Motivational Quotes from Robert Greene’s “The 33 Strategies of War”

September 30, 2012

Devon Sampson Motivational Psychology , , , , , Leave a comment

Here’s a few of my favorite quotes from “The 33 Strategies of War”. I may do a full summary in addition to this if and when I ever finish the entire book, and not just the few chapters I thought (correctly) would be motivational.
 

A sense of urgency comes from a powerful connection to the present.

 

Leaving the past for unknown terrain is like death, and feeling this finality will snap you back to life.

 

Life has more meaning in the face of death. The risks you keep taking, the challenges you keep overcoming, are like symbolic deaths that sharpen your appreciation of life.

 

The more you want the prize, the more you must compensate by examining what it will take.

 

In order to avoid wasted effort and failed battles, start every mission by examining your real means rather than simply your desired ends.

 

If your opponents are never sure what messing with you will cost, they will not want to find out.

 

Instead of trying to dominate the other side’s every move, work to define the nature of the relationship itself.

The 48 Laws of Power (Law #48 – Assume Formlessness)

July 3, 2012

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When you want to fight us, we don’t let you and you can’t find us. But when we want to fight you, we make sure that you can’t get away and we hit you squarely…and wipe you out.

-Mao Tse-tung

 
“The human animal is distinguished by its constant creation of forms. Rarely expressing its emotions directly, it gives them form through language, or through socially acceptable rituals. We cannot communicate our emotions without a form.

“The forms we create, however, change constantly – in fashion, in style, in all those human phenomena representing the mood of the moment. We are constantly altering the forms we have inherited from previous generations, and these changes are signs of life and vitality. Indeed, the things that don’t change, the forms that rigidify, come to look to us like death, and we destroy them. The young show this the most clearly” (424-5)

People rise to power by using their creativity to create new forms – but then they tend to get attached to these forms, develop fixed identities, and lose their power as the public gets bored and demands newer forms.

“When locked in the past, the powerful look comical – they are overripe fruit, waiting to fall from the tree.” (425)

“To be formless is not to be amorphous; everything has a form – it is impossible to avoid…formlessness is in the eye of the enemy who cannot see what they are up to and so has nothing solid to attack. This is the premier pose of power: ungraspable”

“The first psychological requirement of formlessness is to train yourself to take nothing personally. Never show any defensiveness. When you act defensive, you should your emotions, revealing a clear form.” (426)

“When you find yourself in conflict with someone stronger and more rigid, allow them a momentary victory. Seem to bow to their superiority. Then, by being formless and adaptable, slowly insinuate yourself into their soul. This way you will catch them off guard, for rigid people are always ready to ward off direct blows but are helpless against the subtle and insinuating.” (427)

“In evolution, largeness is often the first step towards extinction. What is immense and bloated has no mobility, but must constantly feed itself. The unintelligent are often seduced into believing that size connotes power, the bigger the better.” (428)

“It is not a matter of mimicking the fashions of youth – that is equally worthy of laughter. Rather your mind must constantly adapt to each circumstance, even the inevitable change that the time has come to move over and let those of younger age prepare for their ascendancy.” (429)

“Never forget, though, that formlessness is a strategic pose. It gives you room to create tactical surprises; as your enemies struggle to guess your next move, they reveal their own strategy, putting them at a decided disadvantage. It keeps the initiative on your side, putting your enemies in the position of never acting, constantly reacting.”

“Rely too much on other people’s ideas and you end up taking a form not of your own making. Too much respect for other people’s wisdom will make you depreciate your own.”

Reversal: Formlessness will make your enemies scramble and scatter their forces (mental as well as physical) to find you. But once you do engage them, hit them with a powerful, concentrated blow.

The 48 Laws of Power (Law #28: Enter Action with Boldness)

May 22, 2012

Devon Sampson Motivational Psychology, Social Dynamics , , , , , , Leave a comment

“If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.” (227, Judgment)

“In seduction, hesitation is fatal – it makes your victims conscious of your intentions. The bold move crowns seduction with triumph: It leaves no time for reflection.” (228)

“Although we may disguise our timidity as a concern for others, a desire not to hurt or offend them, in fact it is the opposite – we are really self-absorbed, worried about ourselves and how others will perceive us. Boldness, on the other hand, is outer-directed, and often makes people feel more at ease, since it is less self-conscious and less repressed.” (233)

“Boldness directs attention outward and keeps the illusion alive.”

“Audacity separates you from the herd. Boldness gives you presence and makes you seem larger than life. The timid fade into the wallpaper, the bold draw attention, and what draws attention draws power.” (228-229)
 

We cannot keep our eyes off the audacious – we cannot wait to see their next bold move.

 
“Understand: If boldness is not natural, neither is timidity. It is an acquired habit, picked up out of a desire to avoid conflict. If timidity has taken hold of you, then, root it out. Your fears of the consequences of a bold action are way out of proportion to reality, and in fact the consequences of timidity are worse. Your value is lowered and you create a self-fulfilling cycle of doubt and disaster. Remember: The problems created by an audacious move can be disguised, even remedied, by more and greater audacity.” (234)

“Boldness should never be the strategy behind all of your actions. It is a tactical instrument, to be used at the right moment. Plan and think ahead, and make the final element the bold move that will bring you success.” (235)

“Timidity has no place in the realm of power; you will often benefit, however, by being able to feign it. At that point, of course, it is no longer timidity but an offensive weapon: You are luring people in with your show of shyness, all the better to pounce on them boldly later.”

The Art of Seduction – Robert Greene (The Ideal Lover)

May 19, 2012

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The cultivation of the pleasures of the senses was ever my principal aim in life. Knowing that I was personally calculated to please the fair sex, I always strove to make myself more agreeable to it.
-Casanova

 
“(Casanova’s) method was simple: on meeting a woman, he would study her, go along with her moods, find out what was missing in her life, and provide it. He made himself the Ideal Lover.” (33)

“Most people believe themselves to be inwardly greater than they outwardly appear to the world. They are full of unrecognized ideals: they could be artists, thinkers, leaders, spiritual figures, but the world has crushed them, denied them the chance to let their abilities flourish. This is the key to their seduction – and to keeping them seduced over time.” (35)

“Appeal only to people’s physical side, as many amateur seducers do, and they will resent you for playing upon their basest instincts. But appeal to their better selves, to a higher standard of beauty, and they will hardly notice that they have been seduced. Make them feel elevated, lofty, spiritual, and your power over them will be limitless.”

You must be observant to discover their ideal, particularly to non-verbal cues. What are they secretly missing, what are they overcompensating for?

“Nothing is more seductive than patient attentiveness. It makes the affair seem lofty, aesthetic, not really about sex.”
 

A good lover will behave as elegantly at dawn as at any other time. He drags himself out of bed, with a look of dismay on his face. The lady urges him on: ‘Come, my friend, it’s getting light. You don’t want anyone to find you here.’ He gives a deep sigh, as if to say that the night has not been nearly long enough and that it is agony to leave. Once up, he does not instantly pull on his trousers. Instead he comes close to the lady and whispers whatever was left unsaid during the night. Even when he is dressed, he still lingers, vaguely pretending to be fastening his sash.

Presently he raises the lattice, and the two lovers stand together by the side door while he tells her how he dreads the coming day, which will keep them apart; then he slips away. The lady watches him go, and this moment of parting will remain among her most charming memories.

Indeed, one’s attachment to a man depends largely on the elegance of his leave-taking. When he jumps out of bed, scurries about the room, tightly fastens his trouser-sash, rolls up the sleeves of his Court cloak, over-robe or hunting costume, stuffs his belongings into the breast of his robe and then briskly secures the outer sash – one really begins to hate him.

~The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon

 
Symbol: The Portrait Painter – “Under his eye, all of your physical imperfections disappear. He brings out noble qualities in you, frames you in a myth, makes you godlike, immortalizes you. For his ability to create such fantasies, he is rewarded with great power.” (39)

Excerpt from Robert Greene’s “The Descent of Power”

May 10, 2012

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I highly recommend you check out “The Descent of Power”, a 22-page essay by Robert Greene which can be viewed for free on Scribd. The following excerpt was especially poignant in my opinion:
 

I wanted to tell you about a dream I had a couple of months ago—I mean the kind of dream you have in your sleep. I dreamt that it was the year 2070 and that I was walking on the crowded streets of some city. People seemed oddly happy and there was a feeling of lightness in the air, as if something had really changed in the world and we had figured out a better way to live. What was most strange about this dream was that in the midst of it I was conscious of thinking back to the year 2010, so long ago. For some reason it occurred to me that that moment in time was some kind of turning point. That was when things began to right themselves, I told myself, but few people saw or understood this. If only we could have realized back then what was happening, where we were headed. How sad.

In the middle of this strange thought, I woke up. The dream and its intense mood stayed with me for quite some time. It made me think—this is clearly how it is in history. People never appreciate the moment they are living in. We can look back at all of the tumultuous, exciting periods in history with an air of nostalgia, but it’s an illusion. Those in that moment have no such perspective and no such appreciation. If only we could now have that perspective and realize that we are living through one of the great transformational moments and that the old is finally dying away.

 
The Descent of Power—Thoughts on The Great Transformation and How to Master It by Robert Greene (an ebook).

The Art of Seduction – Robert Greene (The Charismatic)

April 20, 2012

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The word “charisma” was initially used to describe people that came across as having a direct communication with God, due to their energy and demeanor. It’s a Greek word that refers to prophets and to Christ himself.

“Create the charismatic illusion by radiating intensity while remaining detached.” (95)

“The face of a Charismatic is usually animated, full of energy, desire, alertness.” (97)

“When trying to concoct an effect of charisma, never forget the religious source of its power. You must radiate an inward quality that has a saintly or spiritual edge to it. Your eyes must glow with the fire of a prophet.” (98)
 

Qualities of Charismatics

 
Purpose

    “Since most people hesitate before taking bold action…self-assurance will make you the focus of attention.” (eg: FDR during the Great Depression)

Mystery

    Expressed by contradiction, or the hint of it.

Eloquence

    “The slow, authoritative style is often more effective than passion in the long run.” (100)

Theatricality

    Being larger than life, having extra presence.

Uninhabitedness

    “Show that you are less inhibited than your audience – that you radiate a dangerous sexuality, have no fear of death, are delightfully spontaneous.”
    “Fluidity of body and spirit…openness to experience.”

Fervency

    “Become the rallying point for people’s discontent, and show them that you share none of the doubts that plague normal humans.” (101)

Vulnerability

    A need for love and affection that your audience can satisfy (eg: Marilyn Monroe admitting that she “belonged” to her audience, made her audience feel like they had something to offer her as well).

Adventurousness

    “An air of adventure and risk that attracts the bored.”

Magnetism

    “The demeanor of Charismatics may be poised and calm, but their eyes are magnetic.” (102)

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“People do not want to hear that your power comes from years of discipline. They prefer to think that it comes from your personality, your character, something you were born with.” (110)

“The less obvious you are (about your contentment), the better: let people conclude that you are happy, rather than hearing it from you.”