:The 48 Laws of Power

Greene initially formulated some of the ideas in The 48 Laws of Power while working as a writer in Hollywood and concluding that today's power elite shared similar traits with powerful figures throughout history.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2Ndl0cdn_E |title=Robert Greene's Motivation for Writing the 48 Laws of Power |date=2022-03-23 |last=Jordan B Peterson |access-date=2025-04-02 |via=YouTube}}Blake, John. [http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/03/15/48.laws.of.power/ How to Master the ‘48 Laws of Power’]. CNN. March 15, 2010. In 1995, Greene worked as a writer at Fabrica, an art and media school, and met a book packager named Joost Elffers.Chang, Andrea. [https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2011-aug-30-la-fi-robert-greene-20110726-story.html American Apparel's in-house guru shows a lighter side]. LA Times. August 30, 2011.Paumgarten, Nick. [http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/11/06/061106fa_fact_paumgarten Fresh Prince]. New Yorker. November 6, 2006. Greene pitched a book about power to Elffers and six months later, Elffers requested that Greene write a treatment.

Although Greene was quite unhappy in his job, he was comfortable and thought that writing a proper book proposal was too risky in his situation.Perlroth, Nicole. [https://www.forbes.com/2009/06/18/robert-greene-classics-leadership-greene.html Robert Greene on Power Ambition Glory]. Forbes. June 16, 2009. However, at the time Greene was rereading his favorite biography about Julius Caesar and took inspiration from Caesar's decision to cross the Rubicon River and fight Pompey, thus inciting Caesar's civil war. Greene wrote the treatment, which would later become The 48 Laws of Power. He would note this as the turning point of his life.

The 48 Laws of Power has sold over 1.2 million copies in the United States and has been translated into 24 languages. Fast Company called the book a "mega cult classic", and the Los Angeles Times noted that The 48 Laws of Power turned Greene into a "cult hero with the hip-hop set, Hollywood elite and prison inmates alike".Johnson, Lynn. [http://www.fastcompany.com/1353390/50-cent-bible "The 50 Cent Bible"]. Fast Company. September 10, 2009.

The book has been reported to be much requested in American prison libraries.Garner, Dwight. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/books/20book.html "The Readers Behind Bars Put Books to Many Uses"]. The New York Times. October 19, 2010. Rapper 50 Cent stated that he related to the book "immediately", and approached Greene with the prospect of a potential collaboration, which would later become The 50th Law, another New York Times bestseller.{{cite news|last=Burkeman|first=Oliver|title=When the gangsta rapper met the self-help guru|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/global/2009/sep/05/50-cent-robert-greene-interview|newspaper=The Guardian|date=September 4, 2009}} Busta Rhymes and Derrius Jackson used The 48 Laws of Power to deal with problematic movie producers. The 48 Laws of Power has also been mentioned in songs by UGK, Jay-Z (Primetime), Kanye West, Central Cee, MF DOOM, and Drake.{{cite web|title=Kanye West – Primetime Lyrics|url=http://rapgenius.com/Kanye-west-primetime-lyrics#note-312947|publisher=RapGenius}}{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsawMPR615E |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/lsawMPR615E |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Living This Life|date=August 7, 2007|people=UGK|type=music video}}{{cbignore}}{{Citation |title=Central Cee – Ungrateful |url=https://genius.com/Central-cee-ungrateful-lyrics |access-date=2022-07-04}}{{cite web|title=Drake – What I'm Thinkin' Right Now Lyrics|url=http://rapgenius.com/Drake-what-im-thinkin-right-now-lyrics#note-831515|publisher=RapGenius}} Dov Charney, founder and former CEO of American Apparel who would be terminated by that company in 2014, frequently quoted the laws during board meetings, has given friends and employees copies of the book, and appointed Greene to the board of the now defunct American Apparel.{{Cite web |last=Li |first=Shan |date=2014-12-16 |title=American Apparel fires founder Dov Charney after internal investigation |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-dov-charney-american-apparel-fired-20141216-story.html |access-date=2023-05-04 |work=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Michelle |date=2017-01-14 |title=American Apparel to close all of its stores |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/American-Apparel-to-close-all-of-its-stores-10857158.php |access-date=2023-05-04 |website=SFGATE |language=en-US}} Greene claims that Cuban President Fidel Castro has also read the book. The book has been banned by several US prisons.{{Cite web |url=https://www.unicornriot.ninja/2018/books-banned-in-u-s-prisons-featured-at-minneapolis-art-festival/ |title=Books Banned in U.S. Prisons Featured at Minneapolis Art Festival|date=June 25, 2018|publisher=Unicorn Riot Media|format=video}}

The 48 Laws of Power has been referenced or bought by 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Michael Jackson (who wrote in the margins{{cite web |title=Bonhams : Joseph Millighan Ambetsa : an annotated copy of the book 'The 48 Laws Of Power' by Robert Greene |url=https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19036/lot/262/ |access-date=February 24, 2018 |website=www.bonhams.com}}), Courtney Love (who was photographed carrying it on the way to court when facing a drug charge{{cite news |date=April 16, 2004 |title=Singer Love to face drugs trial |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3631147.stm |access-date=February 24, 2018 |publisher=BBC News}}) and Will Smith.{{cite news |last=Lee |first=Chris |date=July 12, 2006 |title=Laws for an Outlaw Culture |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-jul-12-et-48laws12-story.html}}{{cite news |last=Paumgarten |first=Nick |date=November 6, 2006 |title=Fresh Prince: Hip-hop's Machiavelli |newspaper=The New Yorker |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/11/06/061106fa_fact_paumgarten}}Tice, Carol. [http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/168770 "All's Fair?"] Entrepreneur. November 1, 2006.

In response to the popular reputation of his work as an unethical book, Greene himself responded by saying that he "could count maybe four or five laws that are overtly manipulative" and there are "44 others that are not manipulative at all". He then continues by saying that people cherry pick the "chapters that are most egregious".{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WerPMKKINAg |title=The 48 Laws: Who's Being Manipulative? I Robert Greene |language=en |access-date=2024-10-25 |via=www.youtube.com}}

People's Magazine has referred to it as "a wry primer for people who desperately want to be on top." Allure described the book as “satisfyingly dense", and "literary", and continued that it is filled "with fantastic examples of genius power-game players."{{Cite web |title=The 48 Laws of Power (Special Power Edition) by Robert Greene: 9780593512296 {{!}} PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/330912/the-48-laws-of-power-special-power-edition-by-robert-greene/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=PenguinRandomhouse.com |language=en-US}} Quincy Jones III, reviewing the book, states that he views Greene's work as "more as an empowerment tool than as a way to screw people."{{Cite magazine |last=Paumgarten |first=Nick |date=2006-10-29 |title=Fresh Prince |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/11/06/fresh-prince-3 |access-date=2025-04-02 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}} Jerry Adler, writing in Newsweek, lists ways the laws contradict one another and states, "Intending the opposite, Greene has actually produced one of the best arguments since the New Testament for humility and obscurity."{{cite magazine|last=Adler|first=Jerry|title=The Prince Wants a Word With You|url=https://mseffie.com/assignments/prince/Articles/Prince%2520Wants%2520a%2520Word.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiDpcXotNHpAhW4oHIEHRTFAbwQFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw1_Jj6Wn13yoxYnAFbxt2q6&cshid=1590492398377|year=1998|magazine=Newsweek|volume=132|issue=16|access-date=May 26, 2020|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140112174840/http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid=5dbcace2-8092-40e6-8af8-c715db5537b2@sessionmgr198&hid=119&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3D%3D%23db=buh&AN=1156942|archive-date=January 12, 2014}} Kirkus Reviews said Greene offers no evidence to support his world view, that his laws contradict each other, and that the book is "simply nonsense".{{cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/robert-greene/the-48-laws-of-power/|title=The 48 Laws of Power|publisher=Kirkus Reviews|access-date=January 12, 2014}} Craig Pinder has stated that the book "has practical tips for the use of power" and that while they may seem deceptive, "actually have reasonable explanations".{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9RoKBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA151 | title=Work Motivation in Organizational Behavior | isbn=978-1-317-56147-7 | last1=Pinder | first1=Craig C. | date=17 July 2014 | publisher=Psychology Press }}

The 48 Laws of Power has been studied at Millsaps College and Ramapo College.{{cite web|title=48 Laws of Power Syllabus|url=http://home.millsaps.edu/grubbmr/Management%20637%2048%20Laws%20of%20Power%20Summer%202010.pdf|publisher=Millsaps College|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110301213453/http://home.millsaps.edu/grubbmr/Management%20637%2048%20Laws%20of%20Power%20Summer%202010.pdf|archive-date=March 1, 2011}}{{cite web|title=The 48 Laws of Power Syllabus|url=https://www.ramapo.edu/first-year/files/2013/03/12-25.pdf|publisher=Ramapo College|access-date=2017-06-15|archive-date=2020-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809070017/https://www.ramapo.edu/first-year/files/2013/03/12-25.pdf|url-status=dead}} Jeffrey Pfeffer of Stanford University said that Greene's so-called laws are based on isolated examples, and not on solid research.

• The Art of War
• Thirty-Six Stratagems
• Social influence

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.powerseductionandwar.com Power, Seduction and War: The Robert Greene Blog]

{{Robert Greene (American author)}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:1998 non-fiction books

Category:Books by Robert Greene (American author)

Category:Self-help books

Category:Viking Press books