Ever feel that life isn’t fair and no one’s playing by the rules they say they are? Did you grow up being told that if you just kept your head down, did your homework, and were nice to everyone, that everything would turn out great for you?
Didn’t work out, did it? That’s because you’ve been sold a lie. The game isn’t what it appears; the real game – of life, of love, of power – is several layers deeper.
It’s time to take the red pill and discover the truth.
Robert Greene’s life-changing, bestselling book, The 48 Laws of Power, lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Are you ready to see and master the Matrix?
Don’t hate the player and don’t hate the game. Instead, to get anywhere in this life, you must learn how to play and avoid being played.
In this podcast series, ‘Exploring The 48 Laws of Power’, we’re your guides to each of the laws and their uses. We carefully dissect each one, delve into the historical examples Robert provides, explain how they can apply to our modern lives, and share the times we’ve followed or transgressed them.
Learn to develop mastery according to Robert Greene’s principles and use the 48 Laws of Power in everyday life. Train yourself to foresee and avoid betrayal; to advance your interests in the face of opposition; to hone your emotional intelligence so you can read other people and predict their behaviour… all to your ultimate advantage.
But this is not about becoming a sociopath. As Robert Greene makes clear time and again, the Laws apply whether you like them or not. Like social gravity, they are the forces which shape our interactions with the outside world. Just as you wouldn’t be able to play – let alone win – any sports without an intuitive understanding of basic physics, without a deep understanding of the Laws of Power, you’ll never be a successful player in life. The world can be a harsh place and even if you don’t want to be a master manipulator, as they say in combat sports, you still need to defend yourself at all times.
Ready to take control of your life? You will be after exploring The 48 Laws of Power. Join us and a community of listeners from around the world as we draw back the veil and get to grips with how things really work.
This is our first Robert Greene podcast, with future explorations of Mastery, The 33 Strategies of War, and The Art of Seduction to follow.
Are you afraid to die? You don't have to be. You can overcome those fears – and in the process you'll unlock your truest potential. This episode uncovers the real Robert Greene and gets right to the core of what it means to be human to the best of our potential: to...
You are your own limiting factor. Who you think you are defines what you're capable of. If identity is an illusion (and it is), how do we set about changing it so we fulfil and surpass all our ambitions? But big egos are a bad thing, right? It depends. This episode we...
Stop scrolling. You're bored. But what sort of bored are you? Remember blackouts? Remember how you managed to have fun, play games, and actually talk to each other when all the electronic distractions were forcibly removed? Remember tedious hours at work when you let...
'You don't know what you're talking about!' We've all said it, at one time or another. When we receive criticism and feedback that disrupts our confidence or seems to utterly miss the point of what we were trying to do. So we reject it – screw them, screw their stupid...
We know it when we feel it. Sometimes we hate it. Sometimes we crave it. But how does authority work? In these modern times, we often distrust authority by default, but in this episode we reveal how deeply we screw ourselves over in the process. What if we think of...
Will you stand your ground? Do you get what you want? Are you prepared to be uncomfortable to do what's right? Probably not. In our society, we're taught to fear confrontation and to consider it dangerous and destructive. We call it being polite, but this emotional...
We're all creatures of habit, but creativity dies on the vine of inaction. Change is the only constant in the world, but why are we so resistant to it? This episode shoves us all unceremoniously out of our comfort zones: We change, or we simply fade away. But things...
Shit is abundant – a near infinite supply of it as available to you at any given moment. But like most things that're easy to come by, it's not what we want or what we value. So how can we transform it into something sweeter? This week we explore how to turn negatives...
Who owns you? Think about it. Who controls your time, your work, even your sense of self-worth? If someone else controls any of these things, you're neither free, nor powerful. But breaking those chains is a daunting challenge. For 50 Cent, this was a tale of crack...
More than likely, you're living in a dream world. A fabrication. A projection of how you think the world is or should be. And just as likely, the world has a habit of slapping you in the face with something quite different. Time to change things up. Time to start...
When the hip-hop phenomenon 50 Cent asked to meet Robert Greene after reading his phenomenal bestseller, The 48 Laws of Power, it was only a matter of time before the two collaborated on a project. They immediately found similarities that transcended background and...
Now you know the Laws, but which ones should you put into practice first? And what are the underlying themes which bind them together? How can we truly practise the Laws in order to achieve mastery? This is a Special Episode that brings you the most important insights...
One Law to bring them all and in the darkness bind them… Yes, it’s time for the final and most crucial Law of Power: Assume Formlessness. Law 48 is all about how to move beyond mechanical repetition of the individual Laws and become a virtuoso performer who flows...
We've all done it. At certain times in our lives we've all settled for second best; accepted what we thought we could get, rather than pushing for what we really wanted. But what about the other side of the coin? When you refuse to recognise the victory for what it is...
The green demon is among us! Envy is a dangerous affliction and one which we all fall victim to at times. But being a victim is obviously not what we're aiming for here... and if envy is something everyone is susceptible to, how can we make use of it on our journey to...
There is only one constant in life: Change. It destroys, creates, excites... but also terrifies. Most of us, however opened-minded we claim to be, instinctively resist change and prefer to cling to our familiar routines and circles. But creatures of habit are rarely...
Who's that in the mirror? And what are they trying to do to you? We all calibrate ourselves to the world around us, but if we're not careful we get caught in a hall of mirrors – lost in the warped and warping realities of other people, trapped in their funhouse. The...
Coercion is a dirty word; manipulation no better. But that's what social life is all about, down at its very core: we're all trying to get people to see our point of view, to join forces in some fashion, whether it's building a world-changing company or just going to...
Bad apples, shit-stirrers and fifth-columnists. It only takes one to disrupt and destroy your power, but how can you spot and remove them before it's too late? Purging, banishment, shame and rebellion – Law 42 explores the enormous power of isolation and exile, but...
You've got Daddy Issues. And you're going to have to deal with them if you want to find your way to Power. Law 41 penetrates deeply into our psyches and draws back the veil on the automatic behaviours we go through life with – unconsciously playing out the patterns we...
Law 40 explains the enormous psychological burdens involved in accepting the free lunch, and how rapidly this can draw you into a web of obligations and inferior power positions.
Control. We crave it, we scramble for it, and we hate to feel under the control of anyone else. Law 39 is all about learning how to retain control without even trying, explaining how it’s precisely by grasping for power that so many people lose it forever.
Law 38 is a complex affair, offering both a slap in the face to the idea of ‘just being yourself’ and expecting everything to work out, and simultaneously providing a nuanced way to retain your internal compass while navigating your way to greater power.
Kings, charlatans, mistresses and maniacs – Law 37 unpacks the magical thinking which forms an intrinsic part of how humans operate across the spectrum of society. Even if we can turn down the volume of these superstitious thought patterns, we can never escape their influence completely.
Law 36 is all about creating and cultivating your own reality: you make things significant by dwelling on them and giving them your attention. In fact, that’s the key itself: significance is something you give – it’s in your power to withhold it and retain your power and poise.
Law 35 gives us a bracing confrontation with the ways we let time use and abuse us, before showing how we can make it serve us instead… Not least, as a tool to influence other people.
One of Dre’s favourite Laws, this one treads the fine line between performing, lying, and simply showing the side of yourself that you most want the world to see. Are you ready to escape the roles and limitations that other people foist upon you?
Law 33 turns out to be much less about tightening those thumbscrews than releasing the pressure of them, making it a rather neat counterpart to Law 32’s invocation to Play To People’s Fantasies.
Fantasies can be dangerous things, and Law 32 explains why. When we want a fantasy to exist badly enough, we’re alarmingly good at ignoring any evidence that exposes it – everyday life can be so mundane or even painful otherwise. But Robert takes no prisoners and goes on to describe the unpopular reality that real success and quality work take consistency, discipline and time… And the reasons why we belligerently go on searching for quick fixes and shortcuts. Needless to say, this offers plenty of opportunities for the power-hungry.
How did I end up in this mess? All too often that’s the question we ask ourselves when we look back and realise we’ve been led by the nose into a situation we’d never have chosen willingly. And yet it seemed like we were free to choose every step of the way. So what happened? Law 31 is what happened: when someone manages to control your options, you find yourself playing on their chessboard, never quite sure of the rules and yet still wanting to believe that you can influence the way the game plays out. You can’t; this episode explores why.
If you like what we’re doing, please remember to subscribe on iTunes. You can also help us gain visibility by clicking the Like button on Facebook, sharing your favourite post, or by leaving a review on iTunes. The more people who join, the more we can learn...
Do you know where you’re going? Or are you just reacting in the moment, never planning beyond the next emerging crisis? Law 29 is all about overcoming this all-too-common tendency and taking a definitive step back to view the bigger picture of your life.
Don’t half-ass it. Don’t be the timid one at the back making everyone else feel uncomfortable. Fortune may not always favour the bold, but other people certainly do – and Law 28 is all about why
If you like what we’re doing, please remember to subscribe on iTunes. You can also help us gain visibility by clicking the Like button on Facebook, sharing your favourite post, or by leaving a review on iTunes. The more people who join, the more we can learn...
Have you ever scapegoated someone? Law 26 is about keeping your hands clean, a law which makes Jon uncomfortable. Together with Dre he explores why a scapegoat doesn’t always have to be a negative thing. Once again the need for subtlety and an understanding of the...
If you like what we’re doing please remember to subscribe on iTunes. You can also help us gain visibility by clicking the like button on Facebook, and sharing your favourite post or by leaving a review on iTunes. The more people who join, the more we can learn...
If you like what we’re doing please remember to subscribe on iTunes. You can also help us gain visibility by clicking the like button on Facebook, and sharing your favourite post or by leaving a review on iTunes. The more people who join, the more we can learn...
If you like what we’re doing please remember to subscribe on iTunes. You can also help us gain visibility by clicking the like button on Facebook, and sharing your favourite post or by leaving a review on iTunes. The more people who join, the more we can learn...
We’re almost at the halfway point, so we’re aiming to do a review at the halfway mark, considering what we’ve done and reviewed so far. We hope to integrate some stories from our listeners and have a look forward to what’s coming up next. If you like what we’re doing...
Law 22 is all about knowing when to surrender and lose a battle so that you may live to fight another day. There is no benefit to being obliterated to prove a point. How does one reconcile a personal code with the act of giving up? Jon and Dre ponder on the...
Are you a sucker? Or are you a show-off? Either way, you're not going to be powerful. In Law 21 we explore the delicate art of not alienating people with your smarts, and how potent it can be to make others feel a good deal smarter than you. We discuss the different...
We all like to hear that someone – in love or in business – is committed to us, but talk is cheap and value grows from scarcity. So when it comes to making our own moves, Law 20 teaches us to hold back, weigh our options, keep an air of mystery about ourselves... and...
'Don't you know who I am?!' screamed the insecure person... But maybe you really should know who they are before you offend them: insecure or otherwise, offending the wrong person can have disastrous long-term consequences. Law 19 is all about not making enemies...
Think you're safe hidden away behind those walls, excuses, or personal assistants? Think again: isolation and being hidden from view will be your undoing. This week we guide you through Law 18 and discuss how to bring the public to you; how introverts can still...
You'd have enormous power if you could predict the future. Learning to predict other people is the next best thing to a crystal ball... but, of course, your own behaviour must remain nebulous, fluid and unpredictable if you want to keep that advantage. This week, we...
In Law 16 it's time to make yourself a limited edition and never outstay your welcome. The more you're available, the less value you'll have in the eyes of others; time to cultivate that air of mystery and distance if you want to be desired rather than taken for...
Perhaps the most controversial Law of all – Crush Your Enemy Totally! As ever, we are you guides to when a Law like this can be applied in a world beyond the battlefield. What does it mean to crush an enemy in the modern world? When does it become necessary to wipe...
Who are you working for?? Well, yourself... or you should be. Law 14 isn't about insincerity or screwing your friends over, but it's a sharp lesson in social intelligence and self-awareness. We explain how to learn about the people you're dealing with – especially...
Does this make you squeamish? Or maybe this is the Law you're already most comfortable with... As ever, we're your guides on how and when to apply this law and this week we dive into the need to remember other people's interests and the serious dangers of...
When is honesty not truly honest? And when is generosity less than generous? Ethical issues unravel as we venture into the seeming contradictions of Law 12. In this episode we explain how to master the skill of the indirect approach and what it means to give before...
An uncomfortable Law that makes us consider just who we are important to – and how precarious that can be as we struggle to become the power behind the throne. This is about the need to become indispensable... or at least to appear to be, making it the complementary...
Ever find yourself dragged down or enmeshed by the negativity of the people around you? Does misfortune rain on their heads with implausible regularity? In this episode we deconstruct who these people are and how you can avoid their corrosive influence in your...
Recorded during a massive thunderstorm over London (in mid-summer, of course), Jon and Dre dive into what Voices in the Dark is all about; why we're exploring The 48 Laws of Power; what our other shows are going to be... and who the hell are we, anyway? In a nutshell,...
A Law that many smart people fail to observe... not least the big-mouthed hosts of this podcast! In this episode we dissect the crucial differences between being smart and being effective, and dig into how to score results rather than points. Dre vents about his...
Just who's in control here? Grab your insecurities and self-worth and join us as we invite you to step into our office or call on us at your earliest convenience... This law is all about controlling the terms of engagement and making sure to tip the balance of power...
One of the most controversial Laws in the book, this one makes people very squeamish, evoking the same kind of moralising outrage that so often faces Machiavelli’s The Prince. But all is not quite as it seems, as Jon and Dre reveal: this Law is ultimately about...
They say all publicity is good publicity, but how do we deal with that in real life? How can we cope emotionally with others thinking ill of us? And doesn’t this clash with Law 5’s incitement to guard your reputation with your life? This Law presents us with an array...
Reputation can make or break you, but how can you keep control of it when it's ultimately all about the opinion of other people? In this episode we set our crosshairs on the cult of 'authenticity' and explore where the line lies between creating an image and losing...
Don't be fooled: this is a very dangerous Law in the wrong hands. What sounds like simple good manners can quickly become weaponised. Why is it powerful to say less than you need to? And why is withholding the truth good for friendships? Climb aboard as we wantonly...
Sex and seduction, politics and warfare... This episode has all of that and more! Disagreements emerge as Jon and Dre discuss the Third Law of Power and what it means to put up a smokescreen and keep honesty in lockdown, including: Sex and deception... Can you have...
Join us as we continue our exploration of Robert Greene's provocative and compelling study of The 48 Laws of Power, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook...
Join us as we begin our exploration of Robert Greene's provocative and compelling study of The 48 Laws of Power, in which he lays bare the history, practice, psychology, and philosophies of power that ultimately shape all human relations. Often seen as a handbook for...