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Kelli

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Kelli is Currently Reading

Kelli is currently reading

Ambition Monster: A Memoir

by Jennifer Romolini (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 10, 2026 01:22PM

Kelli is currently reading

The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl, #4)

by Matt Dinniman (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 10, 2026 07:51AM

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The 48 Laws of Power

by Robert Greene (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: self-improvement, currently-reading

Reading for the 4th time

read in February 2012

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Kelli said: " There are about 1 million books that purport to explain how to essentially "win" at social situations by making friends, getting your specific goal accomplished, coming off as the alpha dog, etc., but this book kicks all their asses.

Each "law of pow There are about 1 million books that purport to explain how to essentially "win" at social situations by making friends, getting your specific goal accomplished, coming off as the alpha dog, etc., but this book kicks all their asses.

Each "law of power" is illustrated with a historical event that included a fight for power and a clear-cut winner or loser. These are all high-profile cases with which you'll be familiar -- how Cleopatra seduced Marc Antony, how Napoleon ruled France and beyond with his tiny iron fist -- and once those stories are explained they are then dissected to elucidate what the "transgression of the law" was, how that transgression could have been avoided and how you can use these lessons in your day-to-day life, say, fighting for possession of the last cup of coffee at work. Or some such thing.

The deftness with which Robert Greene distills huge world events down to understandable, bite-sized chunks and then analyzes the inherent power struggles with ease isn't even the half of what makes this book interesting. It is the brash, ballsy way that he insidiously instructs you to co-opt the tactics of war for your own personal use. With his silken writing he slides you into bed with him and his bed is filled with conniving, lying, scheming, and every other evil thing that you have been taught not to do by polite society.

To Greene, life is a game, you are a courtier in the castle of an eccentric dictator ruler (whoever is oppressing you) and the other courtiers (everyone else in your life not in a position of power above you) are secretly planning how to put you out of favor with the ruler. To get what you want in the court of life, Greene instructs you on how to: plan multiple steps ahead (Bobby Fisher story), seduce your opponent at any cost (Cleopatra + multiple men story), act stupider than those in power above you (Galileo and the Medici family story), and so on. 48 stories, 48 laws on how to be deceitful to get what you want.

Take-away:

Looking at the world through Greene's lens can make even a dull board meeting seem fraught with drama.
Do not read this book if you have any inclinations toward the paranoid. ...more "

progress:

(page 155 of 452)
— Nov 21, 2025 04:13AM

Apr 02, 2015 07:17PM · see review

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