Conceal your intentions - part 1

“Use decoyed objects if desires and red herring s to throw people off the scent”

Hello 👋🏾

How’s your Friday so far?

There’s a concert I’m about to go for and I’m so excited about it!

In this email, I’ll be discussing the 3rd law out of the 48 laws of power.

The 3rd law says “conceal your emotions”.

Here’s the judgment:

Keep people off-balance and in the dark by never revealing the purpose behind your actions. If they have no clue what you are up to, they cannot prepare a defense. Guide them far enough down the wrong path, envelop them in enough smoke, and by the time they realize your intentions, it will be too late.

The 3rd law is divided into two parts, and I will be discussing the first part. The second part will be discussed in my next email, which is on Monday.

Here’s the summary of the first part of this law:

“USE DECOYED OBJECTS OF DESIRE AND RED HERRINGS TO THROW PEOPLE OFF THE SCENT

If at any point in the deception, you practice and people have the slightest suspicion as to your intentions, all is lost. Do not give them the chance to sense what you are up to: Throw them off the scent by dragging red herrings across the path. Use false sincerity, send ambiguous signals, set up misleading objects of desire. Unable to distinguish the genuine from the false, they cannot pick out your real goal.”

Transgression of the law

Robert gave the example of a young man who was in love with a countess but couldn’t get her attention. He explained his struggles to a senior noble lady (62 years old), who helped him with a plan to get this countess.

For this email to not be longer than it already is, this plan was the typical push and pull plan for attraction. You give the girl attention, then withdraw it, then show you’re likable by being surrounded by pretty women and gradually showing up where she doesn’t expect you to show up, yet making yourself scarce where she’d expect to see you, then eventually, she’ll grow a desire for you and all of that nonsense (excuse my word).

The plan was going well as this young man was following the older woman’s advice. However, the young man was impatient and passionately in love, so he confessed love to her in a pathetic way.

The name of the young man is Marquis de Sevigne, and the name of the older woman that gave advice is Ninon de Lenclos. Below is the interpretation of the story according to Robert 👇🏾

Question 1: Do you think it’s worth all the stress the young man went through to get the affection of a lady?

Observance of the law

Robert gave an example of a 35-year-old deputy in the Prussian parliament in 1890. His name is Otto con Bismarck.

The issues of the day were the unification of the many states (including Prussia) into which Germany was then divided, and a war against Austria (the powerful neighbor to the south), that hoped to keep the Germans weak and at odds, even threatening to intervene if they tried to unite.

Bismarck wanted war, he wanted to fight the Austrians but the king didn’t want war. So Bismarck gave a public speech saying that he wanted peace and this pleased the king who was grateful for the stand Bismarck took, that he even gave him a cabinet member. A few years later, Bismarck became the Prussian premier and he eventually led his country and a peace-loving king to war against the Austrians and they won.

Below is Robert's interpretation of this 👇🏾

Question 2: What’s your thought concerning what Bismarck did?

The keys to power

In the keys to power” section of the book, Robert made the following points:

1. It is easy and natural to always want to talk about one’s feelings and plans for the future. It takes effort to control your tongue and monitor what you reveal.

2. Always being honest and open doesn’t profit you much. He said that many people believe that you win the hearts of people by being honest and open. He said it’s false because your honesty is likely to offend people. It is more prudent to tailor your words, telling people what they want to hear rather than the coarse and ugly truth of what you feel or think.

Question 3: Is it more prudent to tell people what they want to hear rather than the coarse and ugly truth of what you feel or think? Is honesty a good tool to win the hearts of men?

3. By being unabashedly open, you make yourself predictable and familiar that it is almost impossible to respect or fear you, and power will not accrue to a person who cannot inspire such emotions.

Question 4: Is it true that power will not accrue to a person who cannot inspire respect and fear?

4. We should conceal our true intentions and create a decoy. Read the text in the image below. What do you think about the text in the image below 👇🏾

Question 5: What’s your thought on this?

5. When setting up a red herring (a clue or piece of information that is, or is intended to be, misleading or distracting.), an effective tactic is to support an idea or cause that is contrary to your sentiments, just like Bismarck did. They’ll never see you coming 🎶

Read more in the text below 👇🏾

Question 6: What do you think about the red herring tactic? Would you use it?

6. Robert gives the following advice:

“Hide your intentions not by closing up (with the risk of appearing secretive, and making people suspicious) but by talking endlessly about your desires and goals just not your real ones. You will kill three birds with one stone: You appear friendly, open, and trusting, you conceal your intentions, and you send your rivals on time-consuming wild-goose chases.”

Question 7: What do you think about concealing your intentions and sending people on a wild-goose change?

7. Another powerful tool in throwing people off is false sincerity. He claims this is not honesty but false passion for something. You have to make people believe that you’re sincere.

Question 8: What’s your thought on throwing people off by faking sincerity?

8. Lastly, Robert said to remember:

“The best deceivers do everything they can to cloak their roguish qualities. They cultivate an air of honesty in one area to disguise their dishonesty in others. Honesty is merely another decoy in their arsenal of weapons.”

Question 9: What do you think about what the best deceivers do?

Question 10: Are you aiming to become one of the best deceivers of our time?

My answers to the above questions:

Answer 1: I don’t think it’s worth the stress the young man went through to get the attention of the young countess, but men may differ.

I don’t think it’s necessary to play all those games of seduction to get someone to notice you. Would it even be real? Or the satisfaction will just be the thrill and excitement of the chase.

However, I’ve read some things about using this particular trick and it seems to work. I wouldn’t recommend it though, it’s manipulative (kinda) and it’s not worth it.

Answer 2: I dunno what to think tbh. Based on that story, good for Bismarck. It felt more like a strategy with some twist of deception. It gained them their country, however, I dunno if it’s entirely the right thing to do.

Answer 3: Hmmm, I don’t think we should always tell people what they want to hear. You can be wise and kind with your words, but telling people what will always make them happy or in the right isn’t right. I wouldn’t want people around me to do that. It’s almost deceitful, if not even.

Is honesty a good tool to win the hearts of men? Yes and no. Yes, because it shows integrity, and that can let people know you’re not deceptive or always sucking up to them. No, because, some (maybe most) people don’t like those that say the truth often. How can you win someone’s heart if they don’t like you? It is what it is.

I’ll rather stick to honesty though. I believe honesty is always the best policy.

Is it more prudent to tell people what they want to hear rather than the coarse and ugly truth of what you feel or think?

Answer 4: I don’t think it’s true. You don’t need to instill fear in people for you to be in power. That’s a dictatorship, and that’s how evil people do things.

Answer 5: Deception. This is only okay when dealing with an enemy.

Answer 6: I believe it’s manipulative and deceptive. It should only be done on the enemy (satan 😂). It’s just witchcraft move.

Answer 7: Sigh, again witchcraft move. It’s full of deception and manipulation. Why not just be quiet? I can’t trust someone like that.

Answer 8: Total deception. Is the “enemy” you have (asides from satan) that bad? Cause if they are, then it’s safe to do so, maybe. But if it’s random people or your friends, it’s just witchcraft moves. You’re just not yet in a coven.

Answer 9: I think Robert is right about the best deceivers 😂 Whosoever they are.

Answer 10: 😂😂 No. Maybe if I was, this law would make sense to act on. It’s all just deceit.

Back to you…

I want this to be a conversation, so please what’s your answer to the 10 questions above? You can respond privately by replying to this email or you could do so publicly by leaving a comment.

Till I come your way on Monday,

Love,

T.R.D.