The Daily Laws summary

First things first: Why is it called The Daily Laws? Well, Robert Greene structured his material like a calendar. There are 12 sections, one for each month of the year, and for every day of the month there’s a piece of advice. Greene calls these bits of advice “laws.” Hence the title: a law for each day – The Daily Laws. We'll cover each month, exploring the most important laws. And, heads up, the first three blinks aren’t really about bringing you into closer contact with the interpersonal perils of reality today. But don’t fret. We’ll get there.

Ready to start? Then let’s begin at the beginning: January. And, by the way, you're reading this and it’s not January, don’t stress. Just think of this as the January of your journey, the beginning, the head of the trail.

February is the month of apprenticeship. If February could only have one law, it might be this: there’s no skipping the Apprenticeship Phase. If you want to get to the next step, Mastery, you cannot skip the Apprenticeship Phase. Think of anyone that you consider a master – Leonardo di Vinci, Bruce Lee, even Robert Greene. In each case, pretty much always, there was a long Apprenticeship Phase that preceded Mastery. Geniuses are not born fully formed.

In Greene’s case, he did tons of reading and writing before he published his first book.

Which is Mastery. After the Apprentice Phase comes Mastery. But a quick thing about Mastery. It’s not a destination. You don’t get there and call it a day. It’s an ongoing process, a practice, a state of being. Rather than “attaining” Mastery, it might be better to talk about “maintaining” Mastery. In some ways, Mastery is just an extension of the Apprenticeship Phase, since, even as a Master, you need to remain committed to learning, to growing, to developing your skills. Only difference is you’re not apprenticed to a Master; you’re apprenticed to Mastery – to the act of learning itself, the act of striving toward Mastery. The instant you stop learning is the instant you’ll start to lose your grasp on Mastery. 

So what’s March’s main law? Mastery is a process. But also: always try to get to the Inside. 

It’s time for a subject change. The last three months were about the path to Mastery. The next five – so, through August – are about the game of power that’s always being played, both in the workplace and out, and how to navigate that game. So let’s get started.

If there were only one law for April, it’d be this: Never Outshine the Master.

May’s law is short and sweet: The game of power is always being played. Always. That’s the reality. You can pretend the game doesn’t exist. But that doesn’t put an end to the game. This gives you three options: embrace it, deny it, or accept it. Embracing it, really loving the game, can be an issue. I’m talking about the Machiavellis among us – the people who both delight in manipulation and con-artistry and also think these are the only tools you need to get through life. They fail to understand that, sure, people are power hungry and manipulative, but they can also be empathic and cooperative. Not understanding this means that the true-blue Machievellis pretty much always fall from power. They never get past a certain point because they don’t understand all sides of the game.

Denying the game also has drawbacks. That is, if you want power. It doesn’t matter whether you truly believe there is no game or whether you find participating in the game distasteful – total nonparticipation will result, over time, in you being pushed aside. You may be fine with that. You may not want power and responsibility precisely because attaining it requires game-playing.

So let’s assume that you want power. That’s understandable. It’s only natural. What are the tools that will help you get it? Well, one invaluable skill is the art of deception.

Officially, we disapprove of deception. Good people are forthright, frank, honest. They tell the truth, whether it's in their interest or not. Lies and masquerades, on the other hand, are the preserve of cowards and con artists. Or at least, that’s the official line.

The laws in July and August are similar. July is all about seduction. August is all about persuasion. Both of these skills are central to the game of power.

Power comes in many forms, but some are harder to detect than others. We’re so used to imagining power as brute force that we forget it’s often a subtler phenomenon.

Life can sometimes feel like a battlefield. We’re beset on all sides by struggles and difficulties, trials and tribulations. Sometimes just getting by can seem to require more strength than we possess.

That’s why it’s important to be able to elevate yourself above the petty struggles of each day – to adopt a higher and wider perspective, a point of vantage from which life’s daily battles seem smaller and more manageable. 

This is the last blink, and it’s about taking the themes of the previous blink to an even higher level. 

What are the things that really matter in life? What is it you should spend your precious time doing? If not squabbling, if not battling, what are you to do in the spare moments life affords you?