18 january 1999
the 48 laws of power
there will be a quiz--start memorizing.


Yes, I've caved: my ICQ Number is 28720603. One of my Mini sisters--that's my clan in Clan Lord--suggested we all get on ICQ to keep in contact, so now I have ICQ and I've started looking up everyone I know to see if they're on ICQ.

Send me your ICQ number.

* * *

I read a quote in my Real Astrology horoscope a while back from a book that sounded interesting, so as I am wont to do I ordered it from Amazon. (Because it sounded interesting, not because Rob Breszny suggested I read it. I need to point that out.) It's got an incredibly crass title, but so far it's absolutely fascinating on a number of levels, and I highly recommend it.

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers (designer) is a treatise on (what else?) power that draws from a number of historical examples and other writers on power (notably, Machiavelli and Sun-Tzu), but does so in a way that you can actually understand it.

The author uses examples from the realms of military conflict, political intrigue, sexual intrigues, and so on to make his point. There's something here for everyone, even if you're only looking for great quotes.

The chapters are organized fairly well:

  1. The Law (something short and pithy, like: "Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit"
  2. Judgment: a short statement of what the law is
  3. Transgression of the Law, with interpretation: an example of when someone forgot the law
  4. Observance of the Law, with interpretation: an example of someone obeying the law
  5. Keys to Power: a discussion of the importance of this Law
  6. The Image to remember the Law by
  7. Authority: a quote by some writer illustrating the universal truth of this Law
  8. Reversal: when this law doesn't apply

There are also a number of quotes from various original sources along the margins of the pages and a variety of unusual layouts for the main text and sidebar texts, which is why the designer of the book gets such prominent mention.

I picked it up and started reading and found myself totally fascinated, because for the very first time one of these books made sense to me. I mean, I'm not sure I could run out and do any of these things, but I finally understood the mechanism behind some of these behaviors that I'd never been able to get a handle on before.

So far I have not been able to apply any of these laws to my own life and my own quest for world domination. But the day is young.

(The book's author is a screenwriter. Terrified? I thought so.)


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Copyright 1999 Diane Patterson
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