Law 1: Never outshine the master
Make those above you feel superior. Do not
show your talents too much, itll make them
insecure.
Make the master appear more brilliant than
they are.17
Law 2: Never put too much trust in friends, learn to
use enemies
Friends will quickly betray you.
Hire former enemies, theyll be loyal.
Law 3: Conceal your intentions
Keep people off-balance. They cannot
prepare if they dont know. Guide them down
the wrong path.13
Law 4: Always say less than necessary
When trying to impress, the more you say
the more common you look and less in control.
Be vague.
Powerful people impress and intimidate by
saying less.
Law 5: So much depends on reputation guard it
with your life
Reputation is the cornerstone of power.
Reputation alone will make you win.
Destroy enemies by attacking their
reputation. Then stand aside and let the public
hang them.
Law 6: Court attention at all cost
Everything is judged by appearance, what is
unseen counts for nothing.
Never get lost in a crowd.
Be mysterious, appear more colorful than the
masses.
Law 7: Let others to do the work for you, but
always take credit
Use the skills of others to do the work for
you, never do yourself what others can do for
you.
Your efficiency will appear god-like.
Law 8: Make other people come to you use bait if
necessary
When you force others to act, youre in
control.
Make opponents come to you.
Lure with gains, then attack.
Law 9: Win through your actions, never through
argument
You never win through argument.
The resentment last long.
Its more powerful to agree with actions.
Demonstrate, do not explain.
Law 10: Infection: Avoid the unhappy and the
unlucky
Youll die from others misery emotional
states are as infectious as diseases.
The unfortunate draw misfortune on
themselves and will draw it on you.
Associate with the happy and fortunate.
Law 11: Learn to keep people dependent on you
To maintain independence, you must be
needed and wanted.
The more youre relied on, the more freedom
you have.
Make people depend on you for happiness.
Never teach them enough so they can do
without you.
Law 12: Use selective honesty and generosity to
disarm your victim
One sincere move will cover over a dozen
dishonest ones.
Honesty can bring down the guard of
suspicious people.
Open their shield with honesty, then deceive.
Law 13: When asking for help, appeal to peoples
self-interest, never to their mercy
Do not remind people of past deeds.
Find something that will benefit them and
emphasize it out of proportion.
Law 14: Pose as a friend, work as a spy
Learn to probe and find valuable
information.
Ask indirect questions.
Every occasion is a chance to spy.
Law 15: Crush your enemy totally
More is lost through stopping halfway.
Crush your enemy in body and spirit.
Law 16: Use absence to increase respect and honor
Too much circulation makes the price go
down.
If youre already established in a group,
temporarily withdraw to make people talk.
Create value through scarcity.
Law 17: Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate
an air of unpredictability
Being predictable gives control to others.
Behavior that isnt consistent will wear
people out, and theyll stop trying to explain
things.
 When used to the extreme, youll intimidate
and terrorize.
Law 18: Do not build fortresses to protect yourself
isolation is dangerous
Isolation cuts you off from valuable
information.
Its better to mingle.
You are shielded from your enemy in a
crowd.
Law 19: Know who youre dealing with do not
offend the wrong person
Never assume everyone will react the same
way.
Choose your victims carefully.
Never offend the wrong person.
Law 20: Do not commit to anyone
Fools rush to pick a side.
Do not commit to a cause but yourself
Maintain independence
Make people chase you and play people
against one another
Law 21: Play a sucker to catch a sucker- seem
dumber than your mark
Dont be stupid, but make your mark appear
smarter than you
Making them appear smarter hides your
motives
Law 22: Use the surrender tactic: transformer
weakness into power
When youre weaker, never fight just for
honor but surrender
Do not give them the satisfaction to win,
surrender
Turn the other cheek to infuriate them
Law 23: Concentrate your forces
Intensity defeats extensity every time
Find a fat cow thatll give you milk for a
long time
Law 24: Play the perfect courtier
Master the art of indirection
Assert power gracefully
Law 25: Re-create yourself
Create an identity that commands attention
and never bores
Be the master of your own image
Use large gestures and actions-your character
will seem huge and youll gain power
Law 26: Keep your hands clean
Never appear soiled by mistakes
Use others as scapegoats to disguise your
involvement
Law 27: Play on peoples need to believe to create a
cult like following
People want to believe in something
Become the focal point of this and offer
them a cause, a new faith
Keep your words vague but full of promise
Emphasize enthusiasm over rationality
Give your new disciples rituals to perform
and ask them to make sacrifices
Law 28: Enter action with boldness
If youre unsure then dont do it
Timidity is dangerous
Any mistakes your commit through audacity
are easily corrected with more audacity
Everyone admires boldness, no one honors
the timid
Law 29: Plan all the way to the end
The ending is everything
Take into account of scenario
If you plan, you wont be overwhelmed
Guide fortune by thinking far ahead
Law 30: Make your accomplishments seem
effortless
Conceal the clever tricks
Make your success seem natural
Do not reveal how hard you work
Teach no one your tricks
Law 31: Control the opinions: get others to play
with the cards you deal
The best deceptions seem to give the other
person a choice
Give options so no matter their choice, you
win
Law 32: Play to peoples fantasies
The truth is unpleasant, avoid it
People that manufacture romance are like
oases in the desert
Theres great power in tapping into peoples
fantasies
Law 33: Discover each mans thumbscrew
Find others weaknesses
Its usually insecurity, uncontrollable
emotions, secret pressures
Law 34: Be royal in your own fashion: act like a
king to be treated like one
The way you carry yourself determines how
youre treated
 Appearing vulgar or common will make
people disrespect you
Kings respect themselves and inspire the
same in others
By acting confident you make yourself
destined to wear a crown
Law 35: Master the art of timing
Never seem in a hurry, always seem patient
Sniff out the spirit of the times, find the
trends thatll give you power
Learn to stand back when not ready, and then
strike
Law 36: Disdain things you cannot have: ignoring
them if the best revenge
Acknowledging petty problems gives them
existence
When you acknowledge an enemy you make
them stronger
The more you a mistake visible, the worse it
gets
If you want something but cant have it,
disdain it
The less interest you reveal, the more
superior you seem
Law 37: Create compelling spectacles
Striking imagery and symbolic gestures
create the auro of power and people respond
Stage spectacles for those around you and
heighten your presence
Dazzle by appearance
Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others
By flaunting your unconventional ways
people will only think you want attention
Theyll punish you for making them feel
inferior
Blend in
Law 39: Stir up waters to catch fish
Anger and emotion is counterproductive
Stay calm and objective
Make enemies emotional while you stay
calm
Rattle your enemies
Law 40: Despise the free lunch
Whats offered for free in dangerous
Pay your own way to avoid guilt and
gratitude
No cutting corners with excellence
Be lavish with your money, keep it
circulating
Generosity is a sign and magnet for power
Example: Gypsies and Gifts (add link)
Law 41: Avoid stepping into a great mans shoes
What happens first always appears better and
more original than whats next
Following great people means you must
double their power
Gain power by shining in your own way
Law 42: Strike the shepherd and the sheep will
scatter
Trouble can be traced to a single individual
These people will influence others
Do not negotiate but banish them
Strike at the source of the trouble
Law 43: Work on the hearts and minds of others
Coercion will work against you
Seduce others into wanting to move in your
direction
Seduce others by operating on their
individual psychologies and weaknesses
Soften them by working their emotions and
what they fear
Ignore the hearts and minds and they will
grow to hate you
Law 44: Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect
When you mirror exactly what your enemies
do, they cannot figure out your strategy
The mirror effect mocks and humiliates
them, making them overreact
Hold a mirror to their psyches and youll
seduce them and theyll think they share your
values
Mirror their actions and they learn lessons
Law 45: Preach the need for change, but never
reform too much at once
Everyone wants change but too much is
traumatic
When new to power show you respect old
ways
Make change feel like a gentle improvement
on the past
Law 46: Never appear too perfect
Its dangerous to appear like you have no
thoughts
Its ok to admit to small defects
Law 47: Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in
victory know when to stop
When going too far in victory, you make
more enemies
 Set a goal, achieve it, then stop
Law 48: Assume formlessness
By having a visible plan, you open yourself
to attack.
Stay adaptable and on the move
Accept that nothing is certain and now law
fixed
Everything changes and never bet on it