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Law 12 – Use Selective Honesty And Generosity To Disarm Your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens up a hole in their armour, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.
Observance Of The Law
Sometime in 1926 a dapperly dressed man paid a visit to Al Capone, the most feared gangster of his time. Speaking with an elegant Continental accent, he introduced himself as Count Victor Lustig, and promised that if Capone gave him $50,000 he would be able to double it within 60 days, the extra $50,000 being split 50/50 between the two men.
Capone had more than enough to cover the “investment”, and even though he wasn’t in the habit of entrusting such a large amount of money to complete strangers, he looked the Count over and decided there was something different about this man, his classy style, his manner, the way he conducted himself, so he decided to play along. He counted out the bills and gave them to Lustig, who left with the money and placed it in a safe deposit box in Chicago, and then he headed on to New York, where he had several other money-making schemes in progress.
The $50,000 remained in the safe deposit box, and Lustig made no attempt to double it. 60 days later he returned to Chicago, took out the money, and headed off to see Capone, where he smiled apologetically and said he was devastated that the plan had failed as he had let Capone down and that he himself desperately needed the money. Capone sat back in his chair, and admitted he knew that Lustig was a conman, but said he expected either $100,000 or nothing, and was surprised that Lustig had returned his original $50,000.
Lustig picked up his hat and began to leave, but Capone called him back, saying he had misread him and that he was an honest man. Capone then counted out $5,000 of the money that had been returned to him, and gave it to Lustig to help him along. The count seemed stunned, gave his eternal gratitude to Capone, and left with the $5,000, which is what he had been after all along.
Interpretation
Count Victor Lustig, who spoke several languages and prided himself on his refinement and culture, was one of the great con artists of modern times. He was known for his audacity, his fearlessness, and his extensive knowledge of human psychology, and could size a man up in minutes, discovering his weaknesses, almost like he had an in-built radar for suckers. Lustig knew that most men build up defences against crooks and other troublemakers, and that the job of the con artist is to bring those defences down.
One sure way to do this is through an act of apparent sincerity and honesty, as who will distrust a person literally caught in the act of being honest? Lustig had used selective honesty many times, but with Capone he went a step further. No normal, run of the mill conman would have dared such a con, as he would have chosen his victims for their meekness, for that look about them that says they will take their medicine without complaint.
Con Capone, however, and you would spend the rest of your life (probably not very long), afraid of the consequences of your actions. Lustig, however, understood that a man like Capone spends his life mistrusting others, as no-one who is around him is honest or generous, and being in such company day after day is physically and mentally exhausting. A man like Capone yearns to be the recipient of an honest or generous gesture, which will make him feel that not everyone is out for their own interests or to rob or maybe even kill him.
Lustig’s act of selective honesty disarmed Capone because it was so unexpected, and a con artist loves to stir up conflicting emotions like these, since the person who is experiencing them is so easily distracted and deceived by them. Do not shy away from practicing this law on the Capones of the world, as with a well-timed gesture of honesty or generosity you will have even the most brutal and cynical beast in the kingdom eating out of your hand.
“Everything turns grey when I don’t have at least one mark on the horizon. Life then seems empty and depressing. I cannot understand honest men. They lead desperate lives, full of boredom.” (Count Victor Lustig, 1890-1947)
Keys To Power
The essence of deception is distraction, as distracting the people you want to deceive gives you the time and space to do something they won’t notice. An act of kindness, generosity, or honesty is often the most powerful form of distraction because it disarms other people’s suspicions, and effectively turns them into children, eagerly lapping up any kind of affectionate gesture.
In ancient China this was called “giving before you take”, as the giving makes it much harder for the other person to notice the taking. It is a device with infinitely practical uses, as brazenly taking something from someone is dangerous, even for the powerful, as the victim will likely take revenge against you. It is also dangerous to simply ask for what you need, no matter how politely, as unless the other person sees some gain for themselves they may come to resent your neediness.
Learn to give before you take, as it softens the ground, takes the bite out of a future request, or simply creates a distraction. And the giving can take many forms – an actual gift, a generous act, a kind favour, and “honest” admission – whatever it takes. Selective honesty is best employed on your first encounter with someone, as we are all creatures of habit, and our first impressions last a long time. If someone believed you are honest at the start of your relationship it will take a lot to convince them otherwise, and this gives you room to manoeuvre.
Jay Gould, like Al Capone, was a man who distrusted everyone. By the time he was 33 he was already a multi-millionaire, mostly achieved through deception and strong-arm tactics. In the late 1860’s, Gould invested heavily in the Erie Railway, but then discovered that the market had been flooded with a huge amount of fake stock certificates for the company, meaning he was about to lose a lot of money and suffer a lot of embarrassment.
In the middle of this crisis a man called Lord John Gordon offered to help, as he had apparently made a fortune investing in railways, and by hiring some handwriting experts Gordon was able to prove to Gould that the men behind the fake certificates were in fact several top executives with the Erie Railway itself. Gould was extremely grateful, and Gordon proposed that the two of them should join forces and purchase a controlling interest in the company, to which Gould agreed.
For a while the venture appeared to prosper, and the two men became close friends, and every time Gordon asked Gould for more money to buy more stock Gould happily gave it to him. In 1873, however, Gordon suddenly sold all his stock, making himself another fortune and then disappearing, but drastically lowering the value of Gould’s holding in the company.
While trying to find Gordon, Gould discovered that his real name was in fact John Crowingsfield, and of course he wasn’t a real Lord but the son of a merchant seaman and London barmaid. There had been many clues before he disappeared that Gordon was a con man, but his initial act of honesty and support towards Gould had so blinded him to the reality of the situation that it took the loss of millions for him to see through the scheme.
A single act of honesty is often not enough, as what is required is a reputation for honesty, built up over a series of acts, however small they may be, and once this reputation is established, as with first impressions, it is hard to shake off.
In ancient China, Duke Wu of Cheng decided it was time to take over the increasingly powerful kingdom of Hu, so, telling no-one of his plans, he married his daughter to Hu’s ruler. He then called a council and asked his ministers, “I am considering a military campaign, which country should we invade?” and as he had expected, a number of his ministers said that they should invade Hu. He rebuked the ministers, saying that Hu was now a sister state to Cheng and demanding to know why they had suggested an invasion of the kingdom.
After a period of time the ruler of Hu heard about this, and considering other tokens of honesty and the fact his son was now married to Wu’s daughter, took no precautions to defend his kingdom against Cheng’s army. A few weeks later Cheng’s forces swept through Hu and took control of the country, never to relinquish it.
Honesty is one of the ways to disarm the wary, but it is not the only one, as any kind of noble, selfless act will serve just as well. The best way is through an act generosity, as few people can resist a gift, even from the most hated of enemies, which is why it is often the perfect way to disarm people. A gift brings out the child in us, instantly lowering our defences, and although we often see other people’s actions in the most cynical light, we rarely see the ulterior motive behind it, so a gift is the perfect object in which to hide a deceptive motive.
Over 3,000 years ago the ancient Greeks travelled across the sea to recapture the beautiful Helen, stolen away from them by Paris, and to destroy Paris’s city of Troy. The siege lasted for 10 years, thousands of people were killed, but neither side had even come close to victory, until one day the prophet Calchas assembled the Greeks together. He then told them about his famous Trojan Horse plan, which was promptly built, the plan executed, and Troy fell. One gift did more for the Greeks than 10 years of fighting.
Selective kindness should also be part of your arsenal for deception. For years the ancient Romans had besieged the ancient city of Faliscans, always unsuccessfully, but one day the Roman general Camillus was camped outside the city when he saw a man leading a group of children towards him. The man was a Faliscan teacher, and the children were the sons and daughters of the noblest and wealthiest citizens of the town, and on the pretence of taking these children out for their daily walk had led them straight to the Romans, offering them as hostages in the hopes of integrating himself with Camillus, the city’s enemy.
Camillus didn’t take the children hostage, instead he had the teacher stripped, tied his hands behind his back, gave each of the children a rod, and had them whip him all the way back into the city. The gesture had an immediate effect on the Faliscans, as had Camillus used the children as hostages then some of the people in the city would have voted to surrender, while the rest would have fought on. As it was Camillus’s refusal to use the children as hostages broke the Faliscans’ resistance, and they immediately surrendered.
The general had calculated correctly, and in any case he knew that he had nothing to lose, as the hostage ploy would not have ended the war, at least not right away. By turning the situation around, he earned his enemy’s trust and respect, disarming them, and selective kindness like this will often break down even the most stubborn foe, as it corrodes the will to fight back.
Remember: By playing on people’s emotions, calculated acts of kindness can turn a Capone into a gullible child, but as with any emotional approach this tactic must be used with caution, as if people see through it their feelings of warmth and gratitude will be replaced with feelings of hatred and distrust. Unless you can make the gesture seem sincere and heartfelt, do not play with fire.
Image: The Trojan Horse
Your guile is hidden inside a magnificent gift that proves irresistible to your opponent. The walls open. Once inside, wreak havoc.
Authority
When Duke Hsien of Chin was about to raid Yu, he presented to them a jade and a team of horses. when Earl Chih was about to raid Ch-ou-yu, he presented to them grand chariots. Hence the saying: “When you are about to take, you should give.” (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher, 3rd century BC)
Reversal
When you have a history of deceit behind you, no amount of honesty, generosity, or kindness will fool people, in fact it will only call attention to itself. Once people have come to see you as deceitful, to act honest all of a sudden will come across as extremely suspicious, so in these cases it is better to play the rogue.
Count Lustig, pulling the biggest con of his career, was about to sell the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting industrialist who believed that the French government were auctioning it off for scrap metal. The industrialist was prepared to hand over a large amount of money to Lustig, who had successfully impersonated a government official, but at a last minute he had become suspicious, and at the meeting where he was supposed to hand over the money, Lustig sensed his sudden distrust.
Leaning over to the industrialist, Lustig explained, in a low whisper, that he was on a poor salary, his finances weren’t good, and so on, and after a few minutes the industrialist realized that Lustig was asking for a bribe. For the first time he relaxed, as at that time most government officials were dishonest and often took backhanders, so he mistakenly believed that Lustig had to be real and handed over the money. By acting dishonest Lustig in fact came across as honest, so in this case selective hionesty had the opposite effect.
As the French diplomat Talleyrand grew older, his reputation as a master liar and deceiver spread. At the Congress of Vienna, which ran from 1814-1815, he would spin fabulous stories and make impossible remarks to people who knew that he simply had to be lying, and this dishonesty had only one purpose – to cloud the moments when he really was deceiving them.
One day, for example, when Talleyrand was among a group of friends, he said with apparent sincerity, “In business one ought to show one’s hand.” No one who heard him could believe their ears, as a man who not once in his life had shown his cards was telling other people to show theirs, and tactics like this made it impossible to distinguish his real deceptions from the fake ones. By embracing his reputation for dishonesty, he preserved his ability to deceive.
Nothing in the realm of power is set in stone. Overt deceptiveness will sometimes cover your tracks, even making you admired for the honesty of your dishonesty.
My Opinion
This is a cruel, nasty, and downright horrible Law. Playing on people’s emotions, making them happy and grateful only to set them up for a deception and fall is the sort of thing only a lowlife would consider doing, someone who has no morals or conscience. Anyone who does as this Law states deserves every comeuppance they get.
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens up a hole in their armour, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.
Observance Of The Law
Sometime in 1926 a dapperly dressed man paid a visit to Al Capone, the most feared gangster of his time. Speaking with an elegant Continental accent, he introduced himself as Count Victor Lustig, and promised that if Capone gave him $50,000 he would be able to double it within 60 days, the extra $50,000 being split 50/50 between the two men.
Capone had more than enough to cover the “investment”, and even though he wasn’t in the habit of entrusting such a large amount of money to complete strangers, he looked the Count over and decided there was something different about this man, his classy style, his manner, the way he conducted himself, so he decided to play along. He counted out the bills and gave them to Lustig, who left with the money and placed it in a safe deposit box in Chicago, and then he headed on to New York, where he had several other money-making schemes in progress.
The $50,000 remained in the safe deposit box, and Lustig made no attempt to double it. 60 days later he returned to Chicago, took out the money, and headed off to see Capone, where he smiled apologetically and said he was devastated that the plan had failed as he had let Capone down and that he himself desperately needed the money. Capone sat back in his chair, and admitted he knew that Lustig was a conman, but said he expected either $100,000 or nothing, and was surprised that Lustig had returned his original $50,000.
Lustig picked up his hat and began to leave, but Capone called him back, saying he had misread him and that he was an honest man. Capone then counted out $5,000 of the money that had been returned to him, and gave it to Lustig to help him along. The count seemed stunned, gave his eternal gratitude to Capone, and left with the $5,000, which is what he had been after all along.
Interpretation
Count Victor Lustig, who spoke several languages and prided himself on his refinement and culture, was one of the great con artists of modern times. He was known for his audacity, his fearlessness, and his extensive knowledge of human psychology, and could size a man up in minutes, discovering his weaknesses, almost like he had an in-built radar for suckers. Lustig knew that most men build up defences against crooks and other troublemakers, and that the job of the con artist is to bring those defences down.
One sure way to do this is through an act of apparent sincerity and honesty, as who will distrust a person literally caught in the act of being honest? Lustig had used selective honesty many times, but with Capone he went a step further. No normal, run of the mill conman would have dared such a con, as he would have chosen his victims for their meekness, for that look about them that says they will take their medicine without complaint.
Con Capone, however, and you would spend the rest of your life (probably not very long), afraid of the consequences of your actions. Lustig, however, understood that a man like Capone spends his life mistrusting others, as no-one who is around him is honest or generous, and being in such company day after day is physically and mentally exhausting. A man like Capone yearns to be the recipient of an honest or generous gesture, which will make him feel that not everyone is out for their own interests or to rob or maybe even kill him.
Lustig’s act of selective honesty disarmed Capone because it was so unexpected, and a con artist loves to stir up conflicting emotions like these, since the person who is experiencing them is so easily distracted and deceived by them. Do not shy away from practicing this law on the Capones of the world, as with a well-timed gesture of honesty or generosity you will have even the most brutal and cynical beast in the kingdom eating out of your hand.
“Everything turns grey when I don’t have at least one mark on the horizon. Life then seems empty and depressing. I cannot understand honest men. They lead desperate lives, full of boredom.” (Count Victor Lustig, 1890-1947)
Keys To Power
The essence of deception is distraction, as distracting the people you want to deceive gives you the time and space to do something they won’t notice. An act of kindness, generosity, or honesty is often the most powerful form of distraction because it disarms other people’s suspicions, and effectively turns them into children, eagerly lapping up any kind of affectionate gesture.
In ancient China this was called “giving before you take”, as the giving makes it much harder for the other person to notice the taking. It is a device with infinitely practical uses, as brazenly taking something from someone is dangerous, even for the powerful, as the victim will likely take revenge against you. It is also dangerous to simply ask for what you need, no matter how politely, as unless the other person sees some gain for themselves they may come to resent your neediness.
Learn to give before you take, as it softens the ground, takes the bite out of a future request, or simply creates a distraction. And the giving can take many forms – an actual gift, a generous act, a kind favour, and “honest” admission – whatever it takes. Selective honesty is best employed on your first encounter with someone, as we are all creatures of habit, and our first impressions last a long time. If someone believed you are honest at the start of your relationship it will take a lot to convince them otherwise, and this gives you room to manoeuvre.
Jay Gould, like Al Capone, was a man who distrusted everyone. By the time he was 33 he was already a multi-millionaire, mostly achieved through deception and strong-arm tactics. In the late 1860’s, Gould invested heavily in the Erie Railway, but then discovered that the market had been flooded with a huge amount of fake stock certificates for the company, meaning he was about to lose a lot of money and suffer a lot of embarrassment.
In the middle of this crisis a man called Lord John Gordon offered to help, as he had apparently made a fortune investing in railways, and by hiring some handwriting experts Gordon was able to prove to Gould that the men behind the fake certificates were in fact several top executives with the Erie Railway itself. Gould was extremely grateful, and Gordon proposed that the two of them should join forces and purchase a controlling interest in the company, to which Gould agreed.
For a while the venture appeared to prosper, and the two men became close friends, and every time Gordon asked Gould for more money to buy more stock Gould happily gave it to him. In 1873, however, Gordon suddenly sold all his stock, making himself another fortune and then disappearing, but drastically lowering the value of Gould’s holding in the company.
While trying to find Gordon, Gould discovered that his real name was in fact John Crowingsfield, and of course he wasn’t a real Lord but the son of a merchant seaman and London barmaid. There had been many clues before he disappeared that Gordon was a con man, but his initial act of honesty and support towards Gould had so blinded him to the reality of the situation that it took the loss of millions for him to see through the scheme.
A single act of honesty is often not enough, as what is required is a reputation for honesty, built up over a series of acts, however small they may be, and once this reputation is established, as with first impressions, it is hard to shake off.
In ancient China, Duke Wu of Cheng decided it was time to take over the increasingly powerful kingdom of Hu, so, telling no-one of his plans, he married his daughter to Hu’s ruler. He then called a council and asked his ministers, “I am considering a military campaign, which country should we invade?” and as he had expected, a number of his ministers said that they should invade Hu. He rebuked the ministers, saying that Hu was now a sister state to Cheng and demanding to know why they had suggested an invasion of the kingdom.
After a period of time the ruler of Hu heard about this, and considering other tokens of honesty and the fact his son was now married to Wu’s daughter, took no precautions to defend his kingdom against Cheng’s army. A few weeks later Cheng’s forces swept through Hu and took control of the country, never to relinquish it.
Honesty is one of the ways to disarm the wary, but it is not the only one, as any kind of noble, selfless act will serve just as well. The best way is through an act generosity, as few people can resist a gift, even from the most hated of enemies, which is why it is often the perfect way to disarm people. A gift brings out the child in us, instantly lowering our defences, and although we often see other people’s actions in the most cynical light, we rarely see the ulterior motive behind it, so a gift is the perfect object in which to hide a deceptive motive.
Over 3,000 years ago the ancient Greeks travelled across the sea to recapture the beautiful Helen, stolen away from them by Paris, and to destroy Paris’s city of Troy. The siege lasted for 10 years, thousands of people were killed, but neither side had even come close to victory, until one day the prophet Calchas assembled the Greeks together. He then told them about his famous Trojan Horse plan, which was promptly built, the plan executed, and Troy fell. One gift did more for the Greeks than 10 years of fighting.
Selective kindness should also be part of your arsenal for deception. For years the ancient Romans had besieged the ancient city of Faliscans, always unsuccessfully, but one day the Roman general Camillus was camped outside the city when he saw a man leading a group of children towards him. The man was a Faliscan teacher, and the children were the sons and daughters of the noblest and wealthiest citizens of the town, and on the pretence of taking these children out for their daily walk had led them straight to the Romans, offering them as hostages in the hopes of integrating himself with Camillus, the city’s enemy.
Camillus didn’t take the children hostage, instead he had the teacher stripped, tied his hands behind his back, gave each of the children a rod, and had them whip him all the way back into the city. The gesture had an immediate effect on the Faliscans, as had Camillus used the children as hostages then some of the people in the city would have voted to surrender, while the rest would have fought on. As it was Camillus’s refusal to use the children as hostages broke the Faliscans’ resistance, and they immediately surrendered.
The general had calculated correctly, and in any case he knew that he had nothing to lose, as the hostage ploy would not have ended the war, at least not right away. By turning the situation around, he earned his enemy’s trust and respect, disarming them, and selective kindness like this will often break down even the most stubborn foe, as it corrodes the will to fight back.
Remember: By playing on people’s emotions, calculated acts of kindness can turn a Capone into a gullible child, but as with any emotional approach this tactic must be used with caution, as if people see through it their feelings of warmth and gratitude will be replaced with feelings of hatred and distrust. Unless you can make the gesture seem sincere and heartfelt, do not play with fire.
Image: The Trojan Horse
Your guile is hidden inside a magnificent gift that proves irresistible to your opponent. The walls open. Once inside, wreak havoc.
Authority
When Duke Hsien of Chin was about to raid Yu, he presented to them a jade and a team of horses. when Earl Chih was about to raid Ch-ou-yu, he presented to them grand chariots. Hence the saying: “When you are about to take, you should give.” (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher, 3rd century BC)
Reversal
When you have a history of deceit behind you, no amount of honesty, generosity, or kindness will fool people, in fact it will only call attention to itself. Once people have come to see you as deceitful, to act honest all of a sudden will come across as extremely suspicious, so in these cases it is better to play the rogue.
Count Lustig, pulling the biggest con of his career, was about to sell the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting industrialist who believed that the French government were auctioning it off for scrap metal. The industrialist was prepared to hand over a large amount of money to Lustig, who had successfully impersonated a government official, but at a last minute he had become suspicious, and at the meeting where he was supposed to hand over the money, Lustig sensed his sudden distrust.
Leaning over to the industrialist, Lustig explained, in a low whisper, that he was on a poor salary, his finances weren’t good, and so on, and after a few minutes the industrialist realized that Lustig was asking for a bribe. For the first time he relaxed, as at that time most government officials were dishonest and often took backhanders, so he mistakenly believed that Lustig had to be real and handed over the money. By acting dishonest Lustig in fact came across as honest, so in this case selective hionesty had the opposite effect.
As the French diplomat Talleyrand grew older, his reputation as a master liar and deceiver spread. At the Congress of Vienna, which ran from 1814-1815, he would spin fabulous stories and make impossible remarks to people who knew that he simply had to be lying, and this dishonesty had only one purpose – to cloud the moments when he really was deceiving them.
One day, for example, when Talleyrand was among a group of friends, he said with apparent sincerity, “In business one ought to show one’s hand.” No one who heard him could believe their ears, as a man who not once in his life had shown his cards was telling other people to show theirs, and tactics like this made it impossible to distinguish his real deceptions from the fake ones. By embracing his reputation for dishonesty, he preserved his ability to deceive.
Nothing in the realm of power is set in stone. Overt deceptiveness will sometimes cover your tracks, even making you admired for the honesty of your dishonesty.
My Opinion
This is a cruel, nasty, and downright horrible Law. Playing on people’s emotions, making them happy and grateful only to set them up for a deception and fall is the sort of thing only a lowlife would consider doing, someone who has no morals or conscience. Anyone who does as this Law states deserves every comeuppance they get.
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Law 12 – Use Selective Honesty And Generosity To Disarm Your Victim
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens up a hole in their armour, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.
Observance Of The Law
Sometime in 1926 a dapperly dressed man paid a visit to Al Capone, the most feared gangster of his time. Speaking with an elegant Continental accent, he introduced himself as Count Victor Lustig, and promised that if Capone gave him $50,000 he would be able to double it within 60 days, the extra $50,000 being split 50/50 between the two men.
Capone had more than enough to cover the “investment”, and even though he wasn’t in the habit of entrusting such a large amount of money to complete strangers, he looked the Count over and decided there was something different about this man, his classy style, his manner, the way he conducted himself, so he decided to play along. He counted out the bills and gave them to Lustig, who left with the money and placed it in a safe deposit box in Chicago, and then he headed on to New York, where he had several other money-making schemes in progress.
The $50,000 remained in the safe deposit box, and Lustig made no attempt to double it. 60 days later he returned to Chicago, took out the money, and headed off to see Capone, where he smiled apologetically and said he was devastated that the plan had failed as he had let Capone down and that he himself desperately needed the money. Capone sat back in his chair, and admitted he knew that Lustig was a conman, but said he expected either $100,000 or nothing, and was surprised that Lustig had returned his original $50,000.
Lustig picked up his hat and began to leave, but Capone called him back, saying he had misread him and that he was an honest man. Capone then counted out $5,000 of the money that had been returned to him, and gave it to Lustig to help him along. The count seemed stunned, gave his eternal gratitude to Capone, and left with the $5,000, which is what he had been after all along.
Interpretation
Count Victor Lustig, who spoke several languages and prided himself on his refinement and culture, was one of the great con artists of modern times. He was known for his audacity, his fearlessness, and his extensive knowledge of human psychology, and could size a man up in minutes, discovering his weaknesses, almost like he had an in-built radar for suckers. Lustig knew that most men build up defences against crooks and other troublemakers, and that the job of the con artist is to bring those defences down.
One sure way to do this is through an act of apparent sincerity and honesty, as who will distrust a person literally caught in the act of being honest? Lustig had used selective honesty many times, but with Capone he went a step further. No normal, run of the mill conman would have dared such a con, as he would have chosen his victims for their meekness, for that look about them that says they will take their medicine without complaint.
Con Capone, however, and you would spend the rest of your life (probably not very long), afraid of the consequences of your actions. Lustig, however, understood that a man like Capone spends his life mistrusting others, as no-one who is around him is honest or generous, and being in such company day after day is physically and mentally exhausting. A man like Capone yearns to be the recipient of an honest or generous gesture, which will make him feel that not everyone is out for their own interests or to rob or maybe even kill him.
Lustig’s act of selective honesty disarmed Capone because it was so unexpected, and a con artist loves to stir up conflicting emotions like these, since the person who is experiencing them is so easily distracted and deceived by them. Do not shy away from practicing this law on the Capones of the world, as with a well-timed gesture of honesty or generosity you will have even the most brutal and cynical beast in the kingdom eating out of your hand.
“Everything turns grey when I don’t have at least one mark on the horizon. Life then seems empty and depressing. I cannot understand honest men. They lead desperate lives, full of boredom.” (Count Victor Lustig, 1890-1947)
Keys To Power
The essence of deception is distraction, as distracting the people you want to deceive gives you the time and space to do something they won’t notice. An act of kindness, generosity, or honesty is often the most powerful form of distraction because it disarms other people’s suspicions, and effectively turns them into children, eagerly lapping up any kind of affectionate gesture.
In ancient China this was called “giving before you take”, as the giving makes it much harder for the other person to notice the taking. It is a device with infinitely practical uses, as brazenly taking something from someone is dangerous, even for the powerful, as the victim will likely take revenge against you. It is also dangerous to simply ask for what you need, no matter how politely, as unless the other person sees some gain for themselves they may come to resent your neediness.
Learn to give before you take, as it softens the ground, takes the bite out of a future request, or simply creates a distraction. And the giving can take many forms – an actual gift, a generous act, a kind favour, and “honest” admission – whatever it takes. Selective honesty is best employed on your first encounter with someone, as we are all creatures of habit, and our first impressions last a long time. If someone believed you are honest at the start of your relationship it will take a lot to convince them otherwise, and this gives you room to manoeuvre.
Jay Gould, like Al Capone, was a man who distrusted everyone. By the time he was 33 he was already a multi-millionaire, mostly achieved through deception and strong-arm tactics. In the late 1860’s, Gould invested heavily in the Erie Railway, but then discovered that the market had been flooded with a huge amount of fake stock certificates for the company, meaning he was about to lose a lot of money and suffer a lot of embarrassment.
In the middle of this crisis a man called Lord John Gordon offered to help, as he had apparently made a fortune investing in railways, and by hiring some handwriting experts Gordon was able to prove to Gould that the men behind the fake certificates were in fact several top executives with the Erie Railway itself. Gould was extremely grateful, and Gordon proposed that the two of them should join forces and purchase a controlling interest in the company, to which Gould agreed.
For a while the venture appeared to prosper, and the two men became close friends, and every time Gordon asked Gould for more money to buy more stock Gould happily gave it to him. In 1873, however, Gordon suddenly sold all his stock, making himself another fortune and then disappearing, but drastically lowering the value of Gould’s holding in the company.
While trying to find Gordon, Gould discovered that his real name was in fact John Crowingsfield, and of course he wasn’t a real Lord but the son of a merchant seaman and London barmaid. There had been many clues before he disappeared that Gordon was a con man, but his initial act of honesty and support towards Gould had so blinded him to the reality of the situation that it took the loss of millions for him to see through the scheme.
A single act of honesty is often not enough, as what is required is a reputation for honesty, built up over a series of acts, however small they may be, and once this reputation is established, as with first impressions, it is hard to shake off.
In ancient China, Duke Wu of Cheng decided it was time to take over the increasingly powerful kingdom of Hu, so, telling no-one of his plans, he married his daughter to Hu’s ruler. He then called a council and asked his ministers, “I am considering a military campaign, which country should we invade?” and as he had expected, a number of his ministers said that they should invade Hu. He rebuked the ministers, saying that Hu was now a sister state to Cheng and demanding to know why they had suggested an invasion of the kingdom.
After a period of time the ruler of Hu heard about this, and considering other tokens of honesty and the fact his son was now married to Wu’s daughter, took no precautions to defend his kingdom against Cheng’s army. A few weeks later Cheng’s forces swept through Hu and took control of the country, never to relinquish it.
Honesty is one of the ways to disarm the wary, but it is not the only one, as any kind of noble, selfless act will serve just as well. The best way is through an act generosity, as few people can resist a gift, even from the most hated of enemies, which is why it is often the perfect way to disarm people. A gift brings out the child in us, instantly lowering our defences, and although we often see other people’s actions in the most cynical light, we rarely see the ulterior motive behind it, so a gift is the perfect object in which to hide a deceptive motive.
Over 3,000 years ago the ancient Greeks travelled across the sea to recapture the beautiful Helen, stolen away from them by Paris, and to destroy Paris’s city of Troy. The siege lasted for 10 years, thousands of people were killed, but neither side had even come close to victory, until one day the prophet Calchas assembled the Greeks together. He then told them about his famous Trojan Horse plan, which was promptly built, the plan executed, and Troy fell. One gift did more for the Greeks than 10 years of fighting.
Selective kindness should also be part of your arsenal for deception. For years the ancient Romans had besieged the ancient city of Faliscans, always unsuccessfully, but one day the Roman general Camillus was camped outside the city when he saw a man leading a group of children towards him. The man was a Faliscan teacher, and the children were the sons and daughters of the noblest and wealthiest citizens of the town, and on the pretence of taking these children out for their daily walk had led them straight to the Romans, offering them as hostages in the hopes of integrating himself with Camillus, the city’s enemy.
Camillus didn’t take the children hostage, instead he had the teacher stripped, tied his hands behind his back, gave each of the children a rod, and had them whip him all the way back into the city. The gesture had an immediate effect on the Faliscans, as had Camillus used the children as hostages then some of the people in the city would have voted to surrender, while the rest would have fought on. As it was Camillus’s refusal to use the children as hostages broke the Faliscans’ resistance, and they immediately surrendered.
The general had calculated correctly, and in any case he knew that he had nothing to lose, as the hostage ploy would not have ended the war, at least not right away. By turning the situation around, he earned his enemy’s trust and respect, disarming them, and selective kindness like this will often break down even the most stubborn foe, as it corrodes the will to fight back.
Remember: By playing on people’s emotions, calculated acts of kindness can turn a Capone into a gullible child, but as with any emotional approach this tactic must be used with caution, as if people see through it their feelings of warmth and gratitude will be replaced with feelings of hatred and distrust. Unless you can make the gesture seem sincere and heartfelt, do not play with fire.
Image: The Trojan Horse
Your guile is hidden inside a magnificent gift that proves irresistible to your opponent. The walls open. Once inside, wreak havoc.
Authority
When Duke Hsien of Chin was about to raid Yu, he presented to them a jade and a team of horses. when Earl Chih was about to raid Ch-ou-yu, he presented to them grand chariots. Hence the saying: “When you are about to take, you should give.” (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher, 3rd century BC)
Reversal
When you have a history of deceit behind you, no amount of honesty, generosity, or kindness will fool people, in fact it will only call attention to itself. Once people have come to see you as deceitful, to act honest all of a sudden will come across as extremely suspicious, so in these cases it is better to play the rogue.
Count Lustig, pulling the biggest con of his career, was about to sell the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting industrialist who believed that the French government were auctioning it off for scrap metal. The industrialist was prepared to hand over a large amount of money to Lustig, who had successfully impersonated a government official, but at a last minute he had become suspicious, and at the meeting where he was supposed to hand over the money, Lustig sensed his sudden distrust.
Leaning over to the industrialist, Lustig explained, in a low whisper, that he was on a poor salary, his finances weren’t good, and so on, and after a few minutes the industrialist realized that Lustig was asking for a bribe. For the first time he relaxed, as at that time most government officials were dishonest and often took backhanders, so he mistakenly believed that Lustig had to be real and handed over the money. By acting dishonest Lustig in fact came across as honest, so in this case selective hionesty had the opposite effect.
As the French diplomat Talleyrand grew older, his reputation as a master liar and deceiver spread. At the Congress of Vienna, which ran from 1814-1815, he would spin fabulous stories and make impossible remarks to people who knew that he simply had to be lying, and this dishonesty had only one purpose – to cloud the moments when he really was deceiving them.
One day, for example, when Talleyrand was among a group of friends, he said with apparent sincerity, “In business one ought to show one’s hand.” No one who heard him could believe their ears, as a man who not once in his life had shown his cards was telling other people to show theirs, and tactics like this made it impossible to distinguish his real deceptions from the fake ones. By embracing his reputation for dishonesty, he preserved his ability to deceive.
Nothing in the realm of power is set in stone. Overt deceptiveness will sometimes cover your tracks, even making you admired for the honesty of your dishonesty.
My Opinion
This is a cruel, nasty, and downright horrible Law. Playing on people’s emotions, making them happy and grateful only to set them up for a deception and fall is the sort of thing only a lowlife would consider doing, someone who has no morals or conscience. Anyone who does as this Law states deserves every comeuppance they get.
One sincere and honest move will cover over dozens of dishonest ones. Open-hearted gestures of honesty and generosity bring down the guard of even the most suspicious people. Once your selective honesty opens up a hole in their armour, you can deceive and manipulate them at will. A timely gift – a Trojan horse – will serve the same purpose.
Observance Of The Law
Sometime in 1926 a dapperly dressed man paid a visit to Al Capone, the most feared gangster of his time. Speaking with an elegant Continental accent, he introduced himself as Count Victor Lustig, and promised that if Capone gave him $50,000 he would be able to double it within 60 days, the extra $50,000 being split 50/50 between the two men.
Capone had more than enough to cover the “investment”, and even though he wasn’t in the habit of entrusting such a large amount of money to complete strangers, he looked the Count over and decided there was something different about this man, his classy style, his manner, the way he conducted himself, so he decided to play along. He counted out the bills and gave them to Lustig, who left with the money and placed it in a safe deposit box in Chicago, and then he headed on to New York, where he had several other money-making schemes in progress.
The $50,000 remained in the safe deposit box, and Lustig made no attempt to double it. 60 days later he returned to Chicago, took out the money, and headed off to see Capone, where he smiled apologetically and said he was devastated that the plan had failed as he had let Capone down and that he himself desperately needed the money. Capone sat back in his chair, and admitted he knew that Lustig was a conman, but said he expected either $100,000 or nothing, and was surprised that Lustig had returned his original $50,000.
Lustig picked up his hat and began to leave, but Capone called him back, saying he had misread him and that he was an honest man. Capone then counted out $5,000 of the money that had been returned to him, and gave it to Lustig to help him along. The count seemed stunned, gave his eternal gratitude to Capone, and left with the $5,000, which is what he had been after all along.
Interpretation
Count Victor Lustig, who spoke several languages and prided himself on his refinement and culture, was one of the great con artists of modern times. He was known for his audacity, his fearlessness, and his extensive knowledge of human psychology, and could size a man up in minutes, discovering his weaknesses, almost like he had an in-built radar for suckers. Lustig knew that most men build up defences against crooks and other troublemakers, and that the job of the con artist is to bring those defences down.
One sure way to do this is through an act of apparent sincerity and honesty, as who will distrust a person literally caught in the act of being honest? Lustig had used selective honesty many times, but with Capone he went a step further. No normal, run of the mill conman would have dared such a con, as he would have chosen his victims for their meekness, for that look about them that says they will take their medicine without complaint.
Con Capone, however, and you would spend the rest of your life (probably not very long), afraid of the consequences of your actions. Lustig, however, understood that a man like Capone spends his life mistrusting others, as no-one who is around him is honest or generous, and being in such company day after day is physically and mentally exhausting. A man like Capone yearns to be the recipient of an honest or generous gesture, which will make him feel that not everyone is out for their own interests or to rob or maybe even kill him.
Lustig’s act of selective honesty disarmed Capone because it was so unexpected, and a con artist loves to stir up conflicting emotions like these, since the person who is experiencing them is so easily distracted and deceived by them. Do not shy away from practicing this law on the Capones of the world, as with a well-timed gesture of honesty or generosity you will have even the most brutal and cynical beast in the kingdom eating out of your hand.
“Everything turns grey when I don’t have at least one mark on the horizon. Life then seems empty and depressing. I cannot understand honest men. They lead desperate lives, full of boredom.” (Count Victor Lustig, 1890-1947)
Keys To Power
The essence of deception is distraction, as distracting the people you want to deceive gives you the time and space to do something they won’t notice. An act of kindness, generosity, or honesty is often the most powerful form of distraction because it disarms other people’s suspicions, and effectively turns them into children, eagerly lapping up any kind of affectionate gesture.
In ancient China this was called “giving before you take”, as the giving makes it much harder for the other person to notice the taking. It is a device with infinitely practical uses, as brazenly taking something from someone is dangerous, even for the powerful, as the victim will likely take revenge against you. It is also dangerous to simply ask for what you need, no matter how politely, as unless the other person sees some gain for themselves they may come to resent your neediness.
Learn to give before you take, as it softens the ground, takes the bite out of a future request, or simply creates a distraction. And the giving can take many forms – an actual gift, a generous act, a kind favour, and “honest” admission – whatever it takes. Selective honesty is best employed on your first encounter with someone, as we are all creatures of habit, and our first impressions last a long time. If someone believed you are honest at the start of your relationship it will take a lot to convince them otherwise, and this gives you room to manoeuvre.
Jay Gould, like Al Capone, was a man who distrusted everyone. By the time he was 33 he was already a multi-millionaire, mostly achieved through deception and strong-arm tactics. In the late 1860’s, Gould invested heavily in the Erie Railway, but then discovered that the market had been flooded with a huge amount of fake stock certificates for the company, meaning he was about to lose a lot of money and suffer a lot of embarrassment.
In the middle of this crisis a man called Lord John Gordon offered to help, as he had apparently made a fortune investing in railways, and by hiring some handwriting experts Gordon was able to prove to Gould that the men behind the fake certificates were in fact several top executives with the Erie Railway itself. Gould was extremely grateful, and Gordon proposed that the two of them should join forces and purchase a controlling interest in the company, to which Gould agreed.
For a while the venture appeared to prosper, and the two men became close friends, and every time Gordon asked Gould for more money to buy more stock Gould happily gave it to him. In 1873, however, Gordon suddenly sold all his stock, making himself another fortune and then disappearing, but drastically lowering the value of Gould’s holding in the company.
While trying to find Gordon, Gould discovered that his real name was in fact John Crowingsfield, and of course he wasn’t a real Lord but the son of a merchant seaman and London barmaid. There had been many clues before he disappeared that Gordon was a con man, but his initial act of honesty and support towards Gould had so blinded him to the reality of the situation that it took the loss of millions for him to see through the scheme.
A single act of honesty is often not enough, as what is required is a reputation for honesty, built up over a series of acts, however small they may be, and once this reputation is established, as with first impressions, it is hard to shake off.
In ancient China, Duke Wu of Cheng decided it was time to take over the increasingly powerful kingdom of Hu, so, telling no-one of his plans, he married his daughter to Hu’s ruler. He then called a council and asked his ministers, “I am considering a military campaign, which country should we invade?” and as he had expected, a number of his ministers said that they should invade Hu. He rebuked the ministers, saying that Hu was now a sister state to Cheng and demanding to know why they had suggested an invasion of the kingdom.
After a period of time the ruler of Hu heard about this, and considering other tokens of honesty and the fact his son was now married to Wu’s daughter, took no precautions to defend his kingdom against Cheng’s army. A few weeks later Cheng’s forces swept through Hu and took control of the country, never to relinquish it.
Honesty is one of the ways to disarm the wary, but it is not the only one, as any kind of noble, selfless act will serve just as well. The best way is through an act generosity, as few people can resist a gift, even from the most hated of enemies, which is why it is often the perfect way to disarm people. A gift brings out the child in us, instantly lowering our defences, and although we often see other people’s actions in the most cynical light, we rarely see the ulterior motive behind it, so a gift is the perfect object in which to hide a deceptive motive.
Over 3,000 years ago the ancient Greeks travelled across the sea to recapture the beautiful Helen, stolen away from them by Paris, and to destroy Paris’s city of Troy. The siege lasted for 10 years, thousands of people were killed, but neither side had even come close to victory, until one day the prophet Calchas assembled the Greeks together. He then told them about his famous Trojan Horse plan, which was promptly built, the plan executed, and Troy fell. One gift did more for the Greeks than 10 years of fighting.
Selective kindness should also be part of your arsenal for deception. For years the ancient Romans had besieged the ancient city of Faliscans, always unsuccessfully, but one day the Roman general Camillus was camped outside the city when he saw a man leading a group of children towards him. The man was a Faliscan teacher, and the children were the sons and daughters of the noblest and wealthiest citizens of the town, and on the pretence of taking these children out for their daily walk had led them straight to the Romans, offering them as hostages in the hopes of integrating himself with Camillus, the city’s enemy.
Camillus didn’t take the children hostage, instead he had the teacher stripped, tied his hands behind his back, gave each of the children a rod, and had them whip him all the way back into the city. The gesture had an immediate effect on the Faliscans, as had Camillus used the children as hostages then some of the people in the city would have voted to surrender, while the rest would have fought on. As it was Camillus’s refusal to use the children as hostages broke the Faliscans’ resistance, and they immediately surrendered.
The general had calculated correctly, and in any case he knew that he had nothing to lose, as the hostage ploy would not have ended the war, at least not right away. By turning the situation around, he earned his enemy’s trust and respect, disarming them, and selective kindness like this will often break down even the most stubborn foe, as it corrodes the will to fight back.
Remember: By playing on people’s emotions, calculated acts of kindness can turn a Capone into a gullible child, but as with any emotional approach this tactic must be used with caution, as if people see through it their feelings of warmth and gratitude will be replaced with feelings of hatred and distrust. Unless you can make the gesture seem sincere and heartfelt, do not play with fire.
Image: The Trojan Horse
Your guile is hidden inside a magnificent gift that proves irresistible to your opponent. The walls open. Once inside, wreak havoc.
Authority
When Duke Hsien of Chin was about to raid Yu, he presented to them a jade and a team of horses. when Earl Chih was about to raid Ch-ou-yu, he presented to them grand chariots. Hence the saying: “When you are about to take, you should give.” (Han-fei-tzu, Chinese philosopher, 3rd century BC)
Reversal
When you have a history of deceit behind you, no amount of honesty, generosity, or kindness will fool people, in fact it will only call attention to itself. Once people have come to see you as deceitful, to act honest all of a sudden will come across as extremely suspicious, so in these cases it is better to play the rogue.
Count Lustig, pulling the biggest con of his career, was about to sell the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting industrialist who believed that the French government were auctioning it off for scrap metal. The industrialist was prepared to hand over a large amount of money to Lustig, who had successfully impersonated a government official, but at a last minute he had become suspicious, and at the meeting where he was supposed to hand over the money, Lustig sensed his sudden distrust.
Leaning over to the industrialist, Lustig explained, in a low whisper, that he was on a poor salary, his finances weren’t good, and so on, and after a few minutes the industrialist realized that Lustig was asking for a bribe. For the first time he relaxed, as at that time most government officials were dishonest and often took backhanders, so he mistakenly believed that Lustig had to be real and handed over the money. By acting dishonest Lustig in fact came across as honest, so in this case selective hionesty had the opposite effect.
As the French diplomat Talleyrand grew older, his reputation as a master liar and deceiver spread. At the Congress of Vienna, which ran from 1814-1815, he would spin fabulous stories and make impossible remarks to people who knew that he simply had to be lying, and this dishonesty had only one purpose – to cloud the moments when he really was deceiving them.
One day, for example, when Talleyrand was among a group of friends, he said with apparent sincerity, “In business one ought to show one’s hand.” No one who heard him could believe their ears, as a man who not once in his life had shown his cards was telling other people to show theirs, and tactics like this made it impossible to distinguish his real deceptions from the fake ones. By embracing his reputation for dishonesty, he preserved his ability to deceive.
Nothing in the realm of power is set in stone. Overt deceptiveness will sometimes cover your tracks, even making you admired for the honesty of your dishonesty.
My Opinion
This is a cruel, nasty, and downright horrible Law. Playing on people’s emotions, making them happy and grateful only to set them up for a deception and fall is the sort of thing only a lowlife would consider doing, someone who has no morals or conscience. Anyone who does as this Law states deserves every comeuppance they get.