The 50 Law
by Robert Greene
, Fantastic, one of Robert Greene’s best. The idea of fearlessness is essential for
individual success outside of a traditional path, and even within it. If you can master
fearlessness and take control of your own destiny, there is no limit on what you can
accomplish.
Summary
“…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.”
“We became anxious for our livelihoods, the future of our families and children, our
personal health, and the aging process. Instead of a simple, intense fear of
something powerful and real, we developed a kind of generalized anxiety. It was as if
the thousands of years of feeling fear in the face of nature could not go away— we
had to find something at which to direct our anxiety, no matter how small or
improbable.”
“Understand: we are all too afraid— of offending people, of stirring up conflict, of
standing out from the crowd, of taking bold action. For thousands of years our
relationship to this emotion has evolved— from a primitive fear of nature, to
generalized anxiety about the future, to the fearful attitude that now dominates us. As
rational, productive adults we are called upon to finally overcome this downward
trend and to evolve beyond our fears.”
“There are no Alps and no obstacles that can stand in the way of a person without
fears.”
“And the people who practice the 50th Law in their lives all share certain qualities—
supreme boldness, unconventionality, fluidity, and a sense of urgency— that give
them this unique ability to shape circumstance.”
“IN MY VIEW… IT IS BETTER TO BE IMPETUOUS THAN CAUTIOUS, BECAUSE
FORTUNE IS A WOMAN, AND IF YOU WISH TO DOMINATE HER YOU MUST
BEAT HER AND BATTER HER. IT IS CLEAR THAT SHE WILL LET HERSELF BE
WON BY MEN WHO ARE IMPETUOUS RATHER THAN BY THOSE WHO STEP
CAUTIOUSLY. —Niccolò Machiabelli”
Intense Realism
“YOU MUST FEARLESSLY ACCEPT THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, EVEN
EMBRACE THEM. BY FOCUSING YOUR ATTENTION ON WHAT IS GOING ON
AROUND YOU, YOU WILL GAIN A SHARP APPRECIATION FOR WHAT MAKES
SOME PEOPLE ADVANCE AND OTHER FALL BEHIND.”
“…the greatest danger you face is your mind growing soft and your eye getting dull.”
“People can be full of book knowledge and crammed with information but have no
real sense of what’s going on around them. It is in fact a function of character and
fearlessness.”