Robert Greene Quotes

“Each of us has a particular way of looking at the world, of interpreting events and the actions of people around us. This is our attitude, and it determines much of what happens to us in life. If our attitude is essentially fearful, we see the negative in every circumstance. We stop ourselves from taking chances. We blame others for mistakes and fail to learn from them. If we feel hostile or suspicious, we make others feel such emotions in our presence. We sabotage our career and relationships by unconsciously creating the circumstances we fear the most. The human attitude, however, is malleable. By making our attitude more positive, open, and tolerant of other people, we can spark a different dynamic—we can learn from adversity, create opportunities out of nothing, and draw people to us. We must explore the limits of our willpower and how far it can take us.”

“When our emotions are engaged, we often have trouble seeing things as they are.”

“Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent”

“… But the human tongue is a beast that few can master. It strains constantly to break out of its cage, and if it is not tamed, it will tun wild and cause you grief.”

“Power is a game, and in games you do not judge your opponents by their intentions but by the effects of their actions.”

“Hide your intentions not by closing up (with the risk of appearing secretive, and making people suspicious) but by talking endlessly about your desires and goals-just not the real ones.”

“Never be distracted by people’s glamorous portraits of themselves and their lives; search and dig for what really imprisons them.”

“Most people are perpetually locked in the present. Their decisions are overly influenced by the most immediate event; they easily become emotional and ascribe greater significance to a problem than it should have in reality.”

“People are more complicated than the masks they wear in society.”

“Our natural tendency is to project onto other people our own belief and value systems, in ways in which we are not even aware.”

“You cannot repress anger or love, or avoid feeling them, and you should not try.”

“When you show yourself to the world and display your talents, you naturally stir all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity… you cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others”

“There is too little mystery in the world; too many people say exactly what they feel or want.”

“You must understand the following: In order to master a field, you must love the subject and feel a profound connection to it. Your interest must transcend the field itself and border on the religious.”

“Religion humanizes this universe, makes us feel important and loved. We are not animals governed by uncontrollable drives, animals that die for no apparent reason, but creatures made in the image of supreme being”

“Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated”

“Sometimes any emotion is better than the boredom of security.”

“To succeed in the game of power, you have to master your emotions. But even if you succeed in gaining such self-control, you can never control the temperamental dispositions of those around you. And this presents a great danger.”

“The time that leads to mastery is dependent on the intensity of our focus.”

“Your fears are a kind of prison that confines you within a limited range of action. The less you fear, the more power you will have and the more fully you will live.”

“Without enemies around us, we grow lazy. An enemy at our heels sharpens our wits, keeping us focused and alert. It is sometimes better, then, to use enemies as enemies rather than transforming them into friends or allies.”

“Events in life mean nothing if you do not reflect on them in a deep way, and ideas from books are pointless if they have no application to life as you live it.”

“Actually, your past successes are your biggest obstacle: every battle, every war, is different, and you cannot assume that what worked before will work today.”

“Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.”

“There is nothing more intoxicating than victory, and nothing more dangerous.”

“Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.”

“Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter”

“Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a price to pay.”

“Despise The Free Lunch”

“For the future, the motto is, "No days unalert.”

“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.”

“No one is really going to help you or give you direction. In fact, the odds are against you.”

“A Prince asked the dying spanish statesman, "Does your Excellency forgive all your enemies?" "I do not have to forgive all my enemies," answered the stateman, "I have had them all shot.”

“People around you, constantly under the pull of their emotions, change their ideas by the day or by the hour, depending on their mood. You must never assume that what people say or do in a particular moment is a statement of their permanent desires.”

“12--Lose Battles, But Win The War: Grand Strategy

Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it.”

“Remember: The best deceivers do everything they can to cloak their roguish qualities. They cultivate an air of honesty in one area to disguise their dishonesty in others. Honesty is merely another decoy in their arsenal of weapons.”

“do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”

“Never whine, never complain, never try to justify yourself.”

“friendship and love blind every man to their interests.”

“The key to power, then, is the ability to judge who is best able to further your interests in all situations. Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent.”

“The human tongue is a beast that few can master.”

“An emotional response to a situation is the single greatest barrier to power, a mistake that will cost you a lot more than any temporary satisfaction you might gain by expressing your feelings.”

“When you meet a swordsman, draw your sword: Do not recite poetry to one who is not a poet.”

“Nothing is stable in the realm of power, and even closest of friends can be transformed into the worst of enemies.”

“He who poses as a fool is not a fool.”

“Become who you are by learning who you are.”

“If we experience any failures or setbacks, we do not forget them because they offend our self-esteem. Instead we reflect on them deeply, trying to figure out what went wrong and discern whether there are any patterns to our mistakes.”

“The passive ironic attitude is not cool or romantic, but pathetic and destructive.”

“It is in fact the height of selfishness to merely consume what others create and to retreat into a shell of limited goals and immediate pleasures.”

“All masters want to appear more brilliant than other people.”

“Fools say that they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others’ experience.”

“The conventional mind is passive - it consumes information and regurgitates it in familiar forms. The dimensional mind is active, transforming everything it digests into something new and original, creating instead of consuming.”

“If, for example, you are miserly by nature, you will never go beyond a certain limit; only generous souls attain greatness.”

“A man said to a Dervish: “Why do I not see you more often?” The Dervish replied, “Because the words ‘Why have you not been to see me?’ are sweeter to my ear than the words ‘Why have you come again?”

“The key then to attaining this higher level of intelligence is to make our years of study qualitatively rich. We don't simply absorb information - we internalize it and make it our own by finding some way to put this knowledge to practical use.”

“Any titles, money, or privilege you inherit are actually hindrances. They delude you into believing you are owed respect.”

“Never take your position for granted and never let any favors you receive go to your head.”

“The problem is that we humans are deep conformists.”

“Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.”

“The truth is that creative activity is one that involves the entire self - our emotions, our levels of energy, our characters, and our minds.”

“Everything that happens to you is a form of instruction if you pay attention.”

“Image: An Oak Tree. The oak that resists the wind loses its branches one by one, and with nothing left to protect it, the trunk fi nally snaps. The oak that bends lives long er, its trunk grow ing wider, its roots deeper and more tenacious.”

“The mighty lion toys with the mouse that crosses his path—any other reaction would mar his fearsome reputation.”

“The real poetry and beauty in life comes from an intense relationship with reality in all its aspects. Realism is in fact the ideal we must aspire to, the highest point of human rationality.”

“Religion is the great balm of existence because it takes us outside ourselves, connects us to something larger”

“It is your own bad strategies, not the unfair opponent, that are to blame for your failures. You are responsible for the good and bad in your life.”