Law #2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies Problem about working with friends is that it confuses the boundaries and distances that working requires. If both partners in the arrangement understand the dangers involved, a friend often can be employed to great effect. You must never let your guard down in such a venture, however; always be on the lookout for any signs of emotional disturbance such as envy and ingratitude. Nothing is stable in the realm of power, and even the closest of friends can be transformed into the worst of enemies.

1. THE 48 LAWS OF POWER
BY ROBERT GREENE

2. Law #2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends,
Learn how to use Enemies
Problem about working with friends is that it
confuses the boundaries and distances that
working requires. If both partners in the
arrangement understand the dangers
involved, a friend often can be employed to
great effect. You must never let your guard
down in such a venture, however; always be on
the lookout for any signs of emotional
disturbance such as envy and ingratitude.
Nothing is stable in the realm of power, and
even the closest of friends can be transformed
into the worst of enemies.
Tariq Al-Basha @ albashatariq@outlook.com 2

3. MICHAEL III OF
THE BYZANTINE
EMPIRE AND HIS
FRIEND, BASILIUS
▪ Michael III of the Byzantine Empire in the mid-ninth
century A.D. placed too much trust in his friend, Basilius.
They had met a few years before, when Michael had been
visiting the stables just as a wild horse got loose. Basilius
saved Michael's life. His strength and courage had
impressed Michael, who immediately raised Basilius from
the obscurity of being a horse trainer to the position of
head of stables. He loaded his friend with gifts and favors
until became inseparable. Basilius was sent to the finest
school in Byzantium, and the crude peasant became a
cultured and sophisticated courtier. Michael turned the
peasant Basilius into a sophisticated and educated
courtier. Basilius later on became greedy for more wealth
and power and had his former benefactor and best friend
Michael III murdered.
▪ Michael III staked his future on the sense of gratitude he
thought Basilius must feel for him. He had created a
monster. He had allowed a man to see power up close—a
man who then wanted more, who asked for anything and
got it, who felt encumbered by the charity he had
received and simply did what many people do in such a
situation: They forget the favors they have received and
imagine they have earned their success by their own
merits.
Tariq Al-Basha @ albashatariq@outlook.com 3

4. Tariq Al-Basha @ albashatariq@outlook.com
4

5. SONG DYNASTY
RULED CHINA
FOR 300 YEARS
▪ For several centuries after the fall of the Han Dynasty
(A.D. 222), Chinese history followed the same pattern of
violent and bloody coups, one after the other. Army men
would plot to kill a weak emperor, then would replace
him on the Dragon Throne with a strong general. The
general would start a new dynasty and crown himself
emperor; to ensure his own survival he would kill off his
fellow generals. A few years later, however, the pattern
would resume: New generals would rise up and
assassinate him or his sons in their turn. To be emperor of
China was to be alone, surrounded by a pack of
enemies—it was the least powerful, least secure position
in the realm.
▪ In A.D. 959, General Zhao Kuangyin became Emperor
Song. Emperor Song knew that his "friends" in the army
would chew him up like meat, and if he somehow
survived, his "friends" in the government would have him
for supper. Emperor Song persuaded his generals to
retire to a life of nobility and give up their dreams of
grabbing his throne one day. He spared those who
conspired against him, and was able to win over enemies
with his generosity. Song was finally able to break the
pattern of coups, violence, and civil war—the Song
Dynasty ruled China for more man three hundred years.
Tariq Al-Basha @ albashatariq@outlook.com 5

6. LESSONS FOR
WORKING WITH
FRIENDS AND
ENEMIES
▪ Friends will not openly disagree with you
in order to avoid arguments.
▪ Enemies expect nothing so they will be
surprised when you are generous.
▪ An enemy spared the guillotine will be
more grateful to you than a friend.
▪ When you decide to hire a friend you will
discover qualities she has kept hidden, be
on the lookout for any signs of emotional
disturbance such as envy and ingratitude.
▪ Skill and competence are more important
than friendly feelings.
▪ Hiring friends will limit your power.
▪ All working situations require a kind of
distance between people.
▪ You destroy an enemy when you make a
friend of him.
▪ An enemy at your heels keeps you sharp,
alert, and focused.
Tariq Al-Basha @ albashatariq@outlook.com 6