Laws of Power: Never Outshine the Master
This is a series in which I muse about the ideas mentioned in the book The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.
“Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite – inspire fear and insecurity. Make your masters appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.”
— The 48 Laws of Power
Who Are the Masters Exactly… ?
This one seems arcane. No one thinks of others as masters. It’s an inherently off-putting dynamic to imagine yourself being a part of. Even with mentors in our lives, we resist seeing them this way. That — dangerously — misses the point. It is about how they see themselves. The more you can reinforce the image someone has of themselves, the more they will like you. This is seduction via confirming a person’s narrative about who they are. It doesn’t matter who they actually are. It matters even less who you think they are. It’s about what they believe or want to believe. The more you think about this law, the more you’ll see it. It’s everywhere.
One of the reasons this principle doesn’t ring true right away is because relationships are not unidimensional. Even if people broadly fall into a certain archetype, they will still have multiple roles within a relationship. One party might be the source of stability and decision-making in a relationship. Another party might be the bringer of fun, new experiences and variety. In their respective domains, they are the masters. They will want to be seen as such. If you challenge them there, you’ll get a fierce and negative response.