Laws 1-5 Flashcards
Who is the master?
Anyone who holds the key to a part of your life you absolutely can’t do without
Examples of masters
Current - dad and mom - house, career, food, all my belongings
Previous - RGS - keys to DDS, taking on projects
What emotions are at the forefront of a master’s mind?
Envy, resentment and vanity (the need to appear more powerful and brilliant)
Outshine the master
Make the master outshine all others
Make the master insecure
Give the master glory
Make the master feel like he is just the provider of financing
Make him feel more important than the work produced in his name
Challenge the master’s intellectual authority
Make him appear creative and powerful
Displaying and vaunting your gifts and talents to win the master’s affection
Make him feel superior to you in wit, intelligence and charm
What are the two basic rules of handling a master?
- Never unwittingly outshine him by just being yourself
2. Never imagine that because your master loves you you can do whatever you want
How do you handle very insecure masters?
Either avoid them, or find a way to mute your good qualities.
How do you avoid complacency with your master?
- Keep reminding yourself of the importance of the master in your life
- Never take your position for granted
- Never let any favours you receive go to your head
Name a few areas in which you should not outshine your master
Creativity Wit Sociability Generosity Intelligence
Types of flattery
Overt, discreet
Overt flattery
Too obvious
Shows your hand to others
How do you not outshine your master with his creativity?
Ascribe your creative ideas to him as publicly as possible
How do you not outshine your master in his wit?
- tone down your humour
- make him seem the dispenser of amusement and good cheer
How do you not outshine your master in sociability and generosity?
- make him the center of attention
- display your limited means, gain his sympathy
What happens when you let others outshine you?
You remain in control
What happens when you outshine others?
You become a victim of their insecurity
What do you do when you sense the weakening of the master?
You pick critical moments where you outdo, outwit, outcharm and outsmart him.
Indirection in not outshining the master
NO
direct praise,
directly putting yourself down.
Your inferiority —> his superiority
Your dimwittedness –> his intelligence
What happens when you do a friend a favour?
Their minds make them think they earned it, they show no gratitude.
Why are friends dangerous?
- Your guard is down around them and they can easily take you down
- They know all your weak points
What are friends useful for?
To do your dirty work
Why should you make friends do your dirty work?
- their affections will make them do it
- your hands will stay clean
- they can be a scapegoat if caught
What are the most prominent feelings within friends towards you?
- Resentment
- Ungratefulness
- Envy
Why are enemies better allies than friends?
- they’re skilled and competent
- they don’t expect anything
- mutual self-interest
- they keep you sharp, focused and alert
- they work to prove themselves to you
What purposes do enemies serve?
- define your cause more clearly
- defeating them enhances your reputation as a sure-footed fighter
- once you defeat them you can recruit them for your cause
What is the strategy of constant conflict?
- you pick fights with someone you know you can defeat
- if you have no enemies, you find a CONVENIENT target or turn a friend into an enemy
- use enemies to define your cause more clearly
How can you use your enemies towards your reputation?
- defeating them will enhance your reputation as a sure-footed fighter
- using them after having defeated them, you can flaunt your generosity in sparing their blushes, lives.
What makes you want to speak more?
- to brag
- insecurity
- feeling threatened
Why should you not brag?
When your reputation precedes you, you don’t need to brag.
What can you hide by being silent?
- your true feelings
- your intentions
- your meaning
- what you “want to hear”
What do you protect by being silent?
- your aura
- yourself from saying something foolish
What effect does your silence and selective speech have on others’ impression of you?
You become unpredictable and terrifying
What can you do to make people divulge valuable information?
Stay silent, speak selectively. They’ll talk more, divulge valuable info, which you can then use against them.
How do you prevent yourself from giving people reason to be offended?
You talk as little as possible.
What effect does your silence have on people?
They become terrified, uncomfortable, off-balance and under your thumb.
When you’re silent and use selective speech, what effect does that have on what you say?
- people hang on to your every word
- they think and ponder about your words long after the conversation has ended
- they talk more about your work
What do you end up doing if you talk too much?
- say something foolish
- destroy your legend
- lose control
When you talk too much, what impression do people gather of you?
You can’t control your words, therefore you can’t control yourself. M
How do people react when you talk too much?
- they turn against you
- they subvert you
- they disobey you
When does talking too much work in your favour?
- with superiors
- deception
Why should you talk a lot in front of superiors?
- it allays their insecurities and fear
- you appear weaker, less intelligent
- it makes them less suspicious of you
How does talking too much help in deception?
- it works as a smokescreen
- you use words to distract and mesmerise, allay suspicion.
What are the weapons of establishing reputation?
Doubt and ridicule
Why do you need to build a reputation?
You CONTROL what you show, and what people think of you. (Instead of your actions being based on what you ACTUALLY think)
When your reputation is low, what weapon do you use?
Doubt
Why does sowing doubt work?
If they deny it, people think - why did they need to?
If they don’t deny it, people think - is it true?
In the confusion, your rival is more likely to make a mistake.
When you have a good reputation, what weapon do you use against your rival?
Ridicule
How do you ridicule your opponent?
Gentle barbs and mockery
What should you NOT do while ridiculing your opponent?
Outright slander
What effect does ridiculing your opponent have on your reputation?
People think you have a good enough sense of your own worth to enjoy a laugh at your rival’s expense
What effect does ridiculing your rival have?
- It puts them on the defensive
- it brings attention to you
How does your reputation affect the perception of your actions?
- bad reputation - “Dreadful!”
- good reputation - “Brilliant!”
On how many qualities should you build your reputation at a time?
ONE
Examples of qualities you can build a reputation on
Efficiency Seductiveness Honesty Generosity Cunning
Steps for building your reputation
- Pick a quality
- Set a firm foundation
- Build slowly- bit by bit
- Make it known to as many people as possible
- Your reputation precedes you
When your reputation is low, and people attack you, what do you do?
You anticipate the attacks and prevent them from happening, or protect yourself before they happen
When you have a solid and established reputation, what do you do when someone attacks you?
Take the high road
When you have a solid and established reputation, what do you NOT do when someone attacks you?
Get angry or defensive; appear desperate in self-defence
When you have low or no reputation, how do you attack?
You unleash potent attacks on more powerful men by sowing doubt
When you have low or no reputation, what do you NOT do in attack?
Never appear vengeful
When you have an established reputation, how do you attack?
Satire, mockery and ridicule.
The mighty lion toys with the mouse that crosses his path
