Never outshine the master
Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies
Always say less than necessary
So much depends on reputation : guard it with your life
Court attention at all cost
Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit
Make other people come to you : use bait if necessary
Win through your actions, never through argument
Infection : avoid the unhappy and the unlucky
Learn to keep people dependent on you
Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim
When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interest, never to their mercy or gratitude
Pose as a friend, work as a spy
Use absence to increase respect and honor
Keep others in suspended terror : cultivate an air of unpredictability
Do not build fortresses to protect yourself
Know who you're dealing with, do not offend the wrong person
Play a sucker to catch a sucker : seem dumber than your mark
Use the surrender tactic : transform weakness into power
Play the perfect courtier
Play on people's need to believe to create a cultlike following
Enter action with boldness
Plan all the way to the end
Make your accomplishments seem effortless
Control the options : get others to play with the cards you deal
Play to people's fantasies
Discover each man's thumbscrew
Be royal in your own fashion : act like a king to be treated like one
Disdain things you cannot have : ignoring them is the best revenge
Create compelling spectacles
Think as you like but behave like others
Stir up waters to catch fish
Avoid stepping into a great man's shoes
Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter
Work on the hearts and minds of others
Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect
Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once
Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop
