### Book:And the eagle and the sow lived in neighborly fashion. And a grimalkin


### Book:laid her plans to destroy the eaglets and the little sucking pigs. She went


### Book:to the eagle, and said: “Eagle, you had better not fly very far away.


### Book:Beware of the sow; she is planning an evil design. She is going to


### Book:undermine the roots of the tree. You see she is rooting all the time.”


### Book:Then the grimalkin went to the sow and said: “Sow, you have not a good


### Book:neighbor. Last evening I heard the eagle saying to her eaglets: ‘My dear


### Book:little eaglets, I am going to treat you to a nice little pig. Just as soon as


### Book:the sow is gone, I will bring you a little young sucking pig.”’


### Book:From that time the eagle ceased to fly out after prey, and the sow did not


### Book:go any more into the forest. The eaglets and the young pigs perished of


### Book:starvation, and grimalkin feasted on them.


### Book:FABLES, LEO TOLSTOY, 1828-1910


### Book:InterpretationIsabella d’Este understood Italy’s political situation with amazing clarity:


### Book:Once you took the side of any of the forces in the field, you were


### Book:doomed. The powerful would take you over, the weak would wear you


### Book:down. Any new alliance would lead to a new enemy, and as this cycle


### Book:stirred up more conflict, other forces would be dragged in, until you


### Book:could no longer extricate yourself. Eventually you would collapse from


### Book:exhaustion.


### Book:Isabella steered her kingdom on the only course that would bring her


### Book:safely through. She would not allow herself to lose her head through


### Book:loyalty to a duke or a king. Nor would she try to stop the conflict that


### Book:raged around her—that would only drag her into it. And in any case the


### Book:conflict was to her advantage. If the various parties were fighting to the


### Book:death, and exhausting themselves in the process, they were in no position


### Book:to gobble up Mantua. The source of Isabella’s power was her clever


### Book:ability to seem interested in the affairs and interests of each side, while


### Book:actually committing to no one but herself and her kingdom.


### Book:Once you step into a fight that is not of your own choosing, you lose


### Book:all initiative. The combatants’ interests become your interests; you


### Book:become their tool. Learn to control yourself, to restrain your natural


### Book:tendency to take sides and join the fight. Be friendly and charming to


### Book:each of the combatants, then step back as they collide. With every battle


### Book:they grow weaker, while you grow stronger with every battle you avoid.


### Book:When the snipe and the mussel struggle, the fisherman gets the benefit.


### Book:Ancient Chinese saying


### Book:KEYS TO POWER


### Book:To succeed in the game of power, you have to master your emotions. But


### Book:even if you succeed in gaining such self-control, you can never control


### Book:the temperamental dispositions of those around you. And this presents a


### Book:great danger. Most people operate in a whirlpool of emotions, constantly


### Book:reacting, churning up squabbles and conflicts. Your self-control and


### Book:autonomy will only bother and infuriate them. They will try to draw you


### Book:into the whirlpool, begging you to take sides in their endless battles, or to


### Book:make peace for them. If you succumb to their emotional entreaties, little


### Book:by little you will find your mind and time occupied by their problems.Do not allow whatever compassion and pity you possess to suck you in.


### Book:You can never win in this game; the conflicts can only multiply.


### Book:On the other hand, you cannot completely stand aside, for that would


### Book:cause needless offense. To play the game properly, you must seem


### Book:interested in other people’s problems, even sometimes appear to take


### Book:their side. But while you make outward gestures of support, you must


### Book:maintain your inner energy and sanity by keeping your emotions


### Book:disengaged. No matter how hard people try to pull you in, never let your


### Book:interest in their affairs and petty squabbles go beyond the surface. Give


### Book:them gifts, listen with a sympathetic look, even occasionally play the


### Book:charmer—but inwardly keep both the friendly kings and the perfidious


### Book:Borgias at arm’s length. By refusing to commit and thus maintaining


### Book:your autonomy you retain the initiative: Your moves stay matters of your


### Book:own choosing, not defensive reactions to the push-and-pull of those


### Book:around you.


### Book:THE PRICE OF


### Book:While a poor woman stood in the market place selling cheeses, a cat


### Book:came along and carried off a cheese. A dog saw the pilferer and tried to


### Book:take the cheese away from him. The cat stood up to the dog. So they


### Book:pitched into each other. The dog barked and snapped; the cat spat and


### Book:scratched, but they could bring the battle to no decision.


### Book:“Let’s go to the fox and have him referee the matter, ” the cat finally


### Book:suggested. “Agreed, ” said the dog. So they went to the fox. The fox


### Book:listened to their arguments with a judicious air.


### Book:“Foolish animals,” he chided them, “why carry on like that? If both of


### Book:you are willing, I’ll divide the cheese in two and you’ll both be satisfied.


### Book:”


### Book:“Agreed, ” said the cat and the dog.


### Book:So the fox took out his knife and cut the cheese in two, but, instead of


### Book:cutting it lengthwise, he cut it in the width. “My half is smaller!”


### Book:protested the dog.


### Book:The fox looked judiciously through his spectacles at the dog’s share.


### Book:“You’re right, quite right!” he decided.


### Book:So he went and bit off a piece of the cat’s share.


### Book:“That will make it even!” he said.


### Book:When the cat saw what the fox did she began to yowl:


### Book:“Just look! My part’s smaller now!”The fox again put on his spectacles and looked judiciously at the cat’s


### Book:share.


### Book:“Right you are!” said the fox. “Just a moment, and I’ll make it right.”


### Book:And he went and bit off a piece from the dog’s cheese This went on so


### Book:long, with the fox nibbling first at the dog’s and then at the cat’s share.


### Book:that he finally ate up the whole cheese before their eyes.


### Book:A TREASURY OF JEWISH FOLKLORE, NATHAN AUSUBEL, ED.,


### Book:1948


### Book:Slowness to pick up your weapons can be a weapon itself, especially if


### Book:you let other people exhaust themselves fighting, then take advantage of


### Book:their exhaustion. In ancient China, the kingdom of Chin once invaded the


### Book:kingdom of Hsing. Huan, the ruler of a nearby province, thought he


### Book:should rush to Hsing’s defense, but his adviser counseled him to wait:


### Book:“Hsing is not yet going to ruin,” he said, “and Chin is not yet exhausted.


### Book:If Chin is not exhausted, [we] cannot become very influential. Moreover,


### Book:the merit of supporting a state in danger is not as great as the virtue of


### Book:reviving a ruined one.” The adviser’s argument won the day, and as he


### Book:had predicted, Huan later had the glory both of rescuing Hsing from the


### Book:brink of destruction and then of conquering an exhausted Chin. He


### Book:stayed out of the fighting until the forces engaged in it had worn each


### Book:other down, at which point it was safe for him to intervene.


### Book:That is what holding back from the fray allows you: time to position


### Book:yourself to take advantage of the situation once one side starts to lose.


### Book:You can also take the game a step further, by promising your support to


### Book:both sides in a conflict while maneuvering so that the one to come out


### Book:ahead in the struggle is you. This was what Castruccio Castracani, ruler


### Book:of the Italian town of Lucca in the fourteenth century, did when he had


### Book:designs on the town of Pistoia. A siege would have been expensive,


### Book:costing both lives and money, but Castruccio knew that Pistoia contained


### Book:two rival factions, the Blacks and the Whites, which hated one another.


### Book:He negotiated with the Blacks, promising to help them against the


### Book:Whites; then, without their knowledge, he promised the Whites he would


### Book:help them against the Blacks. And Castruccio kept his promises—he sent


### Book:an army to a Black-controlled gate to the city, which the sentries of


### Book:course welcomed in. Meanwhile another of his armies entered through a


### Book:White-controlled gate. The two armies united in the middle, occupied the


### Book:town, killed the leaders of both factions, ended the internal war, and took


### Book:Pistoia for Castruccio.


### Book:Preserving your autonomy gives you options when people come to


### Book:blows—you can play the mediator, broker the peace, while reallysecuring your own interests. You can pledge support to one side and the


### Book:other may have to court you with a higher bid. Or, like Castruccio, you


### Book:can appear to take both sides, then play the antagonists against each


### Book:other.


### Book:Oftentimes when a conflict breaks out, you are tempted to side with


### Book:the stronger party, or the one that offers you apparent advantages in an


### Book:alliance. This is risky business. First, it is often difficult to foresee which


### Book:side will prevail in the long run. But even if you guess right and ally


### Book:yourself with the stronger party, you may find yourself swallowed up and


### Book:lost, or conveniently forgotten, when they become victors. Side with the


### Book:weaker, on the other hand, and you are doomed. But play a waiting game


### Book:and you cannot lose.


### Book:In France’s July Revolution of 1830, after three days of riots, the


### Book:statesman Talleyrand, now elderly, sat by his Paris window, listening to


### Book:the pealing bells that signaled the riots were over. Turning to an assistant,


### Book:he said, “Ah, the bells! We’re winning.” “Who’s ‘we,’ mon prince?” the


### Book:assistant asked. Gesturing for the man to keep quiet, Talleyrand replied,


### Book:“Not a word! I’ll tell you who we are tomorrow.” He well knew that only


### Book:fools rush into a situation—that by committing too quickly you lose your


### Book:maneuverability. People also respect you less: Perhaps tomorrow, they


### Book:think, you will commit to another, different cause, since you gave


### Book:yourself so easily to this one. Good fortune is a fickle god and will often


### Book:pass from one side to the other. Commitment to one side deprives you of


### Book:the advantage of time and the luxury of waiting. Let others fall in love


### Book:with this group or that; for your part don’t rush in, don’t lose your head.


### Book:Finally, there are occasions when it is wisest to drop all pretence of


### Book:appearing supportive and instead to trumpet your independence and self-


### Book:reliance. The aristocratic pose of independence is particularly important


### Book:for those who need to gain respect. George Washington recognized this


### Book:in his work to establish the young American republic on firm ground. As


### Book:president, Washington avoided the temptation of making an alliance with


### Book:France or England, despite the pressure on him to do so. He wanted the


### Book:country to earn the world’s respect through its independence. Although a


### Book:treaty with France might have helped in the short term, in the long run he


### Book:knew it would be more effective to establish the nation’s autonomy.


### Book:Europe would have to see the United States as an equal power.


### Book:Remember: You have only so much energy and so much time. Every


### Book:moment wasted on the affairs of others subtracts from your strength. You


### Book:may be afraid that people will condemn you as heartless, but in the end,


### Book:maintaining your independence and self-reliance will gain you morerespect and place you in a position of power from which you can choose


### Book:to help others on your own initiative.


### Book:Image: A Thicket of Shrubs. In the forest, one shrub latches on to


### Book:another, entangling its neighbor with its thorns, the thicket slowly


### Book:extending its impenetrable domain. Only what keeps its distance and


### Book:stands apart can grow and rise above the thicket.


### Book:Authority: Regard it as more courageous not to become involved in an


### Book:engagement than to win in battle, and where there is already one


### Book:interfering fool, take care that there shall not be two. (Baltasar Gracian,


### Book:1601-1658)


### Book:REVERSAL


### Book:Both parts of this law will turn against you if you take it too far. The


### Book:game proposed here is delicate and difficult. If you play too many parties


### Book:against one another, they will see through the maneuver and will gang up


### Book:on you. If you keep your growing number of suitors waiting too long,


### Book:you will inspire not desire but distrust. People will start to lose interest.


### Book:Eventually you may find it worthwhile to commit to one side—if only


### Book:for appearances’ sake, to prove you are capable of attachment.


### Book:Even then, however, the key will be to maintain your inner


### Book:independence—to keep yourself from getting emotionally involved.


### Book:Preserve the unspoken option of being able to leave at any moment and


### Book:reclaim your freedom if the side you are allied with starts to collapse.


### Book:The friends you made while you were being courted will give you plenty


### Book:of places to go once you jump ship.LAW 21


### Book:PLAY A SUCKER TO CATCH A SUCKER—


### Book:SEEM DUMBER THAN YOUR MARK


### Book:JUDGMENT


### Book:No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to


### Book:make your victims feel smart—and not just smart, but smarter than you


### Book:are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have


### Book:ulterior motives.


### Book:In the winter of 1872, the U.S. financier Asbury Harpending was visiting


### Book:London when he received a cable: A diamond mine had been discovered


### Book:in the American West. The cable came from a reliable source—William


### Book:Ralston, owner of the Bank of California—but Harpending nevertheless


### Book:took it as a practical joke, probably inspired by the recent discovery of


### Book:huge diamond mines in South Africa. True, when reports had first come


### Book:in of gold being discovered in the western United States, everyone had


### Book:been skeptical, and those had turned out to be true. But a diamond mine


### Book:in the West! Harpending showed the cable to his fellow financier Baron


### Book:Rothschild (one of the richest men in the world), saying it must be a


### Book:joke. The baron, however, replied, “Don’t be too sure about that.


### Book:America is a very large country. It has furnished the world with many


### Book:surprises already. Perhaps it has others in store.” Harpending promptly


### Book:took the first ship back to the States.


### Book:Now, there is nothing of which a man is prouder than of interlecutal


### Book:ability, for it is this that gives him his commanding place in the animal


### Book:world. It is an exceedingly rash thing to ter anyone see that you are


### Book:decidedly superior to him in this respect, and to let other people see it


### Book:too…. hence, white rank and riches may always reckon upon deferential


### Book:treatment in society, that is something which intellectual ability can


### Book:never expect To be ignorea is the greatest favour shown to it; and if


### Book:people notice it at all, it is because they regard it us a piece of


### Book:imperinence, or else as something to which its possessor has nolegitimate right, and upon which he dares to pride himself; and in


### Book:retaliation and revenge for his conduct, people secretly try and humiliare


### Book:him in some other way; unit if they wait to ao this, it is only for a futing


### Book:opporunity. A man may be as humble as possible in his demeanour and


### Book:yet hardly ever get people to overlook his crime in standing intellectually


### Book:above them. In the Garden of Roses, Sadi makes the remark: “You


### Book:should know that foolish people are a hundredfold more averse to


### Book:meeting the wise than the wise are indisposed for the company of the


### Book:foolish. ”


### Book:On the other hand, it is a real recommendation to be stupid. For just as


### Book:warmth is agreeable to the body, so it does the mind good to feel its


### Book:superiority; and a man will seek company likely to give him this feeling,


### Book:as instinctively as he will approach the fireplace or walk in the sun if he


### Book:wants to get warm. But this means that he will be disliked on account of


### Book:his superiority; and if a man is to be liked, he must really be inferior in


### Book:point of intellect.


### Book:ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER, 1788-1860


### Book:When Harpending reached San Francisco, there was an excitement in


### Book:the air recalling the Gold Rush days of the late 1840s. Two crusty


### Book:prospectors named Philip Arnold and John Slack had been the ones to


### Book:find the diamond mine. They had not divulged its location, in Wyoming,


### Book:but had led a highly respected mining expert to it several weeks back,


### Book:taking a circular route so he could not guess his whereabouts. Once


### Book:there, the expert had watched as the miners dug up diamonds. Back in


### Book:San Francisco the expert had taken the gems to various jewelers, one of


### Book:whom had estimated their worth at $1.5 million.


### Book:Harpending and Ralston now asked Arnold and Slack to accompany


### Book:them back to New York, where the jeweler Charles Tiffany would verify


### Book:the original estimates. The prospectors responded uneasily—they


### Book:smelled a trap: How could they trust these city slickers? What if Tiffany


### Book:and the financiers managed to steal the whole mine out from under


### Book:them? Ralston tried to allay their fears by giving them $100,000 and


### Book:placing another $300,000 in escrow for them. If the deal went through,


### Book:they would be paid an additional $300,000. The miners agreed.


### Book:The little group traveled to New York, where a meeting was held at


### Book:the mansion of Samuel L. Barlow. The cream of the city’s aristocracy


### Book:was in attendance—General George Brinton McClellan, commander of


### Book:the Union forces in the Civil War; General Benjamin Butler; Horace


### Book:Greeley, editor of the newspaper the New York Tribune; Harpending;Ralston; and Tiffany. Only Slack and Arnold were missing—as tourists


### Book:in the city, they had decided to go sight-seeing.


### Book:When Tiffany announced that the gems were real and worth a fortune,


### Book:the financiers could barely control their excitement. They wired


### Book:Rothschild and other tycoons to tell them about the diamond mine and


### Book:inviting them to share in the investment. At the same time, they also told


### Book:the prospectors that they wanted one more test: They insisted that a


### Book:mining expert of their choosing accompany Slack and Arnold to the site


### Book:to verify its wealth. The prospectors reluctantly agreed. In the meantime,


### Book:they said, they had to return to San Francisco. The jewels that Tiffany


### Book:had examined they left with Harpending for safekeeping.


### Book:Several weeks later, a man named Louis Janin, the best mining expert


### Book:in the country, met the prospectors in San Francisco. Janin was a born


### Book:skeptic who was determined to make sure that the mine was not a fraud.


### Book:Accompanying Janin were Harpending, and several other interested


### Book:financiers. As with the previous expert, the prospectors led the team


### Book:through a complex series of canyons, completely confusing them as to


### Book:their whereabouts. Arriving at the site, the financiers watched in


### Book:amazement as Janin dug the area up, leveling anthills, turning over


### Book:boulders, and finding emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and most of all


### Book:diamonds. The dig lasted eight days, and by the end, Janin was


### Book:convinced: He told the investors that they now possessed the richest field


### Book:in mining history. “With a hundred men and proper machinery,” he told


### Book:them, “I would guarantee to send out one million dollars in diamonds


### Book:every thirty days.”


### Book:Returning to San Francisco a few days later, Ralston, Harpending, and


### Book:company acted fast to form a $10 million corporation of private


### Book:investors. First, however, they had to get rid of Arnold and Slack. That


### Book:meant hiding their excitement—they certainly did not want to reveal the


### Book:field’s real value. So they played possum. Who knows if Janin is right,


### Book:they told the prospectors, the mine may not be as rich as we think. This


### Book:just made the prospectors angry. Trying a different tactic, the financiers


### Book:told the two men that if they insisted on having shares in the mine, they


### Book:would end up being fleeced by the unscrupulous tycoons and investors


### Book:who would run the corporation ; better, they said, to take the $700,000


### Book:already offered—an enormous sum at the time—and put their greed


### Book:aside. This the prospectors seemed to understand, and they finally agreed


### Book:to take the money, in return signing the rights to the site over to the


### Book:financiers, and leaving maps to it.News of the mine spread like wildfire. Prospectors fanned out across


### Book:Wyoming. Meanwhile Harpending and group began spending the


### Book:millions they had collected from their investors, buying equipment,


### Book:hiring the best men in the business, and furnishing luxurious offices in


### Book:New York and San Francisco.


### Book:A few weeks later, on their first trip back to the site, they learned the


### Book:hard truth: Not a single diamond or ruby was to be found. It was all a


### Book:fake. They were ruined. Harpending had unwittingly lured the richest


### Book:men in the world into the biggest scam of the century.


### Book:Interpretation


### Book:Arnold and Slack pulled off their stupendous con not by using a fake


### Book:engineer or bribing Tiffany: All of the experts had been real. All of them


### Book:honestly believed in the existence of the mine and in the value of the


### Book:gems. What had fooled them all was nothing else than Arnold and Slack


### Book:themselves. The two men seemed to be such rubes, such hayseeds, so


### Book:naive, that no one for an instant had believed them capable of an


### Book:audacious scam. The prospectors had simply observed the law of


### Book:appearing more stupid than the mark—the deceiver’s First


### Book:Commandment.


### Book:The logistics of the con were quite simple. Months before Arnold and


### Book:Slack announced the “discovery” of the diamond mine, they traveled to


### Book:Europe, where they purchased some real gems for around $12,000 (part


### Book:of the money they had saved from their days as gold miners). They then


### Book:salted the “mine” with these gems, which the first expert dug up and


### Book:brought to San Francisco. The jewelers who had appraised these stones,


### Book:including Tiffany himself, had gotten caught up in the fever and had


### Book:grossly overestimated their value. Then Ralston gave the prospectors


### Book:$100,000 as security, and immediately after their trip to New York they


### Book:simply went to Amsterdam, where they bought sacks of uncut gems,


### Book:before returning to San Francisco. The second time they salted the mine,


### Book:there were many more jewels to be found.


### Book:The effectiveness of the scheme, however, rested not on tricks like


### Book:these but on the fact that Arnold and Slack played their parts to


### Book:perfection. On their trip to New York, where they mingled with


### Book:millionaires and tycoons, they played up their clodhopper image,wearing pants and coats a size or two too small and acting incredulous at


### Book:everything they saw in the big city. No one believed that these country


### Book:simpletons could possibly be conning the most devious, unscrupulous


### Book:financiers of the time. And once Harpending, Ralston, and even


### Book:Rothschild accepted the mine’s existence, anyone who doubted it was


### Book:questioning the intelligence of the world’s most successful businessmen.


### Book:In the end, Harpending’s reputation was ruined and he never


### Book:recovered; Rothschild learned his lesson and never fell for another con;


### Book:Slack took his money and disappeared from view, never to be found.


### Book:Arnold simply went home to Kentucky. After all, his sale of his mining


### Book:rights had been legitimate; the buyers had taken the best advice, and if


### Book:the mine had run out of diamonds, that was their problem. Arnold used


### Book:the money to greatly enlarge his farm and open up a bank of his own.


### Book:KEYS TO POWER


### Book:The feeling that someone else is more intelligent than we are is almost


### Book:intolerable. We usually try to justify it in different ways: “He only has


### Book:book knowledge, whereas I have real knowledge.” “Her parents paid for


### Book:her to get a good education. If my parents had had as much money, if I


### Book:had been as privileged….” “He’s not as smart as he thinks.” Last but not


### Book:least: “She may know her narrow little field better than I do, but beyond


### Book:that she’s really not smart at all. Even Einstein was a boob outside


### Book:physics.”


### Book:Given how important the idea of intelligence is to most people’s


### Book:vanity, it is critical never inadvertently to insult or impugn a person’s


### Book:brain power. That is an unforgivable sin. But if you can make this iron


### Book:rule work for you, it opens up all sorts of avenues of deception.


### Book:Subliminally reassure people that they are more intelligent than you are,


### Book:or even that you are a bit of a moron, and you can run rings around them.


### Book:The feeling of intellectual superiority you give them will disarm their


### Book:suspicion-muscles.


### Book:In 1865 the Prussian councillor Otto von Bismarck wanted Austria to


### Book:sign a certain treaty. The treaty was totally in the interests of Prussia and


### Book:against the interests of Austria, and Bismarck would have to strategize to


### Book:get the Austrians to agree to it. But the Austrian negotiator, Count


### Book:Blome, was an avid cardplayer. His particular game was quinze, and heoften said that he could judge a man’s character by the way he played


### Book:quinze. Bismarck knew of this saying of Blome’s.


### Book:The night before the negotiations were to begin, Bismarck innocently


### Book:engaged Blome in a game of quinze. The Prussian would later write,


### Book:“That was the very last time I ever played quinze. I played so recklessly


### Book:that everyone was astonished. I lost several thousand talers [the currency


### Book:of the time], but I succeeded in fooling [Blome], for he believed me to be


### Book:more venturesome than I am and I gave way.” Besides appearing


### Book:reckless, Bismarck also played the witless fool, saying ridiculous things


### Book:and bumbling about with a surplus of nervous energy.


### Book:All this made Blome feel he had gathered valuable information. He


### Book:knew that Bismarck was aggressive—the Prussian already had that


### Book:reputation, and the way he played had confirmed it. And aggressive men,


### Book:Blome knew, can be foolish and rash. Accordingly, when the time came


### Book:to sign the treaty, Blome thought he had the advantage. A heedless fool


### Book:like Bismarck, he thought, is incapable of cold-blooded calculation and


### Book:deception, so he only glanced at the treaty before signing it—he failed to


### Book:read the fine print. As soon as the ink was dry, a joyous Bismarck


### Book:exclaimed in his face, “Well, I could never have believed that I should


### Book:find an Austrian diplomat willing to sign that document!”


### Book:The Chinese have a phrase, “Masquerading as a swine to kill the


### Book:tiger.” This refers to an ancient hunting technique in which the hunter


### Book:clothes himself in the hide and snout of a pig, and mimics its grunting.


### Book:The mighty tiger thinks a pig is coming his way, and lets it get close,


### Book:savoring the prospect of an easy meal. But it is the hunter who has the


### Book:last laugh.


### Book:Masquerading as a swine works wonders on those who, like tigers, are


### Book:arrogant and overconfident: The easier they think it is to prey on you, the


### Book:more easily you can turn the tables. This trick is also useful if you are


### Book:ambitious yet find yourself low in the hierarchy: Appearing less


### Book:intelligent than you are, even a bit of a fool, is the perfect disguise. Look


### Book:like a harmless pig and no one will believe you harbor dangerous


### Book:ambitions. They may even promote you since you seem so likable, and


### Book:subservient. Claudius before he became emperor of Rome, and the prince


### Book:of France who later became Louis XIII, used this tactic when those


### Book:above them suspected they might have designs on the throne. By playing


### Book:the fool as young men, they were left alone. When the time came for


### Book:them to strike, and to act with vigor and decisiveness, they caught


### Book:everyone off-guard.Intelligence is the obvious quality to downplay, but why stop there?


### Book:Taste and sophistication rank close to intelligence on the vanity scale;


### Book:make people feel they are more sophisticated than you are and their


### Book:guard will come down. As Arnold and Slack knew, an air of complete


### Book:naivete can work wonders. Those fancy financiers were laughing at them


### Book:behind their backs, but who laughed loudest in the end? In general, then,


### Book:always make people believe they are smarter and more sophisticated than


### Book:you are. They will keep you around because you make them feel better


### Book:about themselves, and the longer you are around, the more opportunities


### Book:you will have to deceive them.


### Book:Image:


### Book:The Opossum. In playing


### Book:dead, the opossum plays stupid.


### Book:Many a predator has therefore left it


### Book:alone. Who could believe that such an


### Book:ugly, unintelligent, nervous little creature


### Book:could be capable of such deception?


### Book:Authority: Know how to make use of stupidity: The wisest man plays


### Book:this card at times. There are occasions when the highest wisdom consists


### Book:in appearing not to know—you must not be ignorant but capable of


### Book:playing it. It is not much good being wise among fools and sane among


### Book:lunatics. He who poses as a fool is not a fool. The best way to be well


### Book:received by all is to clothe yourself in the skin of the dumbest of brutes.


### Book:(Baltasar Gracián, 1601-1658)


### Book:REVERSAL


### Book:To reveal the true nature of your intelligence rarely pays; you should get


### Book:in the habit of downplaying it at all times. If people inadvertently learn


### Book:the truth—that you are actually much smarter than you look—they will


### Book:admire you more for being discreet than for making your brilliance show.


### Book:At the start of your climb to the top, of course, you cannot play too


### Book:stupid: You may want to let your bosses know, in a subtle way, that youare smarter than the competition around you. As you climb the ladder,


### Book:however, you should to some degree try to dampen your brilliance.


### Book:There is, however, one situation where it pays to do the opposite—


### Book:when you can cover up a deception with a show of intelligence. In


### Book:matters of smarts as in most things, appearances are what count. If you


### Book:seem to have authority and knowledge, people will believe what you say.


### Book:This can be very useful in getting you out of a scrape.


### Book:The art dealer Joseph Duveen was once attending a soiree at the New


### Book:York home of a tycoon to whom he had recently sold a Dürer painting


### Book:for a high price. Among the guests was a young French art critic who


### Book:seemed extremely knowledgeable and confident. Wanting to impress this


### Book:man, the tycoon’s daughter showed him the Dürer, which had not yet


### Book:been hung. The critic studied it for a time, then finally said, “You know, I


### Book:don’t think this Dürer is right.” He followed the young woman as she


### Book:hurried to tell her father what he had said, and listened as the magnate,


### Book:deeply unsettled, turned to Duveen for reassurance. Duveen just laughed.


### Book:“How very amusing,” he said. “Do you realize, young man, that at least


### Book:twenty other art experts here and in Europe have been taken in too, and


### Book:have said that painting isn’t genuine? And now you’ve made the same


### Book:mistake.” His confident tone and air of authority intimidated the


### Book:Frenchman, who apologized for his mistake.


### Book:Duveen knew that the art market was flooded with fakes, and that


### Book:many paintings had been falsely ascribed to old masters. He tried his best


### Book:to distinguish the real from the fake, but in his zeal to sell he often


### Book:overplayed a work’s authenticity. What mattered to him was that the


### Book:buyer believed he had bought a Dürer, and that Duveen himself


### Book:convinced everyone of his “expertness” through his air of irreproachable


### Book:authority. Thus, it is important to be able to play the professor when


### Book:necessary and never impose such an attitude for its own sake.LAW 22


### Book:USE THE SURRENDER TACTIC: TRANSFORM


### Book:WEAKNESS INTO POWER


### Book:JUDGMENT


### Book:When you are weaker, never fight for honor’s sake; choose surrender


### Book:instead. Surrender gives you time to recover, time to torment and irritate


### Book:your conqueror, time to wait for his power to wane. Do not give him the


### Book:satisfaction of fighting and defeating you—surrender first. By turning


### Book:the other cheek you infuriate and unsettle him. Make surrender a tool of


### Book:power.


### Book:TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW


### Book:The island of Melos is strategically situated in the heart of the


### Book:Mediterranean. In classical times, the city of Athens dominated the sea


### Book:and coastal areas around Greece, but Sparta, in the Peloponnese, had


### Book:been Melos’s original colonizer. During the Peloponnesian War, then, the


### Book:Melians refused to ally themselves with Athens and remained loyal to


### Book:Mother Sparta. In 416 B.C. the Athenians sent an expedition against


### Book:Melos. Before launching an all-out attack, however, they dispatched a


### Book:delegation to persuade the Melians to surrender and become an ally


### Book:rather than suffer devastation and defeat.


### Book:THE CHESTNUT AND THE FIG TREE


### Book:A man who had climbed upon a certain fig tree, was bending the boughs


### Book:toward him and plucking the ripe fruit, which he then put into his mouth


### Book:to destroy and gnaw with his hard teeth. The chestnut, seeing this, tossed


### Book:its long branches and with tumultuous rustle exclaimed: “Oh Fig! Howmuch less protected by nature you are than I. See how my sweet offspring


### Book:are set in close array; first clothed in soft wrappers over which is the


### Book:hard but softly lined husk. And not content with this much care, nature


### Book:has also given us these sharp and close-set spines, so that the hand of


### Book:man cannot hurt us.” Then the fig tree began to laugh, and after the


### Book:laughter it said: “You know well that man is of such ingenuity that he


### Book:will bereave even you of your children. But in your case he will do it by


### Book:means of rods and stones; and when they are felled he will trample them


### Book:with his feet or hit them with stones, so that your offspring will emerge


### Book:from their armor crushed and maimed; while I am touched carefully by


### Book:his hands, and never, like you, with rouglxness”


### Book:LEONARDO DAVINCI, 1452-1519


### Book:“You know as well as we do,” the delegates said, “that the standard of


### Book:justice depends on the equality of power to compel, and that in fact the


### Book:strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they


### Book:have to accept.” When the Melians responded that this denied the notion


### Book:of fair play, the Athenians said that those in power determined what was


### Book:fair and what was not. The Melians argued that this authority belonged to


### Book:the gods, not to mortals. “Our opinion of the gods and our knowledge of


### Book:men,” replied a member of the Athenian delegation, “lead us to conclude


### Book:that it is a general and necessary law of nature to rule whatever one can.”


### Book:The Melians would not budge. Sparta, they insisted, would come to


### Book:their defense. The Athenians countered that the Spartans were a


### Book:conservative, practical people, and would not help Melos because they


### Book:had nothing to gain and a lot to lose by doing so.


### Book:Finally the Melians began to talk of honor and the principle of


### Book:resisting brute force. “Do not be led astray by a false sense of honor,”


### Book:said the Athenians. “Honor often brings men to ruin when they are faced


### Book:with an obvious danger that somehow affects their pride. There is


### Book:nothing disgraceful in giving way to the greatest city in Hellas when she


### Book:is offering you such reasonable terms.” The debate ended. The Melians


### Book:discussed the issue among themselves, and decided to trust in the aid of


### Book:the Spartans, the will of the gods, and the rightness of their cause. They


### Book:politely declined the Athenians’ offer.


### Book:A few days later the Athenians invaded Melos. The Melians fought


### Book:nobly, even without the Spartans, who did not come to their rescue. It


### Book:took several attempts before the Athenians could surround and besiege


### Book:their main city, but the Melians finally surrendered. The Athenians


### Book:wasted no time—they put to death all the men of military age that they


### Book:could capture, they sold the women and children as slaves, and theyrepopulated the island with their own colonists. Only a handful of


### Book:Melians survived.


### Book:Interpretation


### Book:The Athenians were one of the most eminently practical people in


### Book:history, and they made the most practical argument they could with the


### Book:Melians: When you are weaker, there is nothing to be gained by fighting


### Book:a useless fight. No one comes to help the weak—by doing so they would


### Book:only put themselves in jeopardy. The weak are alone and must submit.


### Book:Fighting gives you nothing to gain but martyrdom, and in the process a


### Book:lot of people who do not believe in your cause will die.


### Book:Weakness is no sin, and can even become a strength if you learn how


### Book:to play it right. Had the Melians surrendered in the first place, they


### Book:would have been able to sabotage the Athenians in subtle ways, or might


### Book:have gotten what they could have out of the alliance and then left it when


### Book:the Athenians themselves were weakened, as in fact happened several


### Book:years later. Fortunes change and the mighty are often brought down.


### Book:Surrender conceals great power: Lulling the enemy into complacency, it


### Book:gives you time to recoup, time to undermine, time for revenge. Never


### Book:sacrifice that time in exchange for honor in a battle that you cannot win.


### Book:Voltaire was living in exile in London at a time when anti-French


### Book:sentiment was at its highest. One day walking through the streets. he


### Book:found himself surrounded by an angry crowd. “Hang him. Hang the


### Book:Frenchman,”they yelled. Voltaire calmly addressed the mob with the


### Book:following words: “Men of England’ You wish to kill me because I am a


### Book:Frenchman. Am I not punished enough in not being born an


### Book:Englishman?” The crowd cheered his thoughtfill words, and escorted


### Book:him safely back to his lodgings.


### Book:THE LITTLE, BROWN BOOK OF ANECDOTES. CLIFTON


### Book:FADIMAN, ED., 1985


### Book:Weak people never give way when they ought to.


### Book:Cardinal de Retz, 1613-1679


### Book:OBSERVANCE OF THE LAWSometime in the 1920s the German writer Bertolt Brecht became a


### Book:convert to the cause of Communism. From then on his plays, essays, and


### Book:poems reflected his revolutionary fervor, and he generally tried to make


### Book:his ideological statements as clear as possible. When Hitler came to


### Book:power in Germany, Brecht and his Communist colleagues became


### Book:marked men. He had many friends in the United States—Americans who


### Book:sympathized with his beliefs, as well as fellow German intellectuals who


### Book:had fled Hitler. In 1941, accordingly, Brecht emigrated to the United


### Book:States, and chose to settle in Los Angeles, where he hoped to make a


### Book:living in the film business.


### Book:Over the next few years Brecht wrote screenplays with a pointedly an


### Book:ticapitalist slant. He had little success in Hollywood, so in 1947, the war


### Book:having ended, he decided to return to Europe. That same year, however,


### Book:the U.S. Congress’s House Un-American Activities Committee began its


### Book:investigation into supposed Communist infiltration in Hollywood. It


### Book:began to gather information on Brecht, who had so openly espoused


### Book:Marxism, and on September 19, 1947, only a month before he had


### Book:planned to leave the United States, he received a subpoena to appear


### Book:before the committee. In addition to Brecht, a number of other writers,


### Book:producers, and directors were summoned to appear as well, and this


### Book:group came to be known as the Hollywood 19.


### Book:Before going to Washington, the Hollywood 19 met to decide on a


### Book:plan of action. Their approach would be confrontational. Instead of


### Book:answering questions about their membership, or lack of it, in the


### Book:Communist Party, they would read prepared statements that would


### Book:challenge the authority of the committee and argue that its activities were


### Book:unconstitutional. Even if this strategy meant imprisonment, it would gain


### Book:publicity for their cause.


### Book:Brecht disagreed. What good was it, he asked, to play the martyr and


### Book:gain a little public sympathy if in the process they lost the ability to stage


### Book:their plays and sell their scripts for years to come? He felt certain they


### Book:were all more intelligent than the members of the committee. Why lower


### Book:themselves to the level of their opponents by arguing with them? Why


### Book:not outfox the committee by appearing to surrender to it while subtly


### Book:mocking it? The Hollywood 19 listened to Brecht politely, but decided to


### Book:stick to their plan, leaving Brecht to go his own way.


### Book:The committee finally summoned Brecht on October 30. They


### Book:expected him to do what others among the Hollywood 19 who had


### Book:testified before him had done: Argue, refuse to answer questions,


### Book:challenge the committee’s right to hold its hearing, even yell and hurlinsults. Much to their surprise, however, Brecht was the very picture of


### Book:congeniality. He wore a suit (something he rarely did), smoked a cigar


### Book:(he had heard that the committee chairman was a passionate cigar


### Book:smoker), answered their questions politely, and generally deferred to


### Book:their authority.


### Book:Unlike the other witnesses, Brecht answered the question of whether


### Book:he belonged to the Communist Party: He was not a member, he said,


### Book:which happened to be the truth. One committee member asked him, “Is it


### Book:true you have written a number of revolutionary plays?” Brecht had


### Book:written many plays with overt Communist messages, but he responded,


### Book:“I have written a number of poems and songs and plays in the fight


### Book:against Hitler and, of course, they can be considered, therefore, as


### Book:revolutionary because I, of course, was for the overthrow of that


### Book:government.” This statement went unchallenged.


### Book:Brecht’s English was more than adequate, but he used an interpreter


### Book:throughout his testimony, a tactic that allowed him to play subtle games


### Book:with language. When committee members found Communist leanings in


### Book:lines from English editions of his poems, he would repeat the lines in


### Book:German for the interpreter, who would then retranslate them; and


### Book:somehow they would come out innocuous. At one point a committee


### Book:member read one of Brecht’s revolutionary poems out loud in English,


### Book:and asked him if he had written it. “No,” he responded, “I wrote a


### Book:German poem, which is very different from this.” The author’s elusive


### Book:answers baffled the committee members, but his politeness and the way


### Book:he yielded to their authority made it impossible for them to get angry


### Book:with him.


### Book:After only an hour of questioning, the committee members had had


### Book:enough. “Thank you very much,” said the chairman, “You are a good


### Book:example to the [other] witnesses.” Not only did they free him, they


### Book:offered to help him if he had any trouble with immigration officials who


### Book:might detain him for their own reasons. The following day, Brecht left


### Book:the United States, never to return.


### Book:Interpretation


### Book:The Hollywood 19’s confrontational approach won them a lot of


### Book:sympathy, and years later they gained a kind of vindication in public


### Book:opinion. But they were also blacklisted, and lost valuable years of


### Book:profitable working time. Brecht, on the other hand, expressed his disgustat the committee more indirectly. It was not that he changed his beliefs or


### Book:compromised his values; instead, during his short testimony, he kept the


### Book:upper hand by appearing to yield while all the time running circles


### Book:around the committee with vague responses, outright lies that went


### Book:unchallenged because they were wrapped in enigmas, and word games.


### Book:In the end he kept the freedom to continue his revolutionary writing (as


### Book:opposed to suffering imprisonment or detainment in the United States),


### Book:even while subtly mocking the committee and its authority with his


### Book:pseudo-obedience.


### Book:Keep in mind the following: People trying to make a show of their


### Book:authority are easily deceived by the surrender tactic. Your outward sign


### Book:of submission makes them feel important; satisfied that you respect


### Book:them, they become easier targets for a later counterattack, or for the kind


### Book:of indirect ridicule used by Brecht. Measuring your power over time,


### Book:never sacrifice long-term maneuverability for the short-lived glories of


### Book:martyrdom.


### Book:When the great lord passes, the wise peasant bows deeply and silently


### Book:farts.


### Book:Ethiophan proverb


### Book:KEYS TO POWER


### Book:What gets us into trouble in the realm of power is often our own


### Book:overreaction to the moves of our enemies and rivals. That overreaction


### Book:creates problems we would have avoided had we been more reasonable.


### Book:It also has an endless rebound effect, for the enemy then overreacts as


### Book:well, much as the Athenians did to the Melians. It is always our first


### Book:instinct to react, to meet aggression with some other kind of aggression.


### Book:But the next time someone pushes you and you find yourself starting to


### Book:react, try this: Do not resist or fight back, but yield, turn the other cheek,


### Book:bend. You will find that this often neutralizes their behavior—they


### Book:expected, even wanted you to react with force and so they are caught off-


### Book:guard and confounded by your lack of resistance. By yielding, you in


### Book:fact control the situation, because your surrender is part of a larger plan


### Book:to lull them into believing they have defeated you.


### Book:This is the essence of the surrender tactic: Inwardly you stay firm, but


### Book:outwardly you bend. Deprived of a reason to get angry, your opponentswill often be bewildered instead. And they are unlikely to react with


### Book:more violence, which would demand a reaction from you. Instead you


### Book:are allowed the time and space to plot the countermoves that will bring


### Book:them down. In the battle of the intelligent against the brutal and the


### Book:aggressive, the surrender tactic is the supreme weapon. It does require


### Book:self-control: Those who genuinely surrender give up their freedom, and


### Book:may be crushed by the humiliation of their defeat. You have to remember


### Book:that you only appear to surrender, like the animal that plays dead to save


### Book:its hide.


### Book:We have seen that it can be better to surrender than to fight; faced with


### Book:a more powerful opponent and a sure defeat, it is often also better to


### Book:surrender than to run away. Running away may save you for the time


### Book:being, but the aggressor will eventually catch up with you. If you


### Book:surrender instead, you have an opportunity to coil around your enemy


### Book:and strike with your fangs from close up.


### Book:In 473 B.C., in ancient China, King Goujian of Yue suffered a horrible


### Book:defeat from the ruler of Wu in the battle of Fujiao. Goujian wanted to


### Book:flee, but he had an adviser who told him to surrender and to place


### Book:himself in the service of the ruler of Wu, from which position he could


### Book:study the man and plot his revenge. Deciding to follow this advice,


### Book:Goujian gave the ruler all of his riches, and went to work in his


### Book:conqueror’s stables as the lowest servant. For three years he humbled


### Book:himself before the ruler, who then, finally satisfied of his loyalty,


### Book:allowed him to return home. Inwardly, however, Goujian had spent those


### Book:three years gathering information and plotting revenge. When a terrible


### Book:drought struck Wu, and the kingdom was weakened by inner turmoil, he


### Book:raised an army, invaded, and won with ease. That is the power behind


### Book:surrender: It gives you the time and the flexibility to plot a devastating


### Book:counterblow. Had Goujian run away, he would have lost this chance.


### Book:When foreign trade began to threaten Japanese independence in the


### Book:mid-nineteenth century, the Japanese debated how to defeat the


### Book:foreigners. One minister, Hotta Masayoshi, wrote a memorandum in


### Book:1857 that influenced Japanese policy for years to come: “I am therefore


### Book:convinced that our policy should be to conclude friendly alliances, to


### Book:send ships to foreign countries everywhere and conduct trade, to copy


### Book:the foreigners where they are at their best and so repair our own


### Book:shortcomings, to foster our national strength and complete our


### Book:armaments, and so gradually subject the foreigners to our influence until


### Book:in the end all the countries of the world know the blessings of perfect


### Book:tranquillity and our hegemony is acknowledged throughout the globe.”This is a brilliant application of the Law: Use surrender to gain access to


### Book:your enemy. Learn his ways, insinuate yourself with him slowly,


### Book:outwardly conform to his customs, but inwardly maintain your own


### Book:culture. Eventually you will emerge victorious, for while he considers


### Book:you weak and inferior, and takes no precautions against you, you are


### Book:using the time to catch up and surpass him. This soft, permeable form of


### Book:invasion is often the best, for the enemy has nothing to react against,


### Book:prepare for, or resist. And had Japan resisted Western influence by force,


### Book:it might well have suffered a devastating invasion that would have


### Book:permanently altered its culture.


### Book:Surrender can also offer a way of mocking your enemies, of turning


### Book:their power against them, as it did for Brecht. Milan Kundera’s novel


### Book:The Joke, based on the author’s experiences in a penal camp in


### Book:Czechoslovakia, tells the story of how the prison guards organized a


### Book:relay race, guards against prisoners. For the guards this was a chance to


### Book:show off their physical superiority. The prisoners knew they were


### Book:expected to lose, so they went out of their way to oblige—miming


### Book:exaggerated exertion while barely moving, running a few yards and


### Book:collapsing, limping, jogging ever so slowly while the guards raced ahead


### Book:at full speed. Both by joining the race and by losing it, they had obliged


### Book:the guards obediently; but their “overobedience” had mocked the event


### Book:to the point of ruining it. Overobedience—surrender—was here a way to


### Book:demonstrate superiority in a reverse manner. Resistance would have


### Book:engaged the prisoners in the cycle of violence, lowering them to the


### Book:guards’ level. Overobeying the guards, however, made them ridiculous,


### Book:yet they could not rightly punish the prisoners, who had only done what


### Book:they asked.


### Book:Power is always in flux—since the game is by nature fluid, and an


### Book:arena of constant struggle, those with power almost always find


### Book:themselves eventually on the downward swing. If you find yourself


### Book:temporarily weakened, the surrender tactic is perfect for raising yourself


### Book:up again—it disguises your ambition; it teaches you patience and self-


### Book:control, key skills in the game; and it puts you in the best possible


### Book:position for taking advantage of your oppressor’s sudden slide. If you


### Book:run away or fight back, in the long run you cannot win. If you surrender,


### Book:you will almost always emerge victorious.


### Book:Image: An Oak


### Book:Tree. The oak


### Book:that resists the


### Book:wind loses itsbranches one


### Book:by one, and


### Book:with nothing


### Book:left to protect


### Book:it, the trunk fi


### Book:nally snaps.


### Book:The oak that


### Book:bends lives long


### Book:er, its trunk grow


### Book:ing wider, its roots


### Book:deeper and more tenacious.


### Book:Authority: Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye and a


### Book:tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but


### Book:whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.


### Book:And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let them


### Book:have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go


### Book:with him twain. (Jesus Christ, in Matthew 5:38-41)


### Book:REVERSAL


### Book:The point of surrendering is to save your hide for a later date when you


### Book:can reassert yourself. It is precisely to avoid martyrdom that one


### Book:surrenders, but there are times when the enemy will not relent, and


### Book:martyrdom seems the only way out. Furthermore, if you are willing to


### Book:die, others may gain power and inspiration from your example.


### Book:Yet martyrdom, surrender’s reversal, is a messy, inexact tactic, and is


### Book:as violent as the aggression it combats. For every famous martyr there


### Book:are thousands more who have inspired neither a religion nor a rebellion,


### Book:so that if martyrdom does sometimes grant a certain power, it does so


### Book:unpredictably. More important, you will not be around to enjoy that


### Book:power, such as it is. And there is finally something selfish and arrogantabout martyrs, as if they felt their followers were less important than


### Book:their own glory.


### Book:When power deserts you, it is best to ignore this Law’s reversal. Leave


### Book:martyrdom alone: The pendulum will swing back your way eventually,


### Book:and you should stay alive to see it.LAW 23


### Book:CONCENTRATE YOUR FORCES


### Book:JUDGMENT


### Book:Conserve your forces and energies by keeping them concentrated at their


### Book:strongest point. You gain more by finding a rich mine and mining it


### Book:deeper, than by flitting from one shallow mine to another—intensity


### Book:defeats extensity every time. When looking for sources of power to


### Book:elevate you, find the one key patron, the fat cow who will give you milk


### Book:for a long time to come.


### Book:TRANSGRESSION OF THE LAW


### Book:In China in the early sixth century B.C., the kingdom of Wu began a war


### Book:with the neighboring northern provinces of the Middle Kingdom. Wu


### Book:was a growing power, but it lacked the great history and civilization of


### Book:the Middle Kingdom, for centuries the center of Chinese culture. By


### Book:defeating the Middle Kingdom, the king of Wu would instantly raise his


### Book:status.


### Book:The war began with great fanfare and several victories, but it soon


### Book:bogged down. A victory on one front would leave the Wu armies


### Book:vulnerable on another. The king’s chief minister and adviser, Wu Tzu-


### Book:hsiu, warned him that the barbarous state of Yueh, to the south, was


### Book:beginning to notice the kingdom of Wu’s problems and had designs to


### Book:invade. The king only laughed at such worries—one more big victory


### Book:and the great Middle Kingdom would be his.


### Book:THE GOOSE AND THE HOUSEA goose who was plucking grass upon a common thought herself


### Book:affronted by a horse who fed near her; and, in hissing accents, thus


### Book:addressed him: “I am certainly a more noble and perfect animal than


### Book:you, for the whole range and extent of your faculties is confined to one


### Book:element. I can walk upon the ground as well as you; I have, besides,


### Book:wings, with which I can raise myself in the air; and when I please, I can


### Book:sport on ponds and lakes, and refresh myself in the cool waters. I enjoy


### Book:the different powers of a bird, a fish, and a quadruped.”


### Book:The horse, snorting somewhat disdainfully, replied: “It is true you


### Book:inhabit three elements, but you make no very distinguished figure in any


### Book:one of them. You fly, indeed; but your flight is so heavy and clumsy, that


### Book:you have no right to put yourself on a level with the lark or the swallow.


### Book:You can swim on the surface of the waters, but you cannot live in them as


### Book:fishes do; you cannot find your food in that element, nor glide smoothly


### Book:along the bottom of the waves. And when you walk, or rather waddle,


### Book:upon the ground, with your broad feet and your long neck stretched out,


### Book:hissing at everyone who passes by, you bring upon yourself the derision


### Book:of all beholders. I confess that I am only formed to move upon the


### Book:ground; but how graceful is my make! How well turned mv lunbs! How


### Book:highly finished my whole body! How great my strength! How astonishing


### Book:my speed! I had much rather be confined to one element, and be admired


### Book:in that, than be a goose in all!”


### Book:FABLES FROM BOCCAACCIO AND CHAUCER. DR. JOHN AIKIN,


### Book:1747-1822


### Book:In the year 490, Wu Tzu-hsiu sent his son away to safety in the


### Book:kingdom of Ch’i. In doing so he sent the king a signal that he


### Book:disapproved of the war, and that he believed the king’s selfish ambition


### Book:was leading Wu to ruin. The king, sensing betrayal, lashed out at his


### Book:minister, accusing him of a lack of loyalty and, in a fit of anger, ordered


### Book:him to kill himself. Wu Tzu-hsiu obeyed his king, but before he plunged


### Book:the knife into his chest, he cried, “Tear out my eyes, oh King, and fix


### Book:them on the gate of Wu, so that I may see the triumphant entry of Yueh.”


### Book:As Wu Tzu-hsiu had predicted, within a few years a Yueh army passed


### Book:beneath the gate of Wu. As the barbarians surrounded the palace, the


### Book:king remembered his minister’s last words—and felt the dead man’s


### Book:disembodied eyes watching his disgrace. Unable to bear his shame, the


### Book:king killed himself, “covering his face so that he would not have to meet


### Book:the reproachful gaze of his minister in the next world.”Interpretation


### Book:The story of Wu is a paradigm of all the empires that have come to ruin


### Book:by overreaching. Drunk with success and sick with ambition, such


### Book:empires expand to grotesque proportions and meet a ruin that is total.


### Book:This is what happened to ancient Athens, which lusted for the faraway


### Book:island of Sicily and ended up losing its empire. The Romans stretched


### Book:the boundaries of their empire to encompass vast territories; in doing so


### Book:they increased their vulnerability, and the chances of invasion from yet


### Book:another barbarian tribe. Their useless expansion led their empire into


### Book:oblivion.


### Book:For the Chinese, the fate of the kingdom of Wu serves as an elemental


### Book:lesson on what happens when you dissipate your forces on several fronts,


### Book:losing sight of distant dangers for the sake of present gain. “If you are


### Book:not in danger,” says Sun-tzu, “do not fight.” It is almost a physical law:


### Book:What is bloated beyond its proportions inevitably collapses. The mind


### Book:must not wander from goal to goal, or be distracted by success from its


### Book:sense of purpose and proportion. What is concentrated, coherent, and


### Book:connected to its past has power. What is dissipated, divided, and


### Book:distended rots and falls to the ground. The bigger it bloats, the harder it


### Book:falls.


### Book:OBSERVANCE OF THE LAW


### Book:The Rothschild banking family had humble beginnings in the Jewish


### Book:ghetto of Frankfurt, Germany. The city’s harsh laws made it impossible


### Book:for Jews to mingle outside the ghetto, but the Jews had turned this into a


### Book:virtue—it made them self-reliant, and zealous to preserve their culture at


### Book:all costs. Mayer Amschel, the first of the Rothschilds to accumulate


### Book:wealth by lending money, in the late eighteenth century, well understood


### Book:the power that comes from this kind of concentration and cohesion.


### Book:First, Mayer Amschel allied himself with one family, the powerful


### Book:princes of Thurn und Taxis. Instead of spreading his services out, he


### Book:made himself these princes’ primary banker. Second, he entrusted none


### Book:of his business to outsiders, using only his children and close relatives.


### Book:The more unified and tight-knit the family, the more powerful it would


### Book:become. Soon Mayer Amschel’s five sons were running the business.And when Mayer Amschel lay dying, in 1812, he refused to name a


### Book:principal heir, instead setting up all of his sons to continue the family


### Book:tradition, so that they would stay united and would resist the dangers of


### Book:diffusion and of infiltration by outsiders.


### Book:Beware of dissipating your powers: strive constantly to concentrate


### Book:them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but it is sure


### Book:to repent of every ill-judged outlay.


### Book:JOHANN VON GOETHE, 1749-1832


### Book:Once Mayer Amschel’s sons controlled the family business, they


### Book:decided that the key to wealth on a larger scale was to secure a foothold


### Book:in the finances of Europe as a whole, rather than being tied to any one


### Book:country or prince. Of the five brothers, Nathan had already opened up


### Book:shop in London. In 1813 James moved to Paris. Amschel remained in


### Book:Frankfurt, Salomon established himself in Vienna, and Karl, the


### Book:youngest son, went to Naples. With each sphere of influence covered,


### Book:they could tighten their hold on Europe’s financial markets.


### Book:This widespread network, of course, opened the Rothschilds to the


### Book:very danger of which their father had warned them: diffusion, division,


### Book:dissension. They avoided this danger, and established themselves as the


### Book:most powerful force in European finance and politics, by once again


### Book:resorting to the strategy of the ghetto—excluding outsiders,


### Book:concentrating their forces. The Rothschilds established the fastest courier


### Book:system in Europe, allowing them to get news of events before all their


### Book:competitors. They held a virtual monopoly on information. And their


### Book:internal communications and correspondence were written in Frankfurt


### Book:Yiddish, and in a code that only the brothers could decipher. There was


### Book:no point in stealing this information—no one could understand it. “Even


### Book:the shewdest bankers cannot find their way through the Rothschild


### Book:maze,” admitted a financier who had tried to infiltrate the clan.


### Book:In 1824 James Rothschild decided it was time to get married. This


### Book:presented a problem for the Rothschilds, since it meant incorporating an


### Book:outsider into the Rothschild clan, an outsider who could betray its


### Book:secrets. James therefore decided to marry within the family, and chose


### Book:the daughter of his brother Salomon. The brothers were ecstatic—this


### Book:was the perfect solution to their marriage problems. James’s choice now


### Book:became the family policy: Two years later, Nathan married off his


### Book:daughter to Salomon’s son. In the years to come, the five brothers


### Book:arranged eighteen matches among their children, sixteen of these being


### Book:contracted between first cousins.“We are like the mechanism of a watch: Each part is essential,” said


### Book:brother Salomon. As in a watch, every part of the business moved in


### Book:concert with every other, and the inner workings were invisible to the


### Book:world, which only saw the movement of the hands. While other rich and


### Book:powerful families suffered irrecoverable downturns during the tumultous


### Book:first half of the nineteenth century, the tight-knit Rothschilds managed


### Book:not only to preserve but to expand their unprecedented wealth.


### Book:Interpretation


### Book:The Rothschilds were born in strange times. They came from a place that


### Book:had not changed in centuries, but lived in an age that gave birth to the


### Book:Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, and an endless series of


### Book:upheavals. The Rothchilds kept the past alive, resisted the patterns of


### Book:dispersion of their era and for this are emblematic of the law of


### Book:concentra tion.


### Book:No one represents this better than James Rothschild, the son who


### Book:established himself in Paris. In his lifetime James witnessed the defeat of


### Book:Napoleon, the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy, the bourgeois


### Book:monarchy of Orleans, the return to a republic, and finally the


### Book:enthronement of Napoleon III. French styles and fashions changed at a


### Book:relentless pace during all this turmoil. Without appearing to be a relic of


### Book:the past, James steered his family as if the ghetto lived on within them.


### Book:He kept alive his clan’s inner cohesion and strength. Only through such


### Book:an anchoring in the past was the family able to thrive amidst such chaos.


### Book:Concentration was the foundation of the Rothschilds’ power, wealth, and


### Book:stability.


### Book:The best strategy is always to be very strony first in general, then


### Book:at the decisive point…. There is no higher and simpler law of strategy


### Book:than that of keeping one’s forces concentrated…. In short the


### Book:first principle is: act with the utmost concentration.


### Book:On War, Carl von Clausewitz, 1780-1831


### Book:KEYS TO POWERThe world is plagued by greater and greater division—within countries,


### Book:political groups, families, even individuals. We are all in a state of total


### Book:distraction and diffusion, hardly able to keep our minds in one direction


### Book:before we are pulled in a thousand others. The modern world’s level of


### Book:conflict is higher than ever, and we have internalized it in our own lives.


### Book:The solution is a form of retreat inside ourselves, to the past, to more


### Book:concentrated forms of thought and action. As Schopenhauer wrote,


### Book:“Intellect is a magnitude of intensity, not a magnitude of extensity.”


### Book:Napoleon knew the value of concentrating your forces at the enemy’s


### Book:weakest spot— it was the secret of his success on the battlefield. But his


### Book:willpower and his mind were equally modeled on this notion. Single-


### Book:mindedness of purpose, total concentration on the goal, and the use of


### Book:these qualities against people less focused, people in a state of distraction


### Book:—such an arrow will find its mark every time and overwhelm the enemy.


### Book:Casanova attributed his success in life to his ability to concentrate on a


### Book:single goal and push at it until it yielded. It was his ability to give


### Book:himself over completely to the women he desired that made him so


### Book:intensely seductive. For the weeks or months that one of these women


### Book:lived in his orbit, he thought of no one else. When he was imprisoned in


### Book:the treacherous “leads” of the doge’s palace in Venice, a prison from


### Book:which no one had ever escaped, he concentrated his mind on the single


### Book:goal of escape, day after day. A change of cells, which meant that


### Book:months of digging had all been for naught, did not discourage him; he


### Book:persisted and eventually escaped. “I have always believed,” he later


### Book:wrote, “that when a man gets it into his head to do something, and when


### Book:he exclusively occupies himself in that design, he must succeed,


### Book:whatever the difficulties. That man will become Grand Vizier or Pope.”


### Book:Concentrate on a single goal, a single task, and beat it into submission.


### Book:In the world of power you will constantly need help from other people,


### Book:usually those more powerful than you. The fool flits from one person to


### Book:another, believing that he will survive by spreading himself out. It is a


### Book:corollary of the law of concentration, however, that much energy is


### Book:saved, and more power is attained, by affixing yourself to a single,


### Book:appropriate source of power. The scientist Nikola Tesla ruined himself


### Book:by believing that he somehow maintained his independence by not


### Book:having to serve a single master. He even turned down J. P. Morgan, who


### Book:offered him a rich contract. In the end, Tesla’s “independence” meant


### Book:that he could depend on no single patron, but was always having to toady


### Book:up to a dozen of them. Later in his life he realized his mistake.All the great Renaissance painters and writers wrestled with this


### Book:problem, none more so than the sixteenth-century writer Pietro Aretino.


### Book:Throughout his life Aretino suffered the indignities of having to please


### Book:this prince and that. At last, he had had enough, and decided to woo


### Book:Charles V, promising the emperor the services of his powerful pen. He


### Book:finally discovered the freedom that came from attachment to a single


### Book:source of power. Michelangelo found this freedom with Pope Julius II,


### Book:Galileo with the Medicis. In the end, the single patron appreciates your


### Book:loyalty and becomes dependent on your services; in the long run the


### Book:master serves the slave.


### Book:Finally, power itself always exists in concentrated forms. In any


### Book:organization it is inevitable for a small group to hold the strings. And


### Book:often it is not those with the titles. In the game of power, only the fool


### Book:flails about without fixing his target. You must find out who controls the


### Book:operations, who is the real director behind the scenes. As Richelieu


### Book:discovered at the beginning of his rise to the top of the French political


### Book:scene during the early seventeenth century, it was not King Louis XIII


### Book:who decided things, it was the king’s mother. And so he attached himself


### Book:to her, and catapulted through the ranks of the courtiers, all the way to


### Book:the top.


### Book:It is enough to strike oil once—your wealth and power are assured for


### Book:a lifetime.


### Book:Image: The Arrow. You cannot hit two targets


### Book:with one arrow. If your thoughts stray, you


### Book:miss the enemy’s heart. Mind and


### Book:arrow must become one. Only


### Book:with such concentration of


### Book:mental and physical


### Book:power can your arrow


### Book:hit the target and


### Book:pierce the


### Book:heart.


### Book:Authority: Prize intensity more than extensity. Perfection resides in


### Book:quality, not quantity. Extent alone never rises above mediocrity, and it is


### Book:the misfortune of men with wide general interests that while they would


### Book:like to have their finger in every pie, they have one in none. Intensitygives eminence, and rises to the heroic in matters sublime. (Baltasar


### Book:Gracián, 1601-1658)


### Book:REVERSAL


### Book:There are dangers in concentration, and moments when dispersion is the


### Book:proper tactical move. Fighting the Nationalists for control of China, Mao


### Book:Tse-tung and the Communists fought a protracted war on several fronts,


### Book:using sabotage and ambush as their main weapons. Dispersal is often


### Book:suitable for the weaker side; it is, in fact, a crucial principle of guerrilla


### Book:warfare. When fighting a stronger army, concentrating your forces only


### Book:makes you an easier target—better to dissolve into the scenery and


### Book:frustrate your enemy with the elusiveness of your presence.


### Book:Tying yourself to a single source of power has one preeminent danger:


### Book:If that person dies, leaves, or falls from grace, you suffer. This is what


### Book:happened to Cesare Borgia, who derived his power from his father, Pope


### Book:Alexander VI. It was the pope who gave Cesare armies to fight with and


### Book:wars to wage in his name. When he suddenly died (perhaps from


### Book:poison), Cesare was as good as dead. He had made far too many enemies


### Book:over the years, and was now without his father’s protection. In cases


### Book:when you may need protection, then, it is often wise to entwine yourself


### Book:around several sources of power. Such a move would be especially


### Book:prudent in periods of great tumult and violent change, or when your


### Book:enemies are numerous. The more patrons and masters you serve the less


### Book:risk you run if one of them falls from power. Such dispersion will even


### Book:allow you to play one off against the other. Even if you concentrate on


### Book:the single source of power, you still must practice caution, and prepare


### Book:for the day when your master or patron is no longer there to help you.


### Book:Finally, being too single-minded in purpose can make you an


### Book:intolerable bore, especially in the arts. The Renaissance painter Paolo


### Book:Uccello was so obsessed with perspective that his paintings look lifeless


### Book:and contrived. Whereas Leonardo da Vinci interested himself in


### Book:everything—architecture, painting, warfare, sculpture, mechanics.


### Book:Diffusion was the source of his power. But such genius is rare, and the


### Book:rest of us are better off erring on the side of intensity.LAW 24


### Book:PLAY THE PERFECT COURTIER


### Book:JUDGMENT


### Book:The perfect courtier thrives in a world where everything revolves around


### Book:power and political dexterity. He has mastered the art of indirection; he


### Book:flatters, yields to superiors, and asserts power over others in the most


### Book:oblique and graceful manner. Learn and apply the laws of courtiership


### Book:and there will be no limit to how far you can rise in the court.


### Book:COURT SOCIETY


### Book:It is a fact of human nature that the structure of a court society forms


### Book:itself around power. In the past, the court gathered around the ruler, and


### Book:had many functions: Besides keeping the ruler amused, it was a way to


### Book:solidify the hierarchy of royalty, nobility, and the upper classes, and to


### Book:keep the nobility both subordinate and close to the ruler, so that he could


### Book:keep an eye on them. The court serves power in many ways, but most of


### Book:all it glorifies the ruler, providing him with a microcosmic world that


### Book:must struggle to please him.


### Book:To be a courtier was a dangerous game. A nineteenth-century Arab


### Book:traveler to the court of Darfur, in what is now Sudan, reported that


### Book:courtiers there had to do whatever the sultan did: If he were injured, they


### Book:had to suffer the same injury; if he fell off his horse during a hunt, they


### Book:fell, too. Mimicry like this appeared in courts all over the world. More


### Book:troublesome was the danger of displeasing the ruler—one wrong move


### Book:spelled death or exile. The successful courtier had to walk a tightrope,


### Book:pleasing but not pleasing too much, obeying but somehow distinguishing


### Book:himself from the other courtiers, while also never distinguishing himself


### Book:so far as to make the ruler insecure.Great courtiers throughout history have mastered the science of


### Book:manipulating people. They make the king feel more kingly; they make


### Book:everyone else fear their power. They are magicians of appearance,


### Book:knowing that most things at court are judged by how they seem. Great


### Book:courtiers are gracious and polite; their aggression is veiled and indirect.


### Book:Masters of the word, they never say more than necessary, getting the


### Book:most out of a compliment or hidden insult. They are magnets of pleasure


### Book:—people want to be around them because they know how to please, yet


### Book:they neither fawn nor humiliate themselves. Great courtiers become the


### Book:king’s favorites, enjoying the benefits of that position. They often end up


### Book:more powerful than the ruler, for they are wizards in the accumulation of


### Book:influence.


### Book:Many today dismiss court life as a relic of the past, a historical


### Book:curiosity. They reason, according to Machiavelli, “as though heaven, the


### Book:sun, the elements, and men had changed the order of their motions and


### Book:power, and were different from what they were in ancient times.” There


### Book:may be no more Sun Kings but there are still plenty of people who


### Book:believe the sun revolves around them. The royal court may have more or


### Book:less disappeared, or at least lost its power, but courts and courtiers still


### Book:exist because power still exists. A courtier is rarely asked to fall off a


### Book:horse anymore, but the laws that govern court politics are as timeless as


### Book:the laws of power. There is much to be learned, then, from great courtiers


### Book:past and present.


### Book:THE TWO DOGS


### Book:Barbos, the faithful yard-dog who serves his master zealously, happens


### Book:to see his old acquaintance Joujou, the curly lapdog, seated at the


### Book:window on a soft down cushion. Sidling fondly up to her, like a child to a


### Book:parent, he all but weeps with emotion; and there, under the window. he


### Book:whines, wags his tail, and bounds about. “What sort of life do you lead


### Book:now, Joujoutka, ever since the master took you into his mansion? You


### Book:remember, no doubt, how we often used to suffer hunger out in the yard.


### Book:What is your present service like?” “It would be a sin in me to murmur


### Book:against my good fortune, ” answers Joujoutka. “My master cannot make


### Book:enough of me. I live amidst riches and plenty, and I eat and drink off


### Book:silver. I frolic with the master, and, if I get tired, I take my ease on


### Book:carpets or on a soft couch. And how do you get on?” “I?” replies


### Book:Barbos, letting his tail dangle like a whip, and hanging his head. “I live


### Book:as I used to do. I suffer from cold and hunger; and here, while guardingmy master’s house, I have to sleep at the foot of the wall, and I get


### Book:drenched in the rain. And if I bark at the wrong time, I am whipped. But


### Book:how did you, Joujou, who were so small and weak, get taken into favor,


### Book:while I jump out of my skin to no purpose?


### Book:What is it you do?” “‘What is it you do?’ A pretty question to ask!”


### Book:replied Joujou, mockingly. “I walk upon my hind legs.”


### Book:FABLES, IVAN KRILOFF, 1768-1844


### Book:THE LAWS OF COURT POLITICS


### Book:Avoid Ostentation. It is never prudent to prattle on about yourself or


### Book:call too much attention to your actions. The more you talk about your


### Book:deeds the more suspicion you cause. You also stir up enough envy


### Book:among your peers to induce treachery and backstabbing. Be careful, ever


### Book:so careful, in trumpeting your own achievements, and always talk less


### Book:about yourself than about other people. Modesty is generally preferable.


### Book:Practice Nonchalance. Never seem to be working too hard. Your talent


### Book:must appear to flow naturally, with an ease that makes people take you


### Book:for a genius rather than a workaholic. Even when something demands a


### Book:lot of sweat, make it look effortless—people prefer to not see your blood


### Book:and toil, which is another form of ostentation. It is better for them to


### Book:marvel at how gracefully you have achieved your accomplishment than


### Book:to wonder why it took so much work.


### Book:Be Frugal with Flattery. It may seem that your superiors cannot get


### Book:enough flattery, but too much of even a good thing loses its value. It also


### Book:stirs up suspicion among your peers. Learn to flatter indirectly—by


### Book:downplaying your own contribution, for example, to make your master


### Book:look bet ter.


### Book:It is a wise thing to be polite; consequently, it is a stupid thing to be


### Book:rude. To make enemies by unnecessary and wilful incivility, is just as


### Book:insane a proceeding as to set your house on fire. For politeness is like a


### Book:counter—an avowedly false coin, with which it is foolish to be stingy. A


### Book:sensible man will be generous in the use of it…. Wax, a substance


### Book:naturally hard and brittle, can be made soft by the application of a little


### Book:warmth, so that it will take any shape you please. In the same way, bybeing polite and friendly, you can make people pliable and obliging,


### Book:even though they are apt to be crabbed and malevolent. Hence politeness


### Book:is to human nature what warmth is to wax.


### Book:ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER, 1788-1860


### Book:Arrange to Be Noticed. There is a paradox: You cannot display yourself


### Book:too brazenly, yet you must also get yourself noticed. In the court of Louis


### Book:XIV, whoever the king decided to look at rose instantly in the court


### Book:hierarchy. You stand no chance of rising if the ruler does not notice you


### Book:in the swamp of courtiers. This task requires much art. It is often initially


### Book:a matter of being seen, in the literal sense. Pay attention to your physical


### Book:appearance, then, and find a way to create a distinctive—a subtly


### Book:distinctive—style and image.


### Book:Alter Your Style and Language According to the Person You Are


### Book:Dealing With. The pseudo-belief in equality—the idea that talking and


### Book:acting the same way with everyone, no matter what their rank, makes


### Book:you somehow a paragon of civilization—is a terrible mistake. Those


### Book:below you will take it as a form of condescension, which it is, and those


### Book:above you will be offended, although they may not admit it. You must


### Book:change your style and your way of speaking to suit each person. This is


### Book:not lying, it is acting, and acting is an art, not a gift from God. Learn the


### Book:art. This is also true for the great variety of cultures found in the modern


### Book:court: Never assume that your criteria of behavior and judgment are


### Book:universal. Not only is an inability to adapt to another culture the height


### Book:of barbarism, it puts you at a disadvantage.


### Book:Never Be the Bearer of Bad News. The king kills the messenger who


### Book:brings bad news: This is a cliche but there is truth to it. You must


### Book:struggle and if necessary lie and cheat to be sure that the lot of the bearer


### Book:of bad news falls on a colleague, never on you. Bring only good news


### Book:and your approach will gladden your master.


### Book:Never Affect Friendliness and Intimacy with Your Master. He does


### Book:not want a friend for a subordinate, he wants a subordinate. Never


### Book:approach him in an easy, friendly way, or act as if you are on the best of


### Book:terms—that is his prerogative. If he chooses to deal with you on this


### Book:level, assume a wary chumminess. Otherwise err in the opposite


### Book:direction, and make the distance between you clear.Never Criticize Those Above You Directly. This may seem obvious,


### Book:but there are often times when some sort of criticism is necessary—to


### Book:say nothing, or to give no advice, would open you to risks of another


### Book:sort. You must learn, however, to couch your advice and criticism as


### Book:indirectly and as politely as possible. Think twice, or three times, before


### Book:deciding you have made them sufficiently circuitous. Err on the side of


### Book:subtlety and gentleness.


### Book:Be Frugal in Asking Those Above You for Favors. Nothing irritates a


### Book:master more than having to reject someone’s request. It stirs up guilt and


### Book:resentment. Ask for favors as rarely as possible, and know when to stop.


### Book:Rather than making yourself the supplicant, it is always better to earn


### Book:your favors, so that the ruler bestows them willingly. Most important: Do


### Book:not ask for favors on another person’s behalf, least of all a friend’s.


### Book:Never Joke About Appearances or Taste. A lively wit and a humorous


### Book:disposition are essential qualities for a good courtier, and there are times


### Book:when vulgarity is appropriate and engaging. But avoid any kind of joke


### Book:about appearance or taste, two highly sensitive areas, especially with


### Book:those above you. Do not even try it when you are away from them. You


### Book:will dig your own grave.


### Book:Do Not Be the Court Cynic. Express admiration for the good work of


### Book:others. If you constantly criticize your equals or subordinates some of


### Book:that criticism will rub off on you, hovering over you like a gray cloud


### Book:wherever you go. People will groan at each new cynical comment, and


### Book:you will irritate them. By expressing modest admiration for other


### Book:people’s achievements, you paradoxically call attention to your own. The


### Book:ability to express wonder and amazement, and seem like you mean it, is


### Book:a rare and dying talent, but one still greatly valued.


### Book:Be Self-observant. The mirror is a miraculous invention; without it you


### Book:would commit great sins against beauty and decorum. You also need a


### Book:mirror for your actions. This can sometimes come from other people


### Book:telling you what they see in you, but that is not the most trustworthy


### Book:method: You must be the mirror, training your mind to try to see yourself


### Book:as others see you. Are you acting too obsequious? Are you trying toohard to please? Do you seem desperate for attention, giving the


### Book:impression that you are on the decline? Be observant about yourself and


### Book:you will avoid a mountain of blunders.


### Book:Master Your Emotions. As an actor in a great play, you must learn to cry


### Book:and laugh on command and when it is appropriate. You must be able


### Book:both to disguise your anger and frustration and to fake your contentment


### Book:and agreement. You must be the master of your own face. Call it lying if


### Book:you like; but if you prefer to not play the game and to always be honest


### Book:and upfront, do not complain when others call you obnoxious and


### Book:arrogant.


### Book:Fit the Spirit of the Times. A slight affectation of a past era can be


### Book:charming, as long as you choose a period at least twenty years back;


### Book:wearing the fashions of ten years ago is ludicrous, unless you enjoy the


### Book:role of court jester. Your spirit and way of thinking must keep up with


### Book:the times, even if the times offend your sensibilities. Be too forward-


### Book:thinking, however, and no one will understand you. It is never a good


### Book:idea to stand out too much in this area; you are best off at least being


### Book:able to mimic the spirit of the times.


### Book:Be a Source of Pleasure. This is critical. It is an obvious law of human


### Book:nature that we will flee what is unpleasant and distasteful, while charm


### Book:and the promise of delight will draw us like moths to a flame. Make


### Book:yourself the flame and you will rise to the top. Since life is otherwise so


### Book:full of unpleasantness and pleasure so scarce, you will be as


### Book:indispensable as food and drink. This may seem obvious, but what is


### Book:obvious is often ignored or unappreciated. There are degrees to this: Not


### Book:everyone can play the role of favorite, for not everyone is blessed with


### Book:charm and wit. But we can all control our unpleasant qualities and


### Book:obscure them when necessary.


### Book:A man who knows the court is master of his gestures, of his eyes and


### Book:of his face; he is profound, impenetrable; he dissimulates bad offices,


### Book:smiles at his enemies, controls his irritation, disguises his passions,


### Book:belies his heart, speaks and acts against his feelings.


### Book:Jean de La Bruyère, 1645-1696SCENES OF COURT LIFE: Exemplary Deeds


### Book:and Fatal Mistakes


### Book:Scene I


### Book:Alexander the Great, conqueror of the Mediterranean basin and the


### Book:Middle East through to India, had had the great Aristotle as his tutor and


### Book:mentor, and throughout his short life he remained devoted to philosophy


### Book:and his master’s teachings. He once complained to Aristotle that during


### Book:his long campaigns he had no one with whom he could discuss


### Book:philosophical matters. Aristotle responded by suggesting that he take


### Book:Callisthenes, a former pupil of Aristotle’s and a promising philosopher in


### Book:his own right, along on the next campaign.


### Book:Aristotle had schooled Callisthenes in the skills of being a courtier, but


### Book:the young man secretly scoffed at them. He believed in pure philosophy,


### Book:in unadorned words, in speaking the naked truth. If Alexander loved


### Book:learning so much, Callisthenes thought, he could not object to one who


### Book:spoke his mind. During one of Alexander’s major campaigns,


### Book:Callisthenes spoke his mind one too many times and Alexander had him


### Book:put to death. Interpretation


### Book:In court, honesty is a fool’s game. Never be so self-absorbed as to


### Book:believe that the master is interested in your criticisms of him, no matter


### Book:how accurate they are.


### Book:Scene II


### Book:Beginning in the Han Dynasty two thousand years ago, Chinese scholars


### Book:compiled a series of writings called the 21 Histories, an official


### Book:biography of each dynasty, including stories, statistics, census figures,


### Book:and war chronicles. Each history also contained a chapter called


### Book:“Unusual Events,” and here, among the listings of earthquakes and


### Book:floods, there would sometimes suddenly appear descriptions of such


### Book:bizarre manifestations as two-headed sheep, geese flying backward, stars


### Book:suddenly appearing in different parts of the sky, and so on. The


### Book:earthquakes could be historically verified, but the monsters and weird


### Book:natural phenomena were clearly inserted on purpose, and invariably


### Book:occurred in clusters. What could this mean?The Chinese emperor was considered more than a man—he was a


### Book:force of nature. His kingdom was the center of the universe, and


### Book:everything revolved around him. He embodied the world’s perfection. To


### Book:criticize him or any of his actions would have been to criticize the divine


### Book:order. No minister or courtier dared approach the emperor with even the


### Book:slightest cautionary word. But emperors were fallible and the kingdom


### Book:suffered greatly by their mistakes. Inserting sightings of strange


### Book:phenomena into the court chronicles was the only way to warn them. The


### Book:emperor would read of geese flying backward and moons out of orbit,


### Book:and realize that he was being cautioned. His actions were unbalancing


### Book:the universe and needed to change.


### Book:Interpretation


### Book:For Chinese courtiers, the problem of how to give the emperor advice


### Book:was an important issue. Over the years, thousands of them had died


### Book:trying to warn or counsel their master. To be made safely, their criticisms


### Book:had to be indirect—yet if they were too indirect they would not be


### Book:heeded. The chronicles were their solution: Identify no one person as the


### Book:source of criticism, make the advice as impersonal as possible, but let the


### Book:emperor know the gravity of the situation.


### Book:Your master is no longer the center of the universe, but he still


### Book:imagines that everything revolves around him. When you criticize him


### Book:he sees the person criticizing, not the criticism itself. Like the Chinese


### Book:courtiers, you must find a way to disappear behind the warning. Use


### Book:symbols and other indirect methods to paint a picture of the problems to


### Book:come, without putting your neck on the line.


### Book:Scene III


### Book:Early in his career, the French architect Jules Mansart received


### Book:commissions to design minor additions to Versailles for King Louis XIV.


### Book:For each design he would draw up his plans, making sure they followed


### Book:Louis’s instructions closely. He would then present them to His Majesty.


### Book:The courtier Saint-Simon described Mansart’s technique in dealing


### Book:with the king: “His particular skill was to show the king plans that


### Book:purposely included something imperfect about them, often dealing with


### Book:the gardens, which were not Mansart’s specialty. The king, as Mansart


### Book:expected, would put his finger exactly on the problem and propose howto solve it, at which point Mansart would exclaim for all to hear that he


### Book:would never have seen the problem that the king had so masterfully


### Book:found and solved; he would burst with admiration, confessing that next


### Book:to the king he was but a lowly pupil.” At the age of thirty, having used


### Book:these methods time and time again, Mansart received a prestigious royal


### Book:commission: Although he was less talented and experienced than a


### Book:number of other French designers, he was to take charge of the


### Book:enlargement of Versailles. He was the king’s architect from then on.


### Book:Interpretation


### Book:As a young man, Mansart had seen how many royal craftsmen in the


### Book:service of Louis XIV had lost their positions not through a lack of talent


### Book:but through a costly social blunder. He would not make that mistake.


### Book:Mansart always strove to make Louis feel better about himself, to feed


### Book:the king’s vanity as publicly as possible.


### Book:Never imagine that skill and talent are all that matter. In court the


### Book:courtier’s art is more important than his talent; never spend so much time


### Book:on your studies that you neglect your social skills. And the greatest skill


### Book:of all is the ability to make the master look more talented than those


### Book:around him.


### Book:Scene IV


### Book:Jean-Baptiste Isabey had become the unofficial painter of the Napoleonic