Most people are illiterate in the grammar of power.

1 Never Outshine the Master humility 2 Never Put Too Much Trust in Friends — Learn to Use Enemies discernment 3 Conceal Your Intentions opacity 4 Always Say Less Than Necessary restraint 5 So Much Depends on Reputation — Guard It With Your Life reputation 6 Court Attention at All Cost visibility 7 Get Others to Do the Work — Take the Credit leverage 8 Make Other People Come to You — Use Bait if Necessary initiative 9 Win Through Actions, Never Through Argument demonstration 10 Infection: Avoid the Unhappy and Unlucky contagion 11 Learn to Keep People Dependent on You indispensability 12 Use Selective Honesty and Generosity to Disarm disarmament 13 When Asking for Help, Appeal to Self-Interest — Never to Mercy or Gratitude reciprocity 14 Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy intelligence 15 Crush Your Enemy Totally completion 16 Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honour scarcity 17 Cultivate an Air of Unpredictability unreadability 18 Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself — Isolation is Dangerous circulation 19 Know Who You Are Dealing With — Do Not Offend the Wrong Person discernment 20 Do Not Commit to Anyone independence 21 Play a Sucker to Catch a Sucker — Seem Dumber Than Your Mark camouflage 22 Use the Surrender Tactic: Transform Weakness Into Power yielding 23 Concentrate Your Forces concentration 24 Play the Perfect Courtier courtcraft 25 Re-create Yourself self-authoring 26 Keep Your Hands Clean distance 27 Play on People's Need to Believe belief 28 Enter Action With Boldness commitment 29 Plan All the Way to the End foresight 30 Make Your Accomplishments Seem Effortless sprezzatura 31 Control the Options: Get Others to Play With the Cards You Deal framing 32 Play to People's Fantasies desire 33 Discover Each Person's Thumbscrew leverage 34 Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to Be Treated Like One bearing 35 Master the Art of Timing timing 36 Disdain Things You Cannot Have — Ignoring Them is the Best Revenge detachment 37 Create Compelling Spectacles symbolism 38 Think as You Like, But Behave Like Others conformity 39 Stir Up Waters to Catch Fish composure 40 Despise the Free Lunch reciprocity 41 Avoid Stepping Into a Great Man's Shoes succession 42 Strike the Shepherd and the Sheep Will Scatter causation 43 Work on the Hearts and Minds of Others persuasion 44 Disarm and Infuriate With the Mirror Effect reflection 45 Preach Change, but Act Slowly pacing 46 Never Appear Too Perfect fallibility 47 In Victory, Learn When to Stop discipline 48 Assume Formlessness adaptability