Greene states that he does not try to follow all of his advice as, "Anybody who did would be a horrible ugly person to be around."[4]
Early life
The younger son of
Jewish parents,[4] Greene grew up in Los Angeles and attended the
University of California, Berkeley, before finishing his degree at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison with a
B.A. degree in
classical studies.[5] Prior to becoming an author, Greene estimates that he worked about 50 jobs, including as a construction worker, translator, magazine editor, and Hollywood movie writer.[6] In 1995, Greene worked as a writer at Fabrica, an art and media school in
Italy, and met a
book packager named Joost Elffers.[1] Greene pitched a book about power to Elffers and wrote a treatment which eventually became The 48 Laws of Power. He would note this as the turning point of his life.[7]
The idea behind Greene's first book is that power is amoral, i.e., it is neither good or evil. The 48 Laws of Power highlights how we conceptualize power and how we behave in different hierarchical institutions.[9]
Several American prisons have banned The 48 Laws of Power and The 33 Strategies of War as a security measure.[10][11]
The Sunday Times noted that The 48 Laws of Power has become the "Hollywood back-stabber's bible" and that although the book is reportedly used by some business executives, it is difficult to find people who publicly acknowledge its influence because of the book's controversial nature.[22][23] Greene responds to this sentiment by stating, "These laws… people might say, 'Oh they're wicked', but they're practiced day in and day out by businesspeople. You're always trying to get rid of your competition and it can be pretty bloodthirsty, and that's just the reality."[5][15]
Drake is producing a cinematic series on the book.[24]
Greene's second book, The Art of Seduction, was published in 2001.[25] The book profiles the nine types of seducers (e.g. The Rake, The Siren, and The Charmer) and details aspects of attraction, authenticity, storytelling, and negotiation.[26][27] Greene uses examples from historical figures such as
Cleopatra,
Giacomo Casanova,
Duke Ellington and
John F. Kennedy to support the psychology behind seduction.[28][29]
The 33 Strategies of War is the third book by Greene and was published in 2007.[31] The book is divided into five parts: Self-Directed Warfare, Organizational (Team) Warfare, Defensive Warfare, Offensive Warfare and Unconventional (Dirty) Warfare.[31] The book is a guide to the campaign of everyday life and distills military wisdom from historical figures like
Napoleon Bonaparte,
Sun Tzu,
Alfred Hitchcock,
Alexander the Great and
Margaret Thatcher.[32][33][34]
The Sunday Times called the book "an excellent toolkit for dealing with business and relationships," and The Independent claims that Greene is "setting himself up as a modern-day
Machiavelli" but that "it is never clear whether he really believes what he writes or whether it is just his shtick, an instrument of his will to shift £20 hardbacks."[35][36] NBA player
Chris Bosh stated that his favorite book is The 33 Strategies of War.[16][37][38] It has sold more than 200,000 copies.[30]
The 50th Law is the fourth book by Greene—written collaboratively with
rapper50 Cent—and was published in 2009.[39][40][41] The book mixes talk of strategy and fearlessness by supplementing anecdotes from 50 Cent's rise as both a hustler and as an up-and-coming musician with lessons from various historical figures.[42][43][44] Each of the 10 chapters in the book explains a factor of fearlessness and begins by telling how 50 learned this "Fearless Philosophy" in Southside Queens.[45][46][47]
Greene's fifth book, Mastery, was released on November 13, 2012.[52]Mastery examines the lives of both historical and contemporary figures such as
Charles Darwin,
Paul Graham,
the Wright Brothers,
Benjamin Franklin,
Thomas Edison, and
Mozart, and distills the traits and universal ingredients that made them masters.[53] The book is divided into six sections, each focusing on essential lessons and strategies on the path to Mastery.[53][54][55][56]
Greene's sixth book, The Laws of Human Nature, was released in October 2018. The book examines people's conscious and
unconscious drives, motivations, and
cognitive biases.[63]
The Daily Laws
The Daily Laws, Greene's seventh book, was released in October 2021. The book features concise texts on wisdom, with each day of the year dedicated to a “Daily Law” and each month focusing on a different theme.[64][65]
In 2013, Greene did a presentation on his book Mastery on
Talks at Google.[71] Later in the year, he did a presentation on
TED titled "The key to transforming yourself".[72] In 2016, a previous presentation of Robert's was uploaded at
Microsoft Research titled "War, Power, Strategy".[73] In 2019, he did another presentation on Talks at Google on his book The Laws of Human Nature.[74]
When asked in 2012 if he is religious, Greene said "I'm Jewish but I don't have a hardcore spiritual practice. I'm not hardcore Atheist; I'm sort of how Einstein was: He wasn't a believer in the Jewish God. I'm intrigued by the sense that there's something there."[78]
Greene suffered a serious stroke before launching his new book The Laws of Human Nature in 2018. A wasp sting that precipitated a blood clot in his neck caused the stroke, leaving Greene without the use of his left hand and leg for a period of time.[79][80]
^"How to take power and influence people". The Sunday Times (London). August 6, 2006. Archived from
the original on April 5, 2014. "Despite Greene's obvious influence, most Hollywood executives are coy about admitting it. Jonathan Baker, marketing manager for Sony Pictures Entertainment, says the book is often used by executives he knows, "but because of its nature, you won't find a lot of people who will own up to how important a resource it has become for them. Acknowledging its influence can be damning; you are opening yourself up to being judged in a negative way. But I don't mind saying that I stumbled on it in a very down period in my life, and it gave me a lot of clarity when I needed it most".
^Dillon, Frank (January 10, 2010). "A guide to balancing your books; Business leaders give Frank Dillon tips on what the best managers should be reading". The Sunday Times.
^B, Robert (April 14, 2024).
"appeared on TV Show". FinanceDesire. FinanceDesire.Com.
Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.