The 48 Laws of Power
by Robert Greene · first published 1998
45% recommend40% neutral16% critical
Why HN recommends it
Historical anecdotes frame workplace politics and human behavior as recurring patterns, useful for ambitious people who want to read office dynamics, manage up, and spot manipulation.
Common criticism: Some find it celebrates manipulators and amounts to excuses for being a jerk
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention--grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy T
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Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power. There are one or two that I feel are unethical (Law #7 in particular).
on “Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time” ↗Robert Greene's books: The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, The 33 Strategies of War, The 50th Law, and The Laws of Human Nature. Stealing the Corner office by Brendan Reid Assorted works of Niccolo Machiavelli and Balatazar Gracian. It…
on “Public protest against Amazon” ↗The 48 Laws of Power
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene is an absolute must, regardless of the position.
on “Why I Quit Google to Work for Myself” ↗Without your personal context, recommendations are difficult. If you like science fiction, check out "Stories of your Life" by Ted Chang; if you like historical strategies for success, check out "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene; if you like grand philosophical views of an entire life well lived and how to have one "The Glass Bead Game" by Hesse; if you're interested in extremely practical advice in how to be…
on “The original “Bambi”” ↗The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene is a good place to start. Even if you don't want to turn to the dark side, this book will at least reveal to you how some of your competition is thinking and maneuvering.
on ““Autistic people can’t acknowledge when they’re wrong”” ↗I'd never heard of sprezzatura. What a great word! Reminded me instantly of one of Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power: "Make your Accomplishments Seem Effortless" All the toil and practice that go into them, and also all the clever tricks, must be concealed. When you act, act effortlessly, as if you could do much more.
on “Ask HN: Help, I need to talk in front of a big audience & I'm scared, what now?” ↗…to go 5 years while for the most part only telling the truth, if you really are akin to a character out of a fairy-tale then I invite you to take a look at what Robert Greene says about lying in the "48 Laws of Power." You may not even understand how powerful a weapon you wield, and how much it may be hurting you, and those around you.
on “Google made my son cry” ↗If you like history at all, the Robert Greene books are awesome. 48 laws of power, 33 strategies of war, etc... They break down each lesson and their reversals with historical examples.
on “Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?” ↗…People Ekman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life Gray, John (1992) Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus Greene, Robert (1998) 48 Laws of Power Kahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow Munger, Charles (1995) 'Psychology of Human Misjudgment', speech at Harvard, unpublished Packard, Vance (1957) Hidden Persuaders Patterson et al. (2012)…
on “Ask HN: Are there any books that inspire or highly influence the way you work?” ↗…terrible now but indeed you have been given a gift to grow and be more formidable against these types of people and situations. I humbly suggest to finding another job ASAP and take a moment to read "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene. This will be the best time investment I can think of for not finding yourself in this situation ever again.
on “The CTO made me sick – why I left Unity” ↗Obligatory "48 Laws of Power". You have to understand the rules, even if you don't want to actively participate. Greene's other books are good, too.
on “Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?” ↗>Psychology >Persuasion Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is a must read. Also, Robert Greene books, such as the 48 Laws of Power, Mastery, etc. are really good as well, but the 48 Laws of Power gave me a weird feeling. You should also read Edward Bernays, as he's one of the fathers of modern marketing/media. (Disclaimer: I'm not…
on “How to get rich without getting lucky (2018)” ↗Not a manager, but as someone who had a REALLY political manager who tried to undermine everyone around him, including (and especially) his subordinates, The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene taught me how to cover my ass and how to generally be effective in an org.
on “Ask HN: What is your advice to a new manager?” ↗The 9 books mentioned in the video are as follows: 1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki 2. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss 3. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie 4. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene 5. The Way of the Superior Man by David Deida 6. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl 7. Mastery by George Leonard 8. Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn 9. The Obstacle…
on “9 Books That Changed My Life – FightMediocrity Beginner’s Reading List” ↗