LAW 3: CONCEAL YOUR INTENTIONS
Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your
actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defence.
Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and
by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.
Part I: Use decoyed objects of desire and red herrings to throw people off the scent
Part II: Use smoke screens to disguise your actions
LAW 4: ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY
When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more
common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something
banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike.
Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more
likely you are to say something foolish.
LAW 5: SO MUCH DEPENDS ON REPUTATION—GUARD IT WITH
YOUR LIFE
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. Make your reputation unassailable. Always be alert to potential attacks
and thwart them before they happen. Meanwhile, learn to destroy your enemies by
opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion
hang them.
LAW 6: COURT ATTENTION AT ALL COST
Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never
let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be
conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger,
more colourful, more mysterious than the bland and timid masses.
