How do you hold the reins of power?

To those who seek power, or who watch for power, or who seek what protects them from the ravages of power... some tinker with power and lose it in a fatal mistake. Some overdo it or underestimate it. Others are fully prepared and can wield power with superhuman ingenuity. Throughout the ages, scholars and philosophers have asked: What lessons should we learn from the successes and failures of our ancestors? Although diverse writings have been written about power for more than three thousand years, there are factors that intertwine them all in recurring themes. These are the ideas that hint at the essence of power and hint at the modifying characteristics of its increase and decrease. 1. Never shine brighter than the master. 2. Never place too much trust in friends and learn how to use enemies. 3. Hide your intentions. 4. Always say less than necessary. 5. Much depends on your reputation, so protect it with your life. 6. Gain attention at all costs. 7. Get others to do your work, but always take the credit. 8. Make others come to you, and use bait when necessary. 9. Win by your deeds, never by argument. 10. Contagion: Avoid the unhappy and unlucky. 11. Learn to keep people dependent on you. 12. Use honesty and generosity selectively to disarm your victim. 13. When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, not their compassion or gratitude. 14. Assume the position of a friend and act as a spy. 15. Crush your enemy completely. 16. Use absence to increase respect and honor. 17. Keep others in constant terror: Cultivate an atmosphere of unpredictability. 18. Do not build fortresses to protect yourself, for isolation is dangerous. 19- Know who you're dealing with. Don't upset the wrong person. 20- Don't commit to anyone. 21- Play the fool to catch a fool. Show that you're more obtuse than your target. 22- Use the surrender tactic: Turn weakness into strength. 23- Concentrate your forces. 24- Play the perfect courtier. 25- Reshape yourself. 26- Hide your mistakes and keep a scapegoat nearby to take the blame. 27- Exploit people's need for belief to create ritualistic followers. 28- Enter the fray boldly. 29- Plan all the way to the end. 30- Make your accomplishments look effortless. 31- Control the choices and let others play with the cards you deal. 32- Indulge people's imaginations. 33- Discover each person's leverage. 34- Be royal in your own way: - Act like a king to be treated like one. 35- Master the art of timing. 36- Despise things you cannot possess: - Ignoring them is the best revenge. 37- Create captivating scenes. 38- Think as you like, but act like others. 39- Muddy the waters to catch fish. 40- Despise a free lunch. 41- Avoid replacing a great man. 42- Strike the shepherd... - the sheep will scatter. 43- Try to influence the hearts and minds of others. 44- Disarm and stir anger with the mirror effect. 45- Preach the need for change, but never fix too much at once. 46- Don't appear too perfect. 47- Don't exceed the mark you have targeted, and in victory, know when to stop. 48-Take a form that has no shape. Al-Obeikan Publishing