Robert Greene Quotes

“Always stick to what makes you weird, odd, strange, different. That’s your source of power.”

“Be a flame of positive emotions and you will never be without a friend.”

“Displaying anger and emotion are signs of weakness; you cannot control yourself, so how can you control anything?”

“Do not show all your cards. An air of mystery heightens your presence; it also creates anticipation.”

“Do not wait for a coronation; the greatest emperors crown themselves.”

“Do something that makes you feel at the peak of your being.”

“Don't get comfortable. Take risks. Change. Try learning about a field you don't know anything about. Or stepping into a viewpoint you've never considered.”

“Fear creates it's own self-fulfilling dynamic – as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum.”

“In general, be wary of people who want to collaborate – they are often trying to find someone who will do the heavy lifting for them.”

“In the course of your life you will be continually encountering fools. There are simply too many to avoid.”

“In the end, you win through superior craftsmanship, not marketing.”

“Information is useless unless you know how to interpret it.”

“It is a curse to have everything go right on your first attempt.”

“Learn to use the knowledge of the past and you will look like a genius, even when you are really just a clever borrower.”

“Only the weak rest on their laurels and dote on past triumphs; in the game of power there is never time to rest.”

“Pain is a kind of challenge your mind presents – will you learn how to focus and move past boredom, or like a child will you succumb to the need for immediate pleasure and distraction?”

“People rarely believe that their problems arise from their own misdeeds and stupidity.”

“The feeling that we have endless time to complete our work has an isidious and debilitationg effect on our minds. Our attention and throughts become diffused.”

“The ultimate power in life is to be completely self-reliant, completely yourself.”

“To reveal the true nature of your intelligence rarely pays; you should get in the habit of downplaying it at all times.”

“To succeed in the game of power, you have to master the art of timing.”

“Too much respect for other people's wisdom will make you depreciate your own.”

“Understand: people will constantly attack you in life. One of their main weapons will be to instill in you doubts about yourself – your worth, your abilities, your potential. They will often disguise this as their objective opinion, but invariably they want to keep you down.”

“What most often weighs you down and brings you misery is the past.”

“What must ultimately motivate you is the work itself and the process. Public attention is actually a nuisance and a distraction.”

“When you feel rooted and established in a place, that is when you should be truly afraid.”

“When you go into society, leave behind your own ideas and values, and put on the mask that is most appropriate for the group in which you find yourself.”

“You are your worst enemy. You waste precious time dreaming of the future instead of engaging in the present. Since nothing seems urgent to you, you're only half involved in what you do.”

“You have only so much energy and so much time. Every moment wasted on the affairs of others subtracts from your strength.”

“You must see every setback, failure, or hardship as a trial along the way, as seeds that are being planted for further cultivation, if you know how to grow them.”