Key ideas from Robert Greene

• Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power has sold over 2 million copies in the US and is selling more now than ever before, 25 years after publication
• Power is fundamentally a feeling of control over yourself and your environment, not domination over others - 'absolute powerlessness corrupts even more than absolute power'
• Great seducers are outer-directed, focusing entirely on understanding the other person rather than worrying about themselves or trying to impress
• Confidence cannot be faked and comes from actual accomplishments and skills developed through deliberate practice, not from positive thinking
• Body language reveals 95% of communication and cannot lie, unlike words - mastering this language provides tremendous social advantage
• Greene's 2018 stroke paralyzed his left side, teaching him that physical abilities can be instantly taken away and should never be taken for granted
• Mastery requires approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to build neural pathways, contradicting the modern expectation of instant results
• All humans have shadow sides including narcissism and aggression - acknowledging these traits is essential for self-control and healthy relationships