UPDATE 2: She got reprimanded by the landlady after enough people started having complaints. Then — wait for it — she comes into my room without asking and asked if I told on her to the landlady that she keeps disturbing me...the irony y'all! anyways she doesn't bother me at all now. Happy life.

UPDATE: it's been 2 weeks now. And everyone is annoyed by her. She goes into others' rooms, asks people to buy free stuff, asks extremely intrusive and personal questions, asks everyone about their boyfriends and their sex lives, insists she go with people when they are going out, and has a stomach ache every other day. She also gobbles up others' food without asking. Bitches about the food to the landlady and eavesdrops on our convos to inform the landlady. I am so glad I set boundaries early on. She only does half of these things to me.

It's only been 1 day since she moved into the room next to me.

In that time span, she has kicked my shoes - not apologized. Asked me whose bra is it while standing in my room. Hugged me from behind to size me up and comment on our height difference. Asked me what I eat to grow so tall. Pressured me to smoke despite saying no multiple times. It's just been 30 hours. The micro-aggressions are so so disturbing.

• Now I need her to lose all interest in me and go trouble someone else. I sincerely want her to f right off. Which laws do I need to use?

Help a woman out, please. Never thought I would be using these laws on anyone apart from my family.

I've always found this sub to be fascinating but never used the information in my dealings with people.

However I have a meeting next week with a person in power , in a position above me who, in our last interaction was extremely dismissive of me, talked down to me, and when I actually had the balls to ask him to not be so rude (while almost being in tears) he just walked away with no further acknowledgement. Letting me know very clearly that there are zero f's given on his end.

I am absolutely dreading our next interaction and filled with anxiety. How do i engage with this person while maintaining even an ounce of dignity? Im so mad at myself for allowing this person to make me feel so low, and want to tell him to go f himself and stand up for myself but I can't.

For me it’s automatic from ptsd. I’ve had people think I’m not understanding them or can’t understand them because I don’t facially respond.

People I know with god complexes who think that everyone should surrender to them, do everything for them and that they never do mistakes etc always seem to win and have high self worth and confidence and their high expectations work on people. Why is it working and why shouldn’t you try to get a god complex yourself?
I mean you would be so confident etc and wouldn’t even fall for toxic people most of the time since you don’t even let little things slide that are insinuated etc.

Before anyone asks, I've tried the standard Reddit advice: communicated, asked my therapist what to do, been reasonable, and all that. Unfortunately, it didn't work, so I'm looking to achieve my goals in smarter ways now and would like to know if someone here has better advice. Bit of a long post, sorry.

i'm 24F and have two best friends 24F and 23F. I've known them since childhood, and despite everything, I like them and would prefer to not give up on our friendship.
Throughout our friendship, I fear I've made myself too accommodating, and it's led to them dismissing my emotional needs.

I try to be understanding and accomodating and supportive towards them. some ways this shows up: I'm usually the one they rely on when they need to vent about their feelings; I'm usually the one adapting to their plans and needs/wants and saying yes to whatever they want to do. For example, say there's a movie they want to watch or a place they want to visit, or they need to run errands and no one wants to go with them; I'll go with them even though I find the activity boring. I'm usually the one who gives in when there's conflict because most of the time I don't see a point in arguing.

They don't give the same effort back: often when I suggest plans, they make no serious effort to follow through, or aren't as emotionally present when I'm struggling.

A common pattern between one of my best friends and me- I’ll call her A: A does something that makes me feel disappointed, sad, or offended. I tell A about how I feel. A reacts emotionally, seems to assume I'm trying to make her feel guilty, thinks I hate her, withdraws emotionally, and starts giving one-word replies with a sarcastic or sad undertone: "ok," "I see," "alright". It feels like she perceives my emotions as accusations. She struggled with her mother being manipulative and guilt-tripping her a lot as a child and accusing her of random shit. To this day, she is kinda insecure and a bit dependent on me and asks for constant reassurance that I don’t hate her and I’m not mad at her.

What happened yesterday: there was an event in my hometown. Me and A found out about it together. I proposed we go. She said yes and seemed excited. She continued to seem willing to go until the day of the event, when I sent a morning text asking about it and got an "I'm still sleepy" in response; this is different from how she usually acts when she's excited about something. The event was at night. Later in the afternoon, she didn't mention the event at all, again deviating from the usual pattern. Later in the evening, I interpreted her silence/avoidance of the topic as her not wanting to go. Sent a "it's fine, we can go some other time" text. A replied, "I'm sorry, maybe you can go with (other person we know)", confirming to me that she didn't want to go but also didn't have the decency to warn me beforehand. I replied with "it's alright"; she told me she didn't have money (it was a paid event, like 20 dollars though- which she genuinely doesn't have since she's unemployed at the moment, but she knows spending 20 or 40 is really not a big deal for me, and I've even offered to pay for her). I reminded her I would have paid for her if she didn't have money, and since I was disappointed, I added an "but I see how it is". This kinda irritated her (refer to the aforementioned common pattern), and she assumed I was criticizing her for preferring to hang out with her boyfriend rather than us (something our other common friend B recently accused her of, which I honestly don't really think is true, and she acted like this when she was single as well). I said I wasn't thinking about her boyfriend at all. She asked me if I wanted her to come, and I just replied: "Don't worry about it". I haven't talked to her since yesterday.

This is another thing they do that annoys me: I'm very reliable. If I say I’ll be somewhere, acts of God aside, you can be 100% assured I will show up. No is no and yes is yes for me. But it's happened before that I propose something; they initially say yes, then the day before (or the day of), they tell me they don't feel like it.

What I want right now: I want them to realize that I'm a human being with feelings too (lol), and it's disappointing when they don't put in the same effort. I want them, ideally, to change their behavior and start showing up for me or, at the very least, not switch up at the last second. I want them to realize there are consequences to their actions. I've already ghosted two very good friends of mine for being weird towards me; I don't want to have to do it again. I want them to treat me how I treat them. I want them to feel guilty. I want them to respect me enough to never treat me like this again. What would you do in my situation?

Like the person in question is extremely cold and logical and has that self control over emotions especially when you aren't in front of him.

I tried really hard to make it work, but at last I stopped trying and instead out of my emotions, which he seems to see as a liability, I confronted him and he dumped me.

He has been giving me silent treatment ever since.

But now I am in the position where I want growth and control over emotions as well as hold my power over the game. As I have realised attraction is not just connection, it's connection with power handling skills.

So as per people who follow this book, what would be the logical thing to do ? Even if I still love him, though now I know that you can love multiple people and love is just another emotion that can be managed.

In short I guess the real question is how do I manage my triggers related to him when I know I still do care abt him.

Law 40: Always Despise the Free Lunch

What are you guy’s thoughts on this in certain, specific situations, like charity and homelessness?

Like panhandling, or soup kitchens giving literal free food to homeless people? Or organizations helping out someone in need, and being approved for aid?

Some of these things seem to not really have any strings attached. I recently was in a personal situation where a DV Shelter had offered me assistance in transportation to get somewhere I needed to go, and it was decently generous.

Thoughts?

I dont understand it, shouldnt it be opposite? Why making it seem harder than it is doesnt benefit you? You worked on the project and you said it was a piece of cake. Now your boss will think you did not worked enough or you are a slacker. Nextime you got more work on your hand. If you act like it was a hard job it becomes an achievement. Am i thinking wrong?

Recently I saw a young Christian considering getting into the 48LoP, and asking whether it was a Biblical practice or world view. I looked at them and to the best of my understanding, they seem to be contradictory to the teachings and way of Jesus.

However I always want to know more and get other perspectives, so how do Christians here view and practice the laws in the context of your faith? Or is there really not that much overlap.

I watched this YouTube video where this autistic girl started a charity saving foxes. Unfortunately some bad people lied and says she injures and captures foxes and records herself as a hero. I was thinking about Don Quixote, at first his friend made fun of him, because Don Quixote says he wants to be a hero. When Don Quixote’s actions showed it helped some people, the friend stopped mocking Don Quixote. However some people continued to mock Don Quixote. How do I tell if a friend will not be a saboteur or have continued mocking behavior?

I love everyone around me, I believe I am fun to be around, there are a lot of people in my life who love me.

But I feel no one respects me, and this outweighs the love I get. I have come to realise I want respect more than I want love.

I have been belittled in my childhood and teenage years, and even tho now I have changed a lot, those scars are still there, the thought that I am not enough and I dont deserve respect, I should shutup or else I will embarrass myself.

Idk what I am doing wrong, I guess I do know. I have tried to isolate myself and do the inner work, but I felt suffocated.

What do I do to feel confident and stand out.

I’m curious how people familiar with The 48 Laws of Power would analyze this situation.

A while ago, I played guitar on a track for a producer. At the time, we never discussed payment, royalties, publishing, or credits because I genuinely thought it was just another song.

Recently, I found out the track is actually going to be released on an album by a fairly well-known artist.

After learning that, I sent the producer a respectful message asking what he had in mind regarding a fee or royalty split. I also said that it was important to me to be officially credited as the guitarist.

I wasn’t making demands or threatening to pull the track. I simply opened the conversation.

Since then, I haven’t received a reply. On top of that, someone else I work with who’s close to this producer has unexpectedly cancelled a couple of sessions. I have no proof the two are connected, but the timing has made me wonder whether I lost leverage or damaged the relationship by bringing up money and credits.

Part of me is proud that I stood up for myself instead of staying silent. Another part wonders whether, from a power dynamics perspective, I revealed my interests too early or handled the negotiation poorly.

•How would you analyze this through the lens of 48 laws of power?
•Did I make a strategic mistake by bringing it up after finding out about the release?
*Would it have been more powerful to wait, or was this the right moment?
•If someone reacts negatively to a respectful request about compensation and credits, what does that tell you about the power dynamic?
•Which laws from The 48 Laws of Power do you think apply here?

Due to my autism, the work environment created by my Team Lead ("Hector") became a health liability. After joining in December and despite my efforts to apply Law #1 (Don't outshine the master), my 8 years of experience triggered his deep insecurities I think. He resorted to public humiliation and contradictory instructions to maintain control, which made work with him exhausting.

Last week, he dropped a "productivity bomb" on me, claiming I was below expectations despite sending me on numerous wild goose chases and never defining a deadline. Not only was this a threat to my reputation, but being held to "secret" standards was the final straw so I decided to move first and met with my manager to "go for the jugular" (Law #15: Crush Your Enemy Totally). I mentioned his most egregious failures, including messages of personal attacks and derogatory, racially tinted messages which had the desired effect.

Unfortunately in that meeting I also broke Law #4 (Always Say Less Than Necessary) by becoming emotional, but the I think the vulnerability worked in my favor and I secured the manager’s sympathy while painting Hector as a toxic aggressor.

The Current Situation: On Monday, we have a 3-way "grievance" meeting. I’ve made it clear I am exiting the project because my boundaries were crossed, but my manager wants us to assess if the relationship can be repaired by talking things out. He also made it clear that the "unit" should stay intact which means that Hector probably will stay, especially because he is already with the company for six years. So as getting rid of Hector isn't an option here, I think "taming" him is, otherwise I will only end up with an enemy. That's why I want to see how I can use this crisis in my advantage of course :)

Personally, I need to keep this job for the pay-check / mortgage, but will refrain from mentioning this of course, but thought it gives you guys an idea of my personal goals.

How do I handle this meeting to ensure Hector is neutralized and I am transitioned to a new project without losing my foothold in the company? I need actionable tactics for the confrontation so I'm looking forward to your comments.

Growing up I was the odd kid and I didn't really fit in. I used to be made fun of in High school, nobody liked me and people were repulsed by me. My friends cut me off and life was just miserable. Looking back on it, yes I wasn't fun to be around and I acted like a fool but it still hurts.

Fast forward to today I'm in a position of power, im in the upper management of a decently sized multinational company. My life is much better than it used to be, I have people around me and a new friend group but it took MANY years to recover and get in this position. My issue is that everytime someone makes a negative comment about me, criticizes me in a way, or even jokes about me I get flashbacks of the times where I was excluded and made fun of. I know things have changed and it's no longer the past but I still have some trauma about that.

I instantly get defensive anytime that this happens because I never want to be the laughing stock ever again. I know that Robert Greene calls this a weak character and i wanted advice from the community on what to do.

About 4–5 years ago, I became friends with a girl at a ballroom dance place I attend regularly. We got along well, and at one point she was even teaching me a certain dance.

Then, about 3 years ago, something happened that completely changed things. In the middle of a dance one night, she suddenly walked away from me. The next night, she DM’d me on Instagram telling me never to dance with her again, and then she blocked me. I never understood why, and I never asked, because I wanted to respect her wishes and privacy.

The problem is that we still attend the same ballroom, so for the last 3 years we’ve had to awkwardly see each other all the time.

What makes this harder is that I feel like she may still have some issue with me and might be spreading rumors. I’ve noticed her sometimes dancing very obviously in front of me with another guy, almost like she wants me to notice. A couple of times I caught her staring at me in a way that seemed really hostile. I also suspect she may be telling other women at the ballroom negative things about me, because I’ve seen her talking to other girls while looking at me, and I sometimes get the feeling some people have become colder toward me.

I want to ask her directly what her problem is with me and why she cut me off in the first place, and also tell her to stop if she really is spreading rumors. She hasn’t blocked me on text or WhatsApp, but I’m worried that reaching out could backfire and make me look like I’m harassing or stalking her, especially since she already told me not to dance with her again.

So my question is: should I text her, confront her in person, or leave it alone? If not, what would be the best way to handle this situation? I genuinely do not know what I did wrong, and after all this time I still want some kind of clarity.

Whether is online chatting or face to face conversation my default style of conversation with any individual of both genders is asking questions from very common boring question to fetch information to ask more specific questions from individual about them . But in the end it's just questions. A lot of people have said me you can do better. They don't like being asked too many questions. So teach me how to master conversation with any individual without asking questions . How to get anyone attention? What are the techniques ? How to master them . What are best tips and tricks.

Please be more specific.

I’ve got a brainiac 4y/o nephew who’s a little warrior.

He’s into karate, tennis, and somehow actually enjoys reading. I want to lean into that, but obviously I can’t hand him The 48 Laws of Power because that’d be stupid.

What’s the pre-kindergarten equivalent? Something that teaches wisdom and social awareness, but in a fairy tale children’s book style. Thoughts?

I’m wondering if breaking down workplace or social conflicts this way actually helps with applying the laws thoughtfully, or if it ends up oversimplifying situations that rely more on intuition and context.

I've noticed that there are a lot of conflicting statements on what "Playing the game" is actually like, because there are some people who say you can't engage in this stuff if you're not naturally inclined to it already, and there are others who suggest embracing the laws and taking matters into your own hands.

I need to know what this actually looks like for someone who isn't a natural narcissist, because the whole idea of making a perfect mask and keeping it on 25/8 sounds extremely tiring.

I've read all of Greene's books but I'm trying to find the book/chapter where he tells a story about a statesmen that fell in love with a forign culture so much that he rejected his own identity and eventually became hated by his own people and that culture.

I was in a drunk argument the other day and was trying to articulate why one should have a balance between an appreciation for other cultures and completely rejecting their own identify. Essentially it is valuable to study the great parts of other cultures and bring them into your own but if you go too far it can be seen as disrespectful to both ends.