Robert Greene

Quotes are word for word from the source.

• Avoid laundry lists

  “The danger in politics is to passively follow this trend and become a party that is a slave to the laundry list syndrome: taxes, education, energy, defense, national security, this special interest or that one, on and on.”

  Our noteGreene warns against focusing on a fragmented list of issues instead of a unifying vision.

• Subtle attraction

  “She tends to downplay her beauty by the way she dresses, but most men would see her as very fetching.”

  Our noteHe notes how a person might intentionally or unintentionally mask their natural appeal.

• Anger as fuel

  “I have noticed in my writing that I always seemed to write better when there is a bit of anger just below the surface.”

  Our noteRobert Greene explains how he uses controlled anger to improve his writing quality.

• Eliminating middlemen

  “It calls into question the need for so many middlemen in the world, and reveals the dubious source of their power.”

  Our noteThe author notes that the internet exposes the unnecessary role of intermediaries in various industries.

• Recognizing transformation

  “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.”

  Our noteGreene reflects on the importance of realizing when a major shift in the world is occurring.

• Asymmetry of time

  “The terrorists can think long term, while we can only respond in the short term. This is an asymmetry of power that is rarely discussed-that of time.”

  Our noteGreene discusses how different time horizons create a strategic advantage for the weaker side.

• Study actions not words

  “To pierce this fog and get at the reality, I devised a method that has served me well in all of my subsequent writings: I would ignore people's words and justifications; instead, I would study their actions.”

  Our noteGreene explains his research methodology for understanding human nature and power.

• Avoid short-term thinking

  “Suckers and beginners are locked into the single-ball-at-a-time mentality, and get all excited when they knock one in on a clever shot, but leave themselves nowhere to go.”

  Our noteHe critiques people who celebrate small wins without planning for the next move.

• Focusing on influencers

  “Instead of focusing on the electorate, a politician focuses on these connections and works them as best he can.”

  Our noteGreene explains how Russian politicians prioritize internal networks over public voting blocks.

• Cultural realism

  “Russians are born realists. It comes from the harshness of their environment and their equally harsh history. (It also accounts for the popularity of my books.)”

  Our noteGreene reflects on why his power-focused books resonate with the Russian mindset.

• Concealing intentions

  “He appears to be doing something for one set purpose, but it is actually for something else. He conceals his intentions this way.”

  Our noteGreene describes Karl Rove's mastery of distraction and concealment in political strategy.

• Power of necessity

  “When you feel necessity biting at your heels, you are moved to respond in some way that is creative. It is either that or die.”

  Our noteGreene explains how pressure and limitations drive human creativity and action.

• Willpower and desire

  “The key lies within our own willpower and the intensity of our desire.”

  Our noteThe fundamental drivers for achieving high-level intelligence and mastery.

• Prioritizing curiosity over comfort

  “When it comes to career decisions, we often think first of money and comfort. Masters do not lose their sense of connection and child-like curiosity.”

  Our noteThe difference in decision-making between average people and masters regarding their life's work.

• Learning through experience

  “These images and thoughts stayed with me throughout the trip, but they were intensified and adjusted by a series of encounters with people and places”

  Our noteGreene reflects on how his firsthand observations in Russia refined his initial theories.

• Handling setbacks

  “They know how to take risks, how to go at things with intensity, and how to land back on their feet when there are setbacks.”

  Our noteDescribing the characteristics of people who have survived difficult backgrounds.

• The psychotic boss

  “Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right.”

  Our noteGreene defines the core frustration of working for an unpredictable and impossible-to-please leader.

• Mental space consumption

  “They start to occupy much of your mental space, as you go home thinking of what you did wrong, what you can do in the future, how to please, or deflect punishment.”

  Our noteHe describes how a toxic boss consumes an employee's thoughts even outside of work hours.

• The pleasant façade

  “One thing that is particularly maddening about them is that for others they generally present a pleasant façade.”

  Our noteGreene explains why it is difficult to report toxic bosses who hide their behavior from others.

• Removing emotional bias

  “First, he forced himself to get rid of any emotional response in looking at Napoleonic warfare, in particular feelings of hurt pride and anger at what had happened, in order to see it for what it was, a revolution.”

  Our noteGreene explains how Clausewitz analyzed the Prussian defeat objectively.

• Leveraging Smallness

  “Being small in number can be leveraged into great strength, maximizing the elusiveness and mobility that comes with smallness. Being large makes any organism an easier target.”

  Our noteHe discusses how small groups can defeat large, centralized organizations.

• Creating Change

  “By nature, they face a frozen dynamic, an oversized power that has all the force on its side. By initiating a terror campaign, they create the seeds of chaos that can spin out of control and lead to some real change.”

  Our noteHe describes how small actors use chaos to break up a static or frozen situation.

• Misreading Character

  “When you see people, and you only focus on the bright, illuminated side they present to the world as their true character, you misread the situation.”

  Our noteGreene warns against taking people's public personas at face value.

• Reading the Opposite

  “The way to use this is simple. You assume that people are presenting their sunny side to you. If they exhibit very strong particular traits, quite often this is obscuring the opposite, only deep within.”

  Our noteGreene describes the technique of looking for the hidden shadow behind strong personality traits.

• Internal compass

  “it gives you an overall framework instead of, "Whoa, all of this confusion, this chaos, social media, the Internet, I could go here, here, here." You're lost at sea.”

  Our noteRobert describes how a life's task acts as a framework to navigate modern distractions.

• The misery of helplessness

  “But now the sense that you have no control over your career, over your children, over your parents, is deeply, deeply immiserating, and it compels us to act in certain ways”

  Our noteRobert discusses how a lack of influence in modern life leads to psychological distress.

• The captive leader

  “Our eyes focus on the ruler and assume he is guiding things. In fact, he is a captive of those forces around and below him.”

  Our noteExplaining why leaders often have less agency than observers assume.

• Importance of fearlessness

  “Without a fearless attitude, you have no balance, no hold on reality. You overreact to events and your strategies misfire.”

  Our noteRobert explains why fearlessness is the foundation of effective strategy and power.

• The secret of success

  “Almost all powerful, creative people in this world feel less fear than others; it is the secret of their success in any field.”

  Our noteGreene identifies low fear levels as the common denominator among high achievers.

• Subtle Influence

  “Everything is a sign, not just what you say, but how you say it and how you lead people to certain ideas or conclusions.”

  Our noteHe explains that communication is about the signals sent beyond just the literal words.