from The 48 Laws of Power

Below are two excerpts from a book I own (and which I just repurchased as an ebook)—The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.

Another strategy of the supposed nonplayer is to demand equality in every area of life. Everyone must be treated alike, whatever their status and strength. But if, to avoid the taint of power, you attempt to treat everyone equally and fairly, you will confront the problem that some people do certain things better than others. Treating everyone equally means ignoring their differences, elevating the less skillful and suppressing those who excel. Again, many of those who behave this way are actually deploying another power strategy, redistributing people’s rewards in a way that they determine.

Does this not sound like liberals ("equality of outcome!") and their constant steamrollering of diversity while simultaneously preaching their love of diversity?

Yet another way of avoiding the game would be perfect honesty and [straightforwardness since] one of the main techniques of those who seek power is deceit and secrecy. But being perfectly honest will inevitably hurt and insult a great many people, some of whom will choose to injure you in return. No one will see your honest statement as completely objective and free of some personal motivation. And they will be right: In truth, the use of honesty is indeed a power strategy, intended to convince people of one’s noble, good-hearted, selfless character. It is a form of persuasion, even a subtle form of coercion.

And does not the above sound like the obnoxious, pugnacious Donald Trump, who cares nothing for the toes he steps on? Not that I see Trump as a "perfectly honest" person, but (1) he says things that need saying—things that others are afraid to say; and (2) investigation after investigation keeps coming up with no dirt on him, making him, shockingly, one of the cleanest politicians in my lifetime. So, yes, Trump's brutal honesty has made him plenty of enemies. Elon Musk is learning the same lesson these days.

Our company's CEO is away in Vietnam, but he left us with the assignment of making material related to the theme of power. (The CEO wants to talk mainly about hard power, soft power, and smart power.) This brought up my memory of The 48 Laws of Power, a book I purchased years ago but never properly read through. Given the hell I just went through regarding my job, maybe I should read the book and see what I got right as well as what I got wrong. (I noticed that the book's preface failed to define what power is. Fascinating.)