
In any case, don’t worry about having open opposition.

#Keep your enemies close how to#
Learn how to use enemies.Įnemies can be more useful than friends when you can co-opt them. If you try to mend the relationship with more favors, you’ll make matters worse. Their resentment will surface slowly – in flashes of honesty, envy, and bitterness. Receiving a favor from you may begin to feel burdensome people want to feel they’ve earned their way. In addition, your act of kindness will unbalance the relationship.

If you hire a friend, you’ll discover the qualities he or she has kept hidden. Also, friendly feelings can get in the way of what needs to be done. You need skill and competence more than friendship. Hiring friends weakens you because your friend is rarely the one who can help you the most. When you’re in a position of power, beware of hiring a friend. As a result, you never know for certain how a friend truly feels. Also, when you’re friends, you cover up negative qualities so as not to offend the other person. We instinctively turn to friends when we need help, but you should think twice about doing this because you don’t know your friends as well as you think you do.įriends often agree with whatever you say to avoid an argument. If you lack enemies, you should create some. In contrast, if you promote an enemy, he’ll be more loyal than a friend in an effort to prove himself. Keep a close eye on your friends - they easily become envious and resentful, and will undermine you. Overview of Law #2: Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends Learn How to Use Enemies
#Keep your enemies close trial#
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Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene.
