Law #1: 48 Laws of Power

Law #1: Never outshine the master

Around 350 years ago, there was a king in France whose name was Louis IV. He was the monarch of Versailles. You might have heard of rulers who claim themselves to be the best of the population or sent by God to save the state. Interestingly, Louis had a different claim. He claimed to be the state itself. So anyone who spoke against the King was considered to be speaking against France.

He portrayed himself as the Sun King and had such might and power on his kingdom, that he could make any decision he wanted, without any discussion.

If he’d ask for a pen, the whole room would be fighting for a chance to give him the pen, to get into his good books or to boast about doing a favor to the Great King.

This behavior to serve the King became the downfall of Nicola Fouquet, the Finance Minister.

Nicola Fouquet wanted to impress the King enormously. He spent an enormous amount to build a magnificent chateau on his estate. Somewhere in his heart, Fouquet was wishing to be made the Prime Minister. When the Prime Minister died, the position was abolished instead of being replaced by Fouquet.

In order to not lose the King’s trust and regain his attention, he then planned the most spectacular party France had ever seen, to show his connections, his charm and the respect people had for him. It was a great tribute to the King, as he was the Guest of Honour. Fouquet naively thought that the party would make him appear as an indispensable asset and be made the Prime Minister.

Unfortunately, the opposite happened. The King got offended by this move. He was outraged because people were more charmed by his finance minister than by himself. Fouquet unintentionally outshone his master, making the King feel insecure.

He was arrested the next day and spent the rest of his life in solitary confinement in the mountains. Fouquet was accused of stealing an enormous amount of wealth from the country’s treasury. The accusations were false but that was the price he paid for his actions.

This was a story in which the law became the reason for the downfall of a person. Let’s see the other side of the coin, where the law yields benefits.

In the 16th century, Galileo Galilei was a name synonymous with astronomy. He was one of the greatest minds of the century.

Galileo was clever, so he used this law in his favor. To keep working in the field of astronomy, he had to invest a lot of amount into it. So he dedicated his discovery of the moons of Jupiter, to the Medici family.

The royal symbol of the Medici family was the planet Jupiter. He then commissioned an emblem for them with each moon representing one of the sons. He named them Medician stars.

The Medici family was so impressed that they became his official patron and also appointed him as the official court mathematician and philosopher. Thereby giving him a more comfortable life and a steady salary.

Lessons

The lessons that we must take away from the misfortune of Fouquet and brilliance of Galileo are :

1. Present your ideas in a way that they echo your boss' thoughts.

2. Act less smart than your boss.

3. Do not take your position at work or in life for granted.

4. Always make sure to make it seem like you want to seek the superior’s expertise and advice.

Summary

“Always make those above you feel comfortably superior.

In your desire to please and impress them do not go too far in displaying your talents or you might accomplish the opposite- inspire fear and insecurity.

Make your masters feel more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power.”