The Daily Laws by Robert Greene
Date read: 11/10/21. Recommendation: 8/10.
An accessible introduction to Robert Greene’s studies of power, seduction, mastery, strategy, and human nature. The format follows 366 short lessons for each day of the year and sources content from Greene’s previous books. It’s basically his own version of The Daily Stoic. Greene is my favorite author and I cannot recommend his work enough. Whether you’re already familiar with his books and want to revisit the lessons and themes he presents so you can master the ideas or you’re looking for an introduction, this has something for everyone.
See my notes below or Amazon for details and reviews.
My Notes:
Know who you are:
“The first move toward mastery is always inward—learning who you really are and reconnecting with that innate force. Knowing it with clarity, you will find your way to the proper career path and everything else will fall into place.” RG
“In order to master a field, you must love the subject and feel a profound connection to it. Your interest must transcend the field and border on the religious.” RG
“You could have the most brilliant mind, teeming with knowledge and ideas, but if you choose the wrong subject or problem to attack, you can run out of energy and interest.” RG
Assert yourself more, compromise less, care less about what others think of you: “Power lies in asserting your uniqueness, even if that offends some people along the way.” RG
What would you work on if no one was looking?
“Become who you are by learning who you are.” Pindar
Self-sufficiency:
“Depending on others is misery; depending on yourself is power.” RG
To make yourself less dependent, expand your skills and build more confidence in your own judgment so you can begin to trust yourself more and others less, while knowing what small matters are best left to others and which larger matters require your true attention.
“You cannot make anything worthwhile in this world unless you have first developed and transformed yourself.” RG
Not about recognition. “Retain the craftsman spirit. Keep in mind: the work is the only thing that matters.” RG
Skin in the game and putting your work out there: “What makes the difference between an outstanding creative person and a less creative one is not any special power, but greater knowledge (in the form of practiced expertise) and the motivation to acquire and use it.” Margaret A. Boden
Cornerstones of self-sufficiency: Patience, discipline, self-control, emotional stability.
Goethe’s Ideal of the Universal Man: a person so steeped in all forms of knowledge that his mind grows closer to the reality of nature itself and sees secrets that are invisible to most people.
“Our whole being is nothing but a fight against the dark forces within ourselves. To live is to war with trolls in heart and soul. To write is to sit in judgment on oneself.” Henrik Ibsen
“In this world, where the game is played with loaded dice, a man must have a temper of iron, with armor proof to the blows of fate, and weapons to make his way against men. Life is one long battle; we have to fight at every step; and Voltaire rightly says that if we succeed, it is at the point of the sword, and that we die with the weapon in our hand.” Arthur Schopenhauer
Boredom:
Boredom does not signal the need for distractions but that you must seek new challenges. This often shows up in one’s career when the problem you’re focusing on loses its appeal and your engagement suffers.
Expand your perspective:
"The person with the more global perspective wins. Expand your gaze.” RG
The ability to look wider, think further ahead, and consider second-order consequences will allow you to outpace everyone around you. Hone this skill.
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald
Reputation:
“Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides.” RG
Always say less than necessary:
“By saying less than necessary you create the appearance of meaning and power. Also, the less you say, the less risk you run of saying something foolish, even dangerous.” RG
“Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less.” RG
Hide your ambition: George Washington was reluctant to accept his role as commander of the American army and again with the presidency. “People cannot envy the power that they themselves have given a person who does not seem to desire it.” RG
Create value through scarcity:
“The more you are seen and heard from, the more common you appear.” RG
“If I am often seen at the theater, people will cease to notice me.” Napoleon
People today are far too available which means they are too familiar and banal, instead give people room to idealize you by remaining aloof: “Leaders must know how to balance presence and absence. In general, it is best to lean slightly more in the direction of absence, so that when you do appear before the group you generate excitement and drama.” RG
“Love never dies of starvation but often of indigestion.” Ninon de l’Enclos
Appeal to self-interest:
“When asking for anything, uncover something in your request that will benefit the person you are asking, and emphasize it out of all proportion.” RG
“The quickest way to secure people’s minds is by demonstrating, as simply as possible, how an action will benefit them. Self-interest is the strongest motive of all.” RG
“The cause seduces but the self-interest secures the deal.” RG
Enter action with boldness:
“Boldness, on the other hand, is outer-directed, and often makes people feel more at ease, since it is less self-conscious and less repressed. And so we admire the bold, and prefer to be around them, because their self-confidence infects us and draws us outside our own realm of inwardness and reflection.” RG
Strategy:
“Strategy is a mental process in which your mind elevates itself above the battlefield. You have a sense of a larger purpose for your life, where you want to be down the road, what you were destined to accomplish. This makes it easier to decide what is truly important, what battles to avoid. You are able to control your emotions, to view the world with a degree of detachment.” RG
“Strategists are realists if nothing else—they can look at the world and themselves with a higher degree of objectivity than others.” RG
“The essence of strategy is not to carry out a brilliant plan that proceeds in steps; it is to put yourself in situations where you have more options than the enemy does. Instead of grasping at Option A as the single right answer, true strategy is positioning yourself to be able to do A, B, or C depending on the circumstances.” RG
Intuition:
“Presence of mind depends not only on your mind’s ability to come to your aid in difficult situations but also on the speed with which this happens.” RG
Depth matters: “Deep knowledge of the terrain will let you process information faster than your enemy, a tremendous advantage.” RG
Relaxed state of concentration: Thinking will mess you up every time…“The most powerful point you can reach in sports or any other endeavor—when you are no longer thinking, you are in the moment.” RG
Resourcefulness:
“Accept the fact that nothing is certain and no law or strategy is fixed. The best way to protect yourself is to be as fluid and formless as water; never bet on stability or lasting order. Everything changes.” RG
In victory, know when to stop:
“The greatest danger occurs at the moment of victory.” Napoleon
Steady yourself and give yourself room to reflect on what happened, examine the role of circumstance and luck in your success. Do not allow the feeling of invulnerability after victory to consume you.