“Power has its own rhythms and patterns. Those who succeed at the game are the ones who control the patterns and vary them at will, keeping people off balance while they set the tempo. The essence of strategy is controlling what comes next, and the elation of victory can upset your ability to control what comes next in two ways. First, you owe your success to a pattern that you are apt to try to repeat.... Second, success tends to go to your head ...

The powerful vary their rhythms and patterns, change course, adapt to circumstance, and learn to improvise.”