the laws

Law 1 Never outshine the master.
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Law 2 Never put too much trust in friends; learn how to use enemies.
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Law 3 Conceal your intentions.
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Law 4 Always say less than necessary.
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Law 5 So much depends on reputation. Guard it with your life.
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Law 6 Court attention at all costs.
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Law 7 Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit.
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Law 8 Make other people come to you; use bait if necessary.
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Law 9 Win through your actions, never through argument.
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Law 10 Infection: avoid the unhappy and unlucky.
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Law 11 Learn to keep people dependent on you.
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Law 12 Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim.
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Law 13 When asking for help, appeal to people's self-interests, never to their mercy or gratitude.
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Law 14 Pose as a friend, work as a spy.
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Law 15 Crush your enemy totally.
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Law 16 Use absence to increase respect and honor.
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Law 17 Keep others in suspended terror: cultivate an air of unpredictability.
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Law 18 Do not build fortresses to protect yourself. Isolation is dangerous.
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Law 19 Know who you're dealing with; do not offend the wrong person.
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Law 20 Do not commit to anyone.
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Law 21 Play a sucker to catch a sucker: play dumber than your mark.
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Law 22 Use the surrender tactic: transform weakness into power.
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Law 23 Concentrate your forces.
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Law 24 Play the perfect courtier.
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Law 25 Re-create yourself.
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Law 26 Keep your hands clean.
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Law 27 Play on people's need to believe to create a cultlike following.
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Law 28 Enter action with boldness.
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Law 29 Plan all the way to the end.
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Law 30 Make your accomplishments seem effortless.
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Law 31 Control the options: get others to play with the cards you deal.
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Law 32 Play to people's fantasies.
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Law 33 Discover each man's thumbscrew.
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Law 34 Be royal in your fashion: act like a king to be treated like one.
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Law 35 Master the art of timing.
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Law 36 Disdain things you cannot have: Ignoring them is the best revenge.
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Law 37 Create compelling spectacles.
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Law 38 Think as you like but behave like others.
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Law 39 Stir up waters to catch fish.
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Law 40 Despise the free lunch.
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Law 41 Avoid stepping into a great man's shoes.
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Law 42 Strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.
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Law 43 Work on the hearts and minds of others.
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Law 44 Disarm and infuriate with the mirror effect.
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Law 45 Preach the need for change, but never reform too much at once.
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Law 46 Never appear perfect.
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Law 47 Do not go past the mark you aimed for; in victory, learn when to stop.
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Law 48 Assume formlessness.