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The Guy Behind 48 Laws of Power Shares His Rules for Founders

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Aug 28, 2025

Guest

Robert Greene

Robert Greene, renowned author of bestselling works on strategy and human behavior, shares insightful wisdom about mastery and power. He highlights the importance of deep work and reading extensively to foster creativity. Greene discusses the art of maintaining mystery and silence, and why boldness attracts opportunity. He also reflects on rediscovering personal purpose and the pitfalls of seeking authenticity. Listeners are encouraged to embrace their unique paths while turning past struggles into powerful narratives.

01:24:49

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00:00 / 00:00

Deep Work Trumps Shallow Multitasking

The brain requires deep, focused work to form rich connections and original ideas.
Superficial attempts fail; repeated deep editing yields interesting results.

00:00 / 00:00

Journal Back To Your Primal Interests

Reconnect with childhood attractions by journaling daily to reveal your true inclinations.
Build on existing skills and steer them toward what genuinely excites you rather than restarting from zero.

00:00 / 00:00

Carve Focused Time And Handwrite Your Journal

Carve out focused time (e.g., a week) and handwrite journal entries to hear your inner voice.
Cut external voices and take the exercise seriously to rediscover direction.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Navigating Life's Path: Rediscovering Your Unique Task

03:01 • 6min

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Discovering Transformative Reading and Life Purpose

08:55 • 3min

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Journey to Self-Discovery

11:43 • 8min

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Nurturing Independence and Self-Discovery in Children

20:08 • 3min

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The Art of Disappearing: Managing Public Persona

23:16 • 22min

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The Power of Patience and Planning in Leadership

44:49 • 3min

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From Struggles to Power: A Dynamic Journey

48:16 • 31min

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The Pursuit of Fulfillment Over Happiness

01:19:30 • 2min

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The Impact of Intentionality and Wisdom on Personal Growth

01:21:46 • 3min

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#22

• Mentioned in 230 episodes

Never Split the Difference

Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

Tahl Raz

Chris Voss

VOSS/RAZ

This book, written by former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss and co-author Tahl Raz, provides a masterclass in influencing others through negotiation. It distills the Voss method, revealing skills such as establishing rapport, creating trust with tactical empathy, and transforming conflict into collaboration. The book is filled with real-life examples from Voss's career, illustrating how these techniques can be applied in both professional and personal life to achieve goals and defuse potential crises.

#29

• Mentioned in 212 episodes

The 48 laws of power

Robert Greene

In 'The 48 Laws of Power', Robert Greene and Joost Elffers synthesize three thousand years of the history of power into 48 laws. These laws are derived from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz, as well as the lives of influential figures such as Henry Kissinger and P.T. Barnum. The book provides tactics, concepts, and lessons on how to achieve and maintain power, emphasizing prudence, confidence, and self-preservation. Each law is illustrated with historical examples and is designed to help readers understand and navigate the dynamics of power in various aspects of life, including work, social hierarchies, and politics.

#568

• Mentioned in 34 episodes

The 33 Strategies of War

Don Leslie

Robert Greene

This book is a contemporary companion to Sun-tzu's 'The Art of War'. It synthesizes strategies from various political, philosophical, and religious texts across world civilizations and thousands of years of conflict. Each chapter outlines an approach to help readers win their life's wars, using illustrative examples from history, such as Lyndon Johnson, Julius Caesar, and Margaret Thatcher. The book provides psychological ammunition to overcome patterns of failure and gain the upper hand in various situations.

#800

• Mentioned in 27 episodes

The Art of Seduction

Joost Elffers

Robert Greene

This book by Robert Greene is an indispensable primer of persuasion that reveals seduction as one of history's greatest weapons and the ultimate form of power. It explores the art of seduction through twenty-four maneuvers and strategies, drawing examples from history, literature, and psychology. Greene discusses how seduction can topple empires, win elections, and influence great minds. The book is structured into phases that guide the reader through the process of seduction, from creating temptation and suspense to making bold moves and managing the aftermath. It is a sophisticated guide that treats seduction as a dance or ritual, emphasizing the flow of power and desire between equals.

#847

• Mentioned in 26 episodes

The 50th law

50 Cent Staff

Cristina Pizarro Mato

Robert Greene

50 Cent

The 50th Law is a semi-autobiographical account of 50 Cent's life, combining his experiences as a young hustler and musician with lessons and anecdotes from historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Sun Tzu, and Malcolm X. The book focuses on the principle of fearlessness, illustrating how embracing and overcoming fear can lead to success in both personal and professional life. It is divided into ten chapters, each exploring a different aspect of fearlessness and how it can be applied to achieve one's goals.

#97

• Mentioned in 115 episodes

Mastery

Robert Greene

In 'Mastery', Robert Greene argues that mastery is not an innate talent but a skill that can be developed through a rigorous process. The book outlines several key stages: finding your life's task, undergoing an ideal apprenticeship, finding the right mentor, acquiring social intelligence, and fusing intuitive with rational thinking. Greene draws on the lives of historical and contemporary masters such as Mozart, Einstein, and Temple Grandin to illustrate his points. He emphasizes the importance of deep practice, self-directed learning, and the ability to read and navigate social dynamics. The book challenges the conventional notion of genius as a genetic gift and offers practical steps for anyone to achieve mastery in their chosen field.

*Want the 7 books that transformed Sam's thinking this year? Get his list + reading strategy: https://clickhubspot.com/ekb

Episode 740: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to Robert Greene ( https://x.com/RobertGreene ) about the most important ideas from his books and how to apply them today.

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Show Notes:

(0:00) Intro

(00:48) Why specialists beat generalists

(1:42) Your brain needs deep work

(3:03) 300 books read for every 1 book written

(14:58) Clues from childhood

(21:27) Buffett’s Inner Scorecard

(23:16) The Power of Silence and Mystery

(30:35) Find your purpose

(31:02) Authenticity Is Overrated

(34:31) Boldness attracts. Timidness repels

(41:08) Who’s Playing the Power Game Well Today

(52:52) Turning a disaster into attention.

(56:19) Breaking Through at 37

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Links:

• The 48 Laws of Power - https://tinyurl.com/4ahkxzfj

• The 33 Strategies of War - https://tinyurl.com/57vp9khn

• The Art of Seduction - https://tinyurl.com/424mbtux

• The 50th Law - https://tinyurl.com/zcte6826

• Mastery - https://tinyurl.com/3ch5ah8y

• The Daily Laws - https://tinyurl.com/3n8pjv3t

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Check Out Shaan's Stuff:

• Shaan's weekly email - https://www.shaanpuri.com

• Visit https://www.somewhere.com/mfm to hire worldwide talent like Shaan and get $500 off for being an MFM listener. Hire developers, assistants, marketing pros, sales teams and more for 80% less than US equivalents.

• Mercury - Need a bank for your company? Go check out Mercury (mercury.com). Shaan uses it for all of his companies!

Mercury is a financial technology company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Column, N.A., and Evolve Bank & Trust, Members FDIC

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Check Out Sam's Stuff:

• Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/

• Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/

• Copy That - https://copythat.com

• Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth

• Sam’s List - http://samslist.co/

My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by HubSpot Media // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano

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