110+ Robert Greene Quotes on Power and Psychology

Robert Greene is a renowned author and speaker known for his expertise in human behavior, power dynamics, and strategy. He has written several influential books, including "The 48 Laws of Power," "The Art of Seduction," and "Mastery." Greene's work delves into the intricate dynamics of power, manipulation, and personal growth, drawing inspiration from historical figures and psychological principles. Following is our collection on famous quotes by Robert Greene on power, love, success.

Top 10 Robert Greene Quotes

1. Never waste valuable time, or mental peace of mind, on the affairs of others—that is too high a price to pay.
2. True genius, in strategy or anywhere, lies in self-control, self-mastery, presence of mind, fluidity of thought.
3. Mastery is not a function of genius or talent. It is a function of time and intense focus applied to a particular field of knowledge.
4. Mistakes and failures are precisely your means of education. They tell you about your own inadequacies.
5. Keep your friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent.
6. It is in fact the height of selfishness to merely consume what others create and to retreat into a shell of limited goals and immediate pleasures.
7. The world wants to assign you a role in life. And once you accept that role you are doomed.
8. Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.
9. Be Royal in your Own Fashion: Act like a King to be treated
10. Stop shallow water from running, it will rage; tread on a worm and it will turn.

Robert Greene Image Quotes

Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Short Quotes

• Real action and true helpfulness are perhaps the ultimate charm.
• The human tongue is a beast that few can master.
• News makes things black and white. Documentary filmmaking should do the opposite.
• If you're really driven and you want something deep, hard enough in life, you're going to get it.
• People go into things for the wrong reasons.
• Set a beggar on horse backe, they saie, and hee will neuer alight.
• Thy breath is like the steame of apple-pyes.
• Twere sin to stain fair Venus' courts with blood
• People are more complicated than the masks they wear in society.
• The problem is that we humans are deep conformists.

Robert Greene Quotes About Power

Understand: A person of power instills a kind of fear by deliberately unsettling those around him to keep the initative on his side. — Robert Greene

We happen to live in an era that is incredibly wrapped up in notions of political correctness; everything is seen through the lens of politics. But being political and politically correct is just another way of fighting, another form of power and strategy, an insidious means of manipulation. — Robert Greene

Deception is a developed art of civilization and the most potent weapon in the game of power — Robert Greene

Our levels of desire, patience, persistence, and confidence end up playing a much larger role in success than sheer reasoning powers. Feel motivated and energized, we can overcome almost anything. Feeling bored and restless, our minds shut off and we become increasingly passive. — Robert Greene

Her lips are roses over-washed with dew, Or like the purple of Narcissus' flower; No frost their fair, no wind doth waste their power, But by her breath her beauties to renew. — Robert Greene

Playing with appearances and mastering the arts of deception are among the aesthetic pleasures of life. They are also key components in the acquisition of power. — Robert Greene

50 is a great person. I was a little intimidated when I met him for the first time in 2006. I didn't know what to expect. It ended up we got along really well. That's why we decided to do a book together, The 50th Law of Power. — Robert Greene

I don't want to promote paranoia. It's not like wow, everybody is after me. You know that's not going to be very powerful. A person like Stalin was like that and he was powerful, but it ended up completely destroying him because he couldn't trust anyone. — Robert Greene

Everything changes. This is the key to feeling powerful, but also to being creative in the world. — Robert Greene

Everybody in life is struggling for power, and some people use morality and righteousness as a weapon, while others use different means, even passive aggression. From a distance, we are all fighting, and I am looking at this from a distance. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Quotes About Love

Ah Franion, treason is loved of many, but the Traitor hated of all: unjust offences may for a time escape without danger, but never without revenge. — Robert Greene

I've always loved black culture; I don't know any other way to put it. Since I was a kid I loved music and early jazz, Sly and the Family Stone. — Robert Greene

You're not going to be persistent and tenacious enough if you don't love what you're doing. If it's not something that excites you, that appeals to you deep down inside. — Robert Greene

Religion humanizes this universe, makes us feel important and loved. We are not animals governed by uncontrollable drives, animals that die for no apparent reason, but creatures made in the image of supreme being — Robert Greene

No greater mischief could be wrought Than love united to a jealous thought. — Robert Greene

Then grew a wrinkle on fair Venus' brow, The amber sweet of love is turn'd to gall! Gloomy was Heaven; bright Phoebus did avow He would be coy, and would not love at all; Swearing no greater mischief could be wrought, Than love united to a jealous thought. — Robert Greene

What will seduce a person is the effort we expend on their behalf, showing how much we care, how much they are worth. Leaving things to chance is a recipe for disaster, and reveals that we do not take love and romance very seriously. — Robert Greene

The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if they just succumbed to it. There's this love/hate relationship with the spotlight. — Robert Greene

Ah! what is love! It is a pretty thing, As sweet unto a shepherd as a king, And sweeter too; For kings have cares that wait upon a crown, And cares can make the sweetest love to frown. — Robert Greene

I've always been kind of a strategic thinking person - I love sports for instance, but my interest in sports is 'cause I love watching strategy in action or playing it. I'm not into the drama so much, of the physical action. I'm interested in the coach and how he's strategizing. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Quotes About Success

When you show yourself to the world and display your talents, you naturally stir all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity... you cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others — Robert Greene

When you have success, be extra wary. When you are angry, take no action. When you are fearful, know you are going to exaggerate the dangers you face. — Robert Greene

Our successes and failures in life can be traced to how well or how badly we deal with the inevitable conflicts that confront us in society. — Robert Greene

Actually, your past successes are your biggest obstacle: every battle, every war, is different, and you cannot assume that what worked before will work today. — Robert Greene

All the most successful people nowadays who are truly successful and innovative in their field are not people motivated by money. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Quotes About Mastery

The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways. — Robert Greene

Mastery is not a function of I.Q. or natural talent or wealthy parents who can send you to the best school, but rather the result of going through a learning process, fueled by the desire to grow and the persistence to push past any obstacles. — Robert Greene

If you work hard, you will make your way to the inner circle of knowledge. That is the end goal of mastery: an inside-out understanding. — Robert Greene

The very desire to find shortcuts makes you eminently unsuited for any kind of mastery. There is no possible reversal to this process. — Robert Greene

Mastery is not a question of genetics of luck, but of following your natural inclinations and the deep desires that stirs you from within. — Robert Greene

Do not envy those who seem to be naturally gifted; it is often a curse, as such types rarely learn the value of diligence and focus, and they pay for this later in life. — Robert Greene

The time that leads to mastery is dependent on the intensity of our focus. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Quotes About Friends

We're close friends [with Brandy Burre]. We're neighbors. I actually lived two houses over from her for a while and then we were traveling one day and she was looking at the house we currently live in - which was between us - and she's like, "You guys should move here! It's bigger and better!" — Robert Greene

You have the power to think differently about who you are. You have the ability to turn off the critical voice inside of you. That's not you. That's coming from the culture. That's coming from the outside of you. You've internalized the voice of your parents, your teachers, your friends. — Robert Greene

Still uncertain as to our identity, we think that what matters in the work world is gaining attention and making friends. And these misconceptions and naïveté are brutally exposed in the light of the real world. — Robert Greene

Nothing is stable in the realm of power, and even closest of friends can be transformed into the worst of enemies. — Robert Greene

The key to power, then, is the ability to judge who is best able to further your interests in all situations. Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and competent. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Quotes About War

The dreamers, those who misread the actual state of affairs and act upon their emotions, are often the source of the greatest mistakes in history-the wars that are not thought out, the disasters that are not foreseen — Robert Greene

I hate the way war is seen as something inherently brutal and ugly. Yes, much of war brings out the worst part of our [people's] nature. But in war, all kinds of noble human traits have been developed, such as discipline, cohesion, pride. — Robert Greene

Your mind is the starting point of all war and all strategy. A mind that is easily overwhelmed by emotion, that is rooted in the past instead of the present, that cannot see the world with clarity and urgency, will create strategies that will always miss the mark. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Quotes About Strategy

Defeat Them in Detail: The Divide and Conquer Strategy. Look at the parts and determine how to control the individual parts, create dissension and leverage it. — Robert Greene

Grand strategy is the art of looking beyond the present battle and calculating ahead. Focus on your ultimate goal and plot to reach it. — Robert Greene

You could have a lot of money at your fingertips, the finest education and intellectual knowledge, but if you are governed by fear none of that will matter. You will remain tied to dead ideas and stale strategies. You will not be able to adapt. You will lose what you have. — Robert Greene

I've always been intrigued by fighter pilots and strategy because it occurs in like, milliseconds, you know. — Robert Greene

People who are reading my books, or who are thinking about it, have some general idea about the concept of strategy. They're better off than somebody that has none. So I would never say it's useless. — Robert Greene

If I could simplify the whole game of power and strategy in one equation, it would all hinge on the capacity to see events around you exactly as they are. The closer your mind is to reality, the better your strategies, your responses in life. — Robert Greene

Robert Greene Famous Quotes And Sayings

Understand: you are one of a kind. Your character traits are a kind of chemical mix that will never be repeated in history. There are ideas unique to you, a specific rhythm and perspective that are your strengths, not your weaknesses. You must not be afraid of your uniqueness and you must care less and less what people think of you. — Robert Greene

Understand: people will constantly attack you in life. One of their main weapons will be to instill in you doubts about yourself – your worth, your abilities, your potential. They will often disguise this as their objective opinion, but invariably it has a political purpose – they want to keep you down. — Robert Greene

Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies. — Robert Greene

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. — Robert Greene

The Crown. Place it upon your head and you assume a different post-tranquil yet radiating assurance. Never show doubt, never lose your dignity beneath the crown, or it will not fit. It will seem to be destined for one more worthy. Do not wait for a coronation; the greatest emporers crown themselves. — Robert Greene

A lot of, a big problems that people have nowadays is that they can't stand moments of no stimulation in their life so they're constantly lurking, looking for entertainment, video games. — Robert Greene

Life goes by very fast. And the worst thing in life that you can have is a job that you hate, that you have no energy in, that you're not creative with and you're not thinking of the future. To me, might as well be dead. — Robert Greene

Only create associations with positive affinities. Make this a rule of life and you will benefit more than from all the therapy in the world. — Robert Greene

Everything is judged by its appearance; what is unseen counts for nothing. Never let yourself get lost in the crowd, then, or buried in oblivion. Stand out. Be conspicuous, at all cost. Make yourself a magnet of attention by appearing larger, more colorful, more mysterious than the bland and timid masses. — Robert Greene

If you are unsure of a course of action, do not attempt it. Your doubts and hesitations will infect your execution. Timidity is dangerous: Better to enter with boldness. Any mistakes you commit through audacity are easily corrected with more audacity. Everyone admires the bold; no one honors the timid. — Robert Greene

There is something I call social intelligence. You can do a lot in life on your own and you can do all kinds of stuff, but if you're really bad with people, if you're really naive or aggressive and push people away, if you don't know the political environment you're in, it invalidates all the things you know. You're not going to get anywhere. — Robert Greene

People around you, constantly under the pull of their emotions, change their ideas by the day or by the hour, depending on their mood. You must never assume that what people say or do in a particular moment is a statement of their permanent desires. — Robert Greene

I believe that everything happens for a reason, and what seems bad at first might in fact be something of a blessing. — Robert Greene

It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause by yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others – playing people against one another, making them pursue you. — Robert Greene

If you want to make people with low self esteem feel better about themselves, praise has a superficial effect. Instead prod them into accomplishing something tangible, giving them a real experience. That will translate into a much deeper feeling of confidence. — Robert Greene

If you're just letting the time pass at your job, it's just dead time and you'll never get it back. If at that job you're learning and you're observing and you're seeing about people and connections, it's suddenly alive time. — Robert Greene

Any momentary triumph you think you have gained through argument is really a Pyrrhic victory. The resentment and ill will you stir up is stronger and lasts longer than any momentary change of opinion. It is much more powerful to get others to agree with you through your actions, without saying a word. Demonstrate, do not explicate. — Robert Greene

Mentors do not give you a shortcut, but they streamline the process. They invariably had their own great mentors, giving them a richer and deeper knowledge of their field. — Robert Greene

I just do what I want to do without hurting other people and you know, I wish other people would do the same. — Robert Greene

With such a deep rooted interest you can withstand the setbacks and failures, the days of drudgery, and the hard work that are always a part of any creative action. You can ignore the doubters and critics. You will then feel personally committed to solving the problem and will not rest until you do so. — Robert Greene

The key to success in any kind of start up is your level of persistence. It's not so much your intellect. The Zuckerburg's, Pages and Brins, that succeed have such a level of belief in what they are doing that they will put up with the kind of crap that most people won't put up with, they are incredibly persistent and resilient. — Robert Greene

In a society where the roles everyone plays are obvious, the refusal to conform to any standard will excite interest. Be both masculine and feminine, impudent and charming, subtle and outrageous. Let other people worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen, and you are after a power greater than they can imagine. — Robert Greene

Nobody likes to believe that they are operating under some kind of compulsion beyond their control. It is too disturbing a thought. — Robert Greene

To be strategic in life is like any skill whether it's basketball or learning a language, it takes effort and practice and I think most people don't think that it's something that they could just do, you know, naturally. — Robert Greene

Desire is both imitative (we like what others like) and competitive (we want to take away from others what they have). As children, we wanted to monopolize the attention of a parent, to draw it away from other siblings. This sense of rivalry... makes people compete for the attention. — Robert Greene

We have a continual desire to communicate our feelings and yet at the same time the need to conceal them for proper social functioning. — Robert Greene

Feeling motivated and energized, we can overcome almost anything. Feeling bored and restless, our minds shut off and we become increasingly passive. — Robert Greene

In the future, the great division will be between those who have trained themselves to handle these complexities and those who are overwhelmed by them -- those who can acquire skills and discipline their minds and those who are irrevocably distracted by all the media around them and can enver focus enough to learn. — Robert Greene

Most people have no sense of self-awareness. They're not aware of what they really want. They knew it when they were younger but then as they get older they listened to parents, they listened to peers and they think that, for instance, money is the most important thing when it really isn't. — Robert Greene

We started filming [with Brandy Burre ]and didn't really know, at first, what we were doing. Eventually, the thing just grabbed a hold of both of us and became what it is. But, yeah, we were very close before and we're even closer now. — Robert Greene

The conventional mind is passive - it consumes information and regurgitates it in familiar forms. The dimensional mind is active, transforming everything it digests into something new and original, creating instead of consuming. — Robert Greene

Being the free woman who is sexy and out there is a performance in a way, and being the stay-at-home mom and wife is a performance in itself. All of those performances are living and force you to make decisions about who you really are. Women have to put those performances ahead of things sometimes. Men aren't perceived in the same way. — Robert Greene

Be brutal with the past, especially your own, and have no respect for the philosophies that are foisted on you from outside. — Robert Greene

Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip; it is your life's artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist. — Robert Greene

Though men determine, the gods doo dispose: and oft times many things fall out betweene the cup and the lip. — Robert Greene

You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset. — Robert Greene

The ideas get under your skin. I am honored and deeply excited by the thought that the next generation of writers, or whomever, are influenced by these books. — Robert Greene

The real poetry and beauty in life comes from an intense relationship with reality in all its aspects. Realism is in fact the ideal we must aspire to, the highest point of human rationality. — Robert Greene

Even if it's a "talking head documentary" about a social movement or something along those lines, I've always thought of editing the timing and the sense of the piece for the theatrical experience. — Robert Greene

It's good to have a brand that is consistent that people know about and trust. But it's also good to mix it up and adapt it, to polish it a bit and give it a new aspect. To not violate the reputation you've established but give it a new edge and veneer to show other aspects that people hadn't suspected. — Robert Greene

Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic- as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that lowers confidence levels even further, on and on. — Robert Greene

There's no more of an excuse for blaming other people or the world for at least not trying what you should be trying. — Robert Greene

Things like reading a book or learning a language, or taking a walk - they're not stimulating. Your mind has to sort of learn how to deal with that kind of stimulation on its own. So that's a very important form of adversity. — Robert Greene

One of the things I've been talking about with my critical writing and my own work is that these movies are seen differently in a theatrical space. It's very important to me. I edit films to be seen theatrically, like fiction material I've worked on like Listen Up Phillip or other documentaries. — Robert Greene

Our times might emphasize equality, which we then mistake for the need for everyone to be the same, but what we really mean by this is the equal chance for people to express their differences, to let a thousand flowers bloom. — Robert Greene

Weep not, my wanton, smile upon my knee;When thou art old there's grief enough for thee. — Robert Greene

I like lecturing and going around the world and giving talks and I like doing consulting and helping people. — Robert Greene

By wit we search divine aspect above, By wit we learn what secrets science yields, By wit we speak, by wit the mind is rul'd, By wit we govern all our actions; Wit is the loadstar of each human thought, Wit is the tool by which all things are wrought. — Robert Greene

The worst thing is to sit and whine and complain and obsess about money as if that were the only sign of your worth as a human. — Robert Greene

A few years ago, for my birthday, Sean Price Williams said, "I'll give you one free day of shooting." He shot Kati with an I and co-shot Fake It So Real. While we've always worked together, I didn't want him to do it for free, so he cashed in his birthday chip and came for this one day. — Robert Greene

I didn't like writing just articles and things. So then I wandered around. I tried my hand at film and television and that was a worse fit because I don't really have a mind for that. — Robert Greene

As most people when I entered the work world, suddenly people are playing games, being manipulative, being a little bit nasty, you get tricked or you're kind of naive and you do something and people come steal your idea. — Robert Greene

Our natural tendency is to project onto other people our own belief and value systems, in ways in which we are not even aware. — Robert Greene

You can never get rid of all of your fears. Some are necessary and a part of life. But most of our fears are illusory, based on risks or threats that exist only in our minds. Such fears constrain and make you miserable. The feeling of moving past a particular fear is one of liberation and freedom. — Robert Greene

There is almost a touch of condescension in the act of hiring friends that secretly afflicts them. The injury will come out slowly: A little more honesty, flashes of resentment and envy here and there, and before you know it your friendship fades. The more favors and gifts you supply to revive the friendship, the less gratitude you receive. — Robert Greene

When there are no other options, people fight harder. If the choice is life or death they have nothing to lose. — Robert Greene

Be relentless in your pursuit for expansion. — Robert Greene

Because of my two films - one was about my half-sister (Kati with an I) and the next one featured my cousin (Fake It So Real) - I was hesitant to start with someone so close. — Robert Greene

If you're meant to do something like writing and you end up going into banking or finance, your going to be miserable. You're trying to fit something into a square peg and a round hole. It's just never going to work. — Robert Greene

Kati with an I was a New York Times Critics' Pick and I was really happy that it got a run uptown in Harlem at the Maysles Cinema, which is a great space but isn't necessarily the most well attended for a week-long screening. — Robert Greene

Never whine, never complain, never try to justify yourself. — Robert Greene

The point of the adversity is to toughen your mind so that you can handle difficult circumstances in life. Your mind, toughen just like you toughen your body. So it really depends on what you need. It really depends on the individual. — Robert Greene

Life Lessons by Robert Greene

1. Understanding power dynamics: Greene emphasizes the importance of understanding power dynamics in various aspects of life, whether it be in relationships, work environments, or personal pursuits. By studying historical examples and psychological insights, we can gain a deeper understanding of how power operates and learn to navigate and leverage it effectively.
2. Strategic thinking and planning: Greene's work encourages individuals to adopt a strategic mindset and think critically about their goals and aspirations. By developing a clear vision, setting goals, and formulating strategic plans, we can increase our chances of success and achieve mastery in our chosen fields.
3. Continuous self-improvement: Greene's concept of "mastery" highlights the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. He emphasizes the need to embrace lifelong learning, develop new skills, and seek out mentors who can guide us on our journey towards personal and professional growth. By constantly expanding our knowledge and honing our skills, we can unlock our full potential and achieve greatness.