Robert Greene Quotes

“A person who cannot control his words shows that he cannot control himself, and is unworthy of respect.”

“Always say less than necessary. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.”

“An emotional response to a situation is the single greatest barrier to power, a mistake that will cost you a lot more than any temporary satisfaction you might gain by expressing your feelings.”

“At the start of an affair, you need to heighten your presence in the eyes of the other. If you absent yourself too early, you may be forgotten.”

“Avoid the temptation of revealing how hard you work — it only raises questions.”

“By withdrawing something from the market, you create instant value.”

“Do not try to help or do favors for those who envy you; they will think you are condescending to them.”

“Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid.”

“Extend the law of scarcity to your own skills. Make what you are offering the world rare and hard to find, and you instantly increase its value.”

“Extravagant words and gestures immediately raise suspicion.”

“Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others’ experience.”

“Friendship and love blind every man to their interests.”

“Going slower makes what you are doing more interesting — the audience yields to your pace, becomes entranced.”

“He who poses as a fool is not a fool.”

“Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions.”

“Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent.”

“Make alliances with those below you, and elevate them to positions of power to secure their support in times of need.”

“Make yourself too available and the aura of power you have created around yourself will wear away. Turn the game around: Make yourself less accessible and you increase the value of your presence.”

“Many a serious thinker has been produced in prisons, where we have nothing to do but think.”

“Never appear too perfect. Appearing better than others is always dangerous, but most dangerous of all is to appear to have no faults or weaknesses. Envy creates silent enemies. It is smart to occasionally display defects, and admit to harmless vices, in order to deflect envy and appear more human and approachable. Only gods and the dead can seem perfect with impunity.”

“Never be distracted by people’s glamorous portraits of themselves and their lives; search and dig for what really imprisons them.”

“Never flaunt your wealth, and carefully conceal the degree to which it has bought influence.”

“Never outshine the master.”

“Never seem to be in a hurry — hurrying betrays a lack of control over yourself and over time. Always seem patient, as if you know that everything will come to you eventually.”

“Never take your position for granted and never let any favors you receive go to your head.”

“Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a price to pay.”

“Once envy reveals itself for what it is, the only solution is often to flee the presence of the enviers, leaving them to stew in a hell of their own creation.”

“Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.”

“Teach no one your tricks or they will be used against you.”

“The best deceivers do everything they can to cloak their roguish qualities. They cultivate an air of honesty in one area to disguise their dishonesty in others. Honesty is merely another decoy in their arsenal of weapons.”