link to the stars.
In 1610 the Medicis made Galileo their official court philosopher and mathematician, with a full salary. This was a coup of a lifetime and meant that Galileo would never again have to beg for patronage in order to carry on his work.
Interpretation
With one act Galileo gained more than he had with years of begging, the reason being that all masters want to appear more brilliant than other people. The Medicis didn’t care about science, they did however care about their name and glory, and Galileo gave them infinitely more glory by linking their name with the cosmic forces than with some new scientific gadget or discovery.
Galileo didn’t make the Medicis feel inferior in any way, and by literally aligning them with the stars he made them shine brilliantly among the courts of Italy. He didn’t outshine the master, he made the master outshine everyone else.
Keys To Power
Everyone has insecurities. When you display your talents you stir up all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity, which is to be expected, and you cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others. With those above you, however, you need to take a different approach, as outshining the master is one of the worst mistakes in life that you can make.
Those who attain high standing in life want to feel secure in their positions and superior to those around them in all aspects of life, and it is a deadly but common misconception to believe that by displaying and flaunting your gifts and talents you are winning your master’s affection. They may feign appreciation, but at the first opportunity will replace you with someone less intelligent, less attractive, and less threatening, just as Louis 14th did. And like Louis, they will not admit the truth but find an excuse to rid themselves of your presence.
This Law involves two rules. First, you can inadvertently outshine your master by simply being yourself as there are masters who are hugely insecure and you may naturally outshine them with your charm, wit, and grace. If you have an outgoing personality and people are naturally attracted to you, make sure that around your master you curb your personality so as not to attract attention away from your master.
Secondly you must never imagine that because the master likes you that you can do anything that you want. History is littered with people who fell out of favour by taking their status for granted and daring to outshine their master, suffering terrible consequences as a result. Remember: Never take your position for granted and never let any favours that you receive from your master go to your head.
Now you know the dangers of outshining your master you can use this Law to your advantage. First you must flatter and puff up your master. Overt and obvious flattery can be effective but has its limits as it is too direct and obvious and looks bad to other people. Discreet flattery is a much more powerful tool. If for example you are more intelligent than your master seem the opposite – make him appear more intelligent than you, act naive, and make it seem that you need his expertise and experience. Commit harmless mistakes that will not hurt you in the long run but will give you a chance to ask for your master’s help, as masters adore such requests and one who cannot give you the benefit of his expertise and experience may direct ill will at you instead.
If your ideas are better than your masters attribute them to him, in as public a manner as possible. Make it clear that your advice is merely an echo of his advice. If you are wittier than your master that is OK as long as you do not make your master seem cold and surly by comparison. Tone down your humour and sense of good cheer if necessary, and find ways to make your master seem the bringer of amusement of good cheer.
If you are naturally more sociable than your master, be very careful not to be the cloud that blocks your master’s radiance from others. He must appear as the sun around which everyone revolves, radiating power and brilliance, the centre of attention. If you are put into a position of entertaining your master, a display of limited means is necessary, as any attempt to impress him with your grace, charm, and wit can prove to be fatal – learn from Fouquet with Louis 14th or pay the price.
It is not a weakness to disguise your strengths if in the end they lead to power. By letting your master outshine you, you remain in control instead of becoming a victim of their insecurity, and this will come in handy the day you decide to rise above your inferior status. If, like Galileo, you can make your master shine even more in the eyes of others, then you are a godsend and will be instantly promoted.
Image
The stars in the sky. There can only be one sun at a time. Never obscure the sunlight, or rival the sun’s brilliance; rather, fade into the sky and find ways to heighten the master star’s intensity.
Quote
Authority: Avoid outshining the master. All superiority is odious, but the superiority of a subject over his prince is not only stupid, it is fatal. This is a lesson that the stars in the sky teach us – they may be related to the sun, and just as brilliant, but they never appear in her company. (Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658)
Reversal
You cannot worry about upsetting every person you come across, but you must be selectively cruel. If your superior is a falling star, there is nothing to fear from outshining him. Do not be merciful – your master had no such scruples in his own cold-blooded climb to the top. Gauge his strength. If he is weak, discreetly hasten his downfall: Outdo, outcharm, and outsmart him at key moments.
If he is very weak and ready to fall, let nature take its course. Do not risk outshining a feeble superior as it might appear cruel or spiteful, but if your master is firm in their position, yet you know that you are more capable than they are, bide your time and be patient. It is the natural course of things that power eventually fades and weakens. Your master will fall someday, and if you play it right, you will outlive and someday outshine them.
My Opinion
This law boils down to just saying “For those people in a higher position than you, suck up to them and kiss their backside until you get what you want, but don’t be too obvious about it”. No doubt we all know at least one person, probably at work, who takes this law to the extreme and sucks up to their boss / management etc to try and advance their career prospects.
I must admit from time to time when I was an employee and really wanted something and the only way to get it was through a superior I did a bit of sucking up to further my own interests, but this law is basically saying do it all the time which in my opinion will just make you come across as a slimy, two-faced, backstabbing idiot who will be hated and mistrusted by all those around you, even those who you are trying to suck up to.
When I was a manager I could easily spot the people who were trying to curry favour with me and to tell you the truth I just humoured them and let them get on with it, but all they succeeded in doing was making me really suspicious and wary of them and more trusting of other people who were genuine and honest with me.
Now that I’m self-employed I don’t have that problem as I don’t have anyone working for me, but I must admit at the time it did make me feel kind of superior and special and did massage my ego but I’m glad to say I didn’t fall for it.
Well that’s it for the first law, opinions and discussion please and I’ll get to work on the second one.
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Sonic Chris wrote:
This is my least favourite thread on the forum.
I dislike that when you type Playstation 3 in the WLT, nobody knows what's going on or what the WLT is
This is my least favourite thread on the forum.
I dislike that when you type Playstation 3 in the WLT, nobody knows what's going on or what the WLT is
chasfh wrote:
Smedders wrote:
[i]I\\\'d done most of it just the last 2 sections with one hand which knackered my right shoulder for the rest of the night :(
Has anyone tried voice-recognition software lately? I tried it probably 10 years ago at a mates house and it was rubbish, not sure if it\\\'s improved much in the last 10 years or not?
You\'d probably have more success bashing your keyboard with your face..[/i]
What's more sustainable ... jaw ache or finger ache?
Smedders wrote:
[i]I\\\'d done most of it just the last 2 sections with one hand which knackered my right shoulder for the rest of the night :(
Has anyone tried voice-recognition software lately? I tried it probably 10 years ago at a mates house and it was rubbish, not sure if it\\\'s improved much in the last 10 years or not?
You\'d probably have more success bashing your keyboard with your face..[/i]
What's more sustainable ... jaw ache or finger ache?
Smedders wrote:
I\'d done most of it just the last 2 sections with one hand which knackered my right shoulder for the rest of the night :(
Has anyone tried voice-recognition software lately? I tried it probably 10 years ago at a mates house and it was rubbish, not sure if it\'s improved much in the last 10 years or not?
You'd probably have more success bashing your keyboard with your face..
I\'d done most of it just the last 2 sections with one hand which knackered my right shoulder for the rest of the night :(
Has anyone tried voice-recognition software lately? I tried it probably 10 years ago at a mates house and it was rubbish, not sure if it\'s improved much in the last 10 years or not?
You'd probably have more success bashing your keyboard with your face..
I'd done most of it just the last 2 sections with one hand which knackered my right shoulder for the rest of the night :(
Has anyone tried voice-recognition software lately? I tried it probably 10 years ago at a mates house and it was rubbish, not sure if it's improved much in the last 10 years or not?
Has anyone tried voice-recognition software lately? I tried it probably 10 years ago at a mates house and it was rubbish, not sure if it's improved much in the last 10 years or not?
DL wrote:
And I thought Smedders could only type with one hand! Must be taking you ages ;¬)
Perhaps he's getting one of his friends/enemies/friends/ who-knows-what to type it out for him...
And I thought Smedders could only type with one hand! Must be taking you ages ;¬)
Perhaps he's getting one of his friends/enemies/friends/ who-knows-what to type it out for him...
And I thought Smedders could only type with one hand! Must be taking you ages ;¬)
I sense a wry grin on Smedder's face.
I'm up to page 16 out of 430.
I don't think Smeds can write up anymore of this without copyright infringement. There can't be many more pages of this book left.
This is my least favourite thread on the forum.
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