Law 22: Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power (The 48 Laws of Power)

Law 22: Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness into Power A man who had climbed upon a certain fig tree, was bending the boughs toward him and plucking the ripe fruit, which he then put into his mouth to destroy and gnaw with his hard teeth. The chestnut, seeing this, tossed its long branches and … Read more

Law 21: Play a Sucker To Catch a Sucker—Seem Dumber Than Your Mark (The 48 Laws of Power)

Law 21: Play a Sucker To Catch a Sucker—Seem Dumber Than Your Mark You should always appear dumber than you are. Make others feel smarter than you, and they will never suspect that you have hidden motives. We find the idea that others are more intelligent than us intolerable. We justify it by either saying … Read more

Chapter 9: Immigration (21 Lessons for the 21st Century)

Chapter 9: Immigration Some cultures might be better than others Globalization made it easier for people to explore other cultures, but also made it easier for people to be offended by their differences. The EU helped European countries transcend cultural differences between each other, and this model of tolerance attracted migrants from the Middle East … Read more

Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous (The 48 Laws of Power)

Law 18: Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself – Isolation is Dangerous Isolation will not protect you from the dangers of the world, but it will cut you off from valuable information. Make allies and circulate among friends, you are shielded from your enemies by the crowd. Transgression of the Law Ch’in Shih Huang … Read more

Influence Summary (8/10)

Influence by Robert Cialdini teaches us about the science of persuasion. The author himself spent his life studying the most common techniques that were used by salesmen and persuaders, and the six most pervasive strategies were presented in this book.  The Six Laws of Persuasion  Reciprocation  People feel obliged to give back. When you offer … Read more

The Tipping Point Summary (8/10)

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is about how ideas really spread. The argument is that it’s not the size of the advertising budget that determines how quickly ideas catch fire, rather it is the dynamic interplay of hidden factors at just the right time. The Law of the Few is an example of this. … Read more