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The 48 Laws of Power

Robert Greene

19 readers recommend it across 16 discussions

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Original Hacker News comments, in the readers’ own words.

heymijo
I put off reading the 48 Laws of Power for a long time for reasons similar to OP. Probably should have read it sooner but at least I had plenty of experience to compare against it when I finally did suck it up and read it. I will add Dictator's Handbook to my queue and raise my hand and 4th the 48 Laws of Power
mindcrime
The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli The 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene Fooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell The World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman The Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad
nevf1
Fantastic list, and thanks for the links. Personally, I would put "Sapiens - A brief History of Humankind"[0] in the list rather than it's successor "21 Lessons for the 21st Century". While some people have some gripes about The 48 Laws of Power and Robert Greene's other books, in my opinion, they serve as a really valuable tool for understanding how most medium and large companies work. And for anyone interested, a great way to dip your toes into it is by having a look at Derek Sivers' book notes - https://sivers.org/book/48LawsOfPower [0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0099590085)

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muzani
The 33 Strategies of War & The 48 Laws of Power. Both of these are history books, but don't expect just the cliches of Napoleon and Genghis Khan. Robert Greene covers case studies throughout history, from Roosevelt to Gandhi, to some much lesser known figures of history. Basically a lot of us deal with conflict. One book covers how to deal with politically, and the other one more directly. It's not all about attacking, but rather strategies around war - defense, deterrence, motivating your side, keeping the (moral) high ground, getting your adversaries to work for you.

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n3on_net
Here is my list of 2016: - The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory - The 48 Laws Of Power - Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - Crossing the Chasm - The Richest Man in Babylon - Confessions of an Economic Hit Man - Europe: A History - The Penguin History of Europe - The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Every of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details. I switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development). Hope you could see some titles that might interest you.
krp
The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene. I began reading it with a "know your enemy" frame of mind, similar to why I read some Ayn Rand, hoping that I'd better understand why some people behave certain ways. As I got further into the book I began reflecting upon the past, becoming consciously aware of all the faux pas I've made over the years. I started identifying with all the honest, outspoken historical figures that would speak their mind and end up without a head. I used to pride myself on my honesty above all else way of life, thinking how virtuous it was to be like Socrates or Galileo. Now I realize that more often than not, I'd just seem like a dick, and probably wouldn't have a head if the guillotine were still in use. Now I put more energy into understanding others points of view, and understand others better as a result. Much of my old behavior was childish. Others that changed my way of thinking in some way or another: Rework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:…
selleck
A.M. Train Ride - Creative Thinkering - Just okay P.M. Train Ride - Counter Hack Reloaded - so far so good. a little dated but a good intro to security. Audiobook - 48 Laws of Power - I love the history lessons in it. Very engaging. You don't have to be power-hungry to read it. Digital Book at work - The Art of Software Security Assessment - Just started, I will let you know next month.

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personjerry
"48 Laws of Power" and "No More Mr Nice Guy". Laws of Power: Not for everyone but the book is damn useful if you're ambitious and can translate examples and vague concepts into your own situations in life. No More Mr Nice Guy: Not very far into it but it's almost cathartic if it applies to you and I feel like its a huge step in social/emotional development for me.

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samson
Here are three books that I have loved reading 1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie I know its been mentioned already, but truly this is a book worth mentioning twice. For the introverted or the arugmentative type and for anyone else, this book hits alot critical and sometimes overlooked human traits that everyone should be aware of in their daily interactions with other people. A few quotes by Carnegie. Avoid arguments "you can't win an argument, because if you win it you lose it, and if you lose...well you lose it." "few people think of themselves as bad people" -means regardless of how they look,dress or talk, most people are appproachable with a smile and a "hi". "people will always strive to justify themselves". All three of these quotes are connected. 2. The Innovators Solution - Christensen and Raynor If you've ever heard the quote "First they ignore you,... then they fight you, then you win." by Gandhi. This book puts it in perspective in relation to how small companies over take large companies. 3.The 48 Laws of Power _ Robert Greene.…