Top 500 Robert Greene Quotes (2026 Update)
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251. “Years later, a Japanese visitor tried to apologize to Mao for his country’s invasion of China. Mao interrupted, “Should I not thank you instead?” Without a worthy opponent, he explained, a man or group cannot grow stronger. Mao’s.”

— Robert Greene

252. “If you are not in danger,” says Sun-tzu, “do not fight.”

— Robert Greene

253. “Boldness... is outer directed... and makes others feel more at ease because it’s less self-conscious.”

— Robert Greene

254. “Daily Law: No calling is superior to another. What matters is that it be tied to a personal need and inclination, and that your energy moves you toward improvement and continuous learning from experience. The Laws of Human Nature, 13: Advance with a Sense of Purpose – The Law of Aimlessness.”

— Robert Greene

255. “So often we think that power has changed people, when in fact it simply reveals more of who they are.”

— Robert Greene

256. “Religion is the great balm of existence because it takes us outside ourselves, connects us to something larger.”

— Robert Greene

257. “It is estimated that over 65 percent of all human communication is nonverbal but that people pick up and internalize only about 5 percent of this information.”

— Robert Greene

258. “Never appear overly greedy for attention, then, for it signals insecurity, and insecurity drives power away. Understand that there are times when it is not in your interest to be the center of attention. When in the presence of a king or queen, for instance, or the equivalent thereof, bow and retreat to the shadows; never compete.”

— Robert Greene

259. “What you know must translate into action, and action must translate into knowledge. In this way strategy becomes a lifelong challenge and the source of constant pleasure in surmounting difficulties and solving problems.”

— Robert Greene

260. “Once envy reveals itself for what it is, the only solution is often to flee the presence of the enviers, leaving them to stew in a hell of their own creation.”

— Robert Greene

261. “If you work on yourself first, as Faraday did, developing a solid work ethic and organizational skills, eventually the right teacher will appear in your life.”

— Robert Greene

262. “Strategic warriors operate much differently. They think ahead toward their long-term goals, decide which fights to avoid and which are inevitable, know how to control and channel their emotions. When forced to fight, they do so with indirection and subtle maneuver, making their manipulations hard to trace. In this way they can maintain the peaceful exterior so cherished in these political times.”

— Robert Greene

263. “One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself. – LEONARDO DA VINCI In.”

— Robert Greene

264. “The first step toward becoming rational is to understand our fundamental irrationality. There are two factors that should render this more palatable to our egos: nobody is exempt from the irresistible effect of emotions on the mind, not even the wisest among us; and to some extent irrationality is a function of the structure of our brains and is wired into our very nature by the way we process emotions. Being irrational is almost beyond our control.”

— Robert Greene

265. “Thy breath is like the steame of apple-pyes.”

— Robert Greene

266. “Never pick a fight with someone you’re not sure you can defeat.”

— Robert Greene

267. “Power rarely ends up in the hands of those who start a revolution, or even of those who further it; power sticks to those who bring it to a conclusion.”

— Robert Greene

268. “The great questions of the time will be decided, not by speeches and resolutions of majorities, but by iron and blood.”

— Robert Greene

269. “You cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others.”

— Robert Greene

270. “Never try to seduce someone who is of your own type. You will be like two puzzles missing the same parts.”

— Robert Greene

271. “Warriors focus on what they do have, the strengths that they do possess and that they must use creatively. Knowing when to slow down, to renew, to retrench, they outlast their opponents. They play for the long term.”

— Robert Greene

272. “What draws attention draws power.”

— Robert Greene

273. “Sometimes, however, it is better to take risks and play the most capricious, unpredictable move.”

— Robert Greene

274. “Persistence of little progress wins over brute force.”

— Robert Greene

275. “First, it is essential that you begin with one skill that you can master, and that serves as a foundation for acquiring others. You must avoid at all cost the idea that you can manage learning several skills at a time.”

— Robert Greene

276. “If you feel lost and confused, if you lose your sense of direction, if you cannot tell the difference between friend and foe, you have only yourself to blame.”

— Robert Greene

277. “Learn to destroy your enemies by opening holes in their own reputations. Then stand aside and let public opinion hang them.”

— Robert Greene

278. “The pain is kind of challenge your mind presents – will you learn how to focus and move past boredom, or like a child will you succumb to the need for immediate pleasure and distraction?”

— Robert Greene

279. “The character you seem to have been born with is not necessarily who you are; beyond the characteristics you have inherited, your parents, your friends, and your peers have helped to shape your personality.”

— Robert Greene

280. “Worship Athena, not Ares.”

— Robert Greene

281. “Your eyes must be on the larger trends that govern events, on that which is not immediately visible. Never lose sight of your long-term goals. With an elevated perspective, you will have the patience and clarity to reach almost any objective.”

— Robert Greene

282. “Be like vapor. Do not give your opponents anything solid to attack; watch as they exhaust themselves pursuing you, trying to cope with your elusiveness. Only formlessness allows you to truly surprise your enemies – by the time they figure out where you are and what you are up to, it is too late.”

— Robert Greene

283. “Seduction is a game of psychology, not beauty, and it is within the grasp of any person to become a master at the game. All that is required is that you look at the world.”

— Robert Greene

284. “You will not seduce anyone by simply depending on your engaging personality, or by occasionally doing something noble or alluring. Seduction is a process that occurs over time – the longer you take and the slower you go, the deeper you will penetrate into the mind of your victim. It is an art that requires patience, focus, and strategic thinking. You need to always be one step ahead of your victim, throwing dust in their eyes, casting a spell, keeping them off balance.”

— Robert Greene

285. “Always try to lower the other side’s sense of urgency. Make your enemies think they have all the time in the world; when you suddenly appear at their border, they are in a slumbering state, and you will easily overrun them. While you are sharpening your fighting spirit, always do what you can to blunt theirs. PART.”

— Robert Greene

286. “Spectacle and entertainment, clearly, are excellent devices to conceal your intentions, but they cannot be used indefinitely. The public grows tired and suspicious, and eventually catches on to the trick.”

— Robert Greene

287. “Power is a game. This cannot be repeated too often!”

— Robert Greene

288. “You do not belong to you. You belong to the Universe. Your significance will remain forever obscure to you, but you may assume that you are fulfilling your job if you apply yourself to converting your experiences to the advantage of others.”

— Robert Greene

289. “Learn the lesson: Once the words are out, you cannot take them back. Keep them under control. Be particularly careful with sarcasm: The momentary satisfaction you gain with your biting words will be outweighed by the price you pay.”

— Robert Greene

290. “Follow David’s example: say or do something that can be read in more than one way, that may be superficially polite but that could also indicate a slight coolness on your part or be seen as a subtle insult. A friend may wonder but will let it pass. The secret enemy, though, will react with anger.”

— Robert Greene

291. “The environment we operate in may be different, but the brain is essentially the same, and its power to learn, adapt, and master time is universal.”

— Robert Greene

292. “You destroy an enemy when you make a friend of him.”

— Robert Greene

293. “No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to make your victims feel smart – and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.”

— Robert Greene

294. “We are all self-absorbed, locked in our own worlds. It is a therapeutic and liberating experience to be drawn outside ourselves and into the world of another.”

— Robert Greene

295. “To follow precisely the lead of others or advice from a book is self-defeating.”

— Robert Greene

296. “Do not think that what is hard for you to master is humanly impossible; and if it is humanly possible, consider it to be within your reach. – MARCUS AURELIUS.”

— Robert Greene

297. “Be Frugal with Flattery. It may seem that your superiors cannot get enough flattery, but too much of even a good thing loses its value. It also stirs up suspicion among your peers.”

— Robert Greene

298. “The principle is simple and must be engraved deeply in your mind: the goal of an apprenticeship is not money, a good position, a title, or a diploma, but rather the transformation of your mind and character – the first transformation on the way to mastery.”

— Robert Greene

299. “In following your inclinations and moving toward mastery, you make a great contribution to society, enriching it with discoveries and insights, and making the most of the diversity in nature and among human society.”

— Robert Greene

300. “You are a blank screen. Float through life noncommittally and people will want to seize you and consume you. Of all the parts of your body that draw this fetishistic attention, the strongest is the face; so learn to tune your face like an instrument, making it radiate a fascinating vagueness for effect.”

— Robert Greene