Nothing can substitute for gathering concrete knowledge.

Robert Greene

Never assume that the person you are dealing with is weaker or less important than you are.

Robert Greene

Think As You Like But Behave Like Others: If you make a show of going against the times, flaunting your unconventional ideas and unorthodox ways, people will think that you only want attention and that you look down upon them.

Robert Greene

Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.

Robert Greene

Weakness is no sin, and can even become a strength if you learn how to play it right.

Robert Greene

Never say you are strong, show you are strong by making a contrast between yourself and your inconsistent or moderate opponents.

Robert Greene

Be patient enough to plot several steps ahead—wage a campaign instead of fighting battles.

Robert Greene

Remember: 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.

Robert Greene

Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself.

Robert Greene

The highest form of the art of power is the ability to distinguish the wolves from the lambs, the foxes from hares, the hawks from vultures.

Robert Greene

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution.

Robert Greene

Since power depends greatly on appearances, you must learn the tricks that will enhance your image.

Robert Greene