The World's Best Book Summaries
Overview of Law #20: Do Not Commit to Anyone Do not commit to anyone except yourself. By maintaining your independence, you remain in control — others will vie for your attention, and you can play one side against another.
Is more of something good always better? The inverted-U graph says no, not always. An inverted-U graph is a curve that models the point at which something “good,” like money or effort, starts to make a situation worse. Learn why it’s useful in predicting the point at which you might have too much of a good thing.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #8 is “Tell The Truth – Or At Least Don’t Lie.” What does this mean? Why is lying so bad to yourself? Why is telling the truth so good? This rule discusses not only lying to others, but also lying to yourself and obscuring your personal truth. Instead, you need to develop your personal truth, then act consistently with it. This chapter is fairly abstract, but try to see if its principles resonate with a specific problem you have in life.
Who was Otto von Bismarck? How did he keep his power in a rapidly-changing Europe? What can he teach us about maintaining power? Otto von Bismarck was a Prussian diplomat and politician who controlled German foreign affairs for 30 years in the mid- to late-1800s. We’ll cover what made Otto von Bismarck so powerful and how you can apply those lessons to your relationships and careers.
Overview of Law #11: Learn to Keep People Dependent on You The more that a superior needs you, the more security and freedom you have to pursue your goals, so make him dependent on you. Never let superiors think they can get along without you. Learn to keep people dependent on you.
Overview of Law #18: Do Not Build Fortresses to Protect Yourself—Isolation is Dangerous Never isolate yourself when you come under pressure. This just cuts you off from information you need and people who could help you, and when real danger arises you won’t see it coming. Instead, make a point of being outgoing. Contact with others increases your power. Isolation is dangerous.
Overview of Law #8: Make Other People Come to You—Use Bait if Necessary Make your opponent come to you. When you force others to act, you’re in control. Bait them, then attack. Make other people come to you—use bait if necessary.
Ever wonder how you can be mysterious? Or how being mysterious might benefit you in work and life? Mystery can bring you power. If you’re mysterious, people want to know more, and their lack of knowledge and desire to figure you out gives you power over them. Use the examples below to learn why and how to be mysterious to gain more power over others.
In 12 Rules for Life, Rule #3 is “Make Friends With People Who Want The Best For You.” What does this mean? Why would you ever friends with people who don’t want the best for you? Life isn’t that simple. Sometimes you attract friends who want to bring you down. Sometimes you find it hard to let go of friends you’ve had for a long time. Learn how to surround yourself with better friends who really care about you.
Penny Knight is Nike founder Phil Knight’s first and only wife. They met in 1968, in the early days of Nike’s founding, married the same year, and have been together since. Learn the history of Penny Knight, Phil Knight, and Nike, in this excerpt from our summary of Shoe Dog.