Welcome to MALICIA AS A GAME OF POWER, a blog series that delves deeply into the intricate strategies of human interactions, encompassing a wide range of topics including communication, conflict resolution, negotiation, and manipulation. This series not only discusses the nuances of leadership and personal branding but also explores the crucial aspect of online reputation management in today’s digital landscape. By providing a rich collection of practical strategies aimed at enhancing influence and fostering meaningful relationship-building, it equips readers with the tools necessary to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics. Moreover, through thorough analysis and a diverse array of examples drawn from real-life scenarios, the series aspires to empower readers, enabling them to master the art of successfully navigating interpersonal relationships and emerging stronger in their personal and professional lives.
In this installment, we will explore the 38th law of power in the book, the 48 laws of power by Robert Greene. You can buy a copy by clicking HERE.
Law 38: Think as you like but behave like others
Expressing individuality can be a double-edged sword. While it’s natural to want to showcase what makes you unique, an overt display of unconventionality can sometimes be perceived negatively by others. Instead of appreciating your distinctiveness, people might interpret it as a deliberate attempt to draw attention, leading to reactions ranging from dismissal to outright hostility. This negative perception can stem from a feeling of inadequacy in others; if your uniqueness highlights their perceived conformity, they might resent you for it. This can easily spiral into a cycle where judgment from one side fuels resentment in the other, creating a barrier to genuine connection and understanding.
Society, with its ingrained norms and expectations, often exerts a powerful pressure to conform. From educational institutions to professional environments, and even within social circles, there are unspoken rules about how to behave, dress, and think. While these norms can provide a sense of order and shared identity, they can also stifle personal expression. When someone deviates too far from these established patterns, they risk facing backlash. This can manifest as social exclusion, criticism, or even professional setbacks. In a world that often rewards blending in – where fitting neatly into predefined categories can open doors and smooth paths – the prospect of facing such consequences can be a strong deterrent to truly being oneself.
Consequently, many individuals find it easier, and at times strategically wiser, to suppress their true selves. This doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning one’s core identity, but rather carefully curating how that identity is presented to the world. It involves making conscious choices about when and where to express certain aspects of one’s personality, and when to adapt to the prevailing social climate. The ultimate goal then becomes finding a delicate balance: one that allows for authentic self-expression without alienating those around you. This nuanced approach recognizes that fostering acceptance among peers and within broader society can sometimes require a degree of adaptation, ensuring that one’s uniqueness is celebrated rather than penalized. It’s about navigating the social landscape with an understanding that while individuality is valuable, its presentation can significantly impact how it’s received.
The 38th Law of Power, as described in Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power, is “Think As You Like But Behave Like Others.”
This law advises individuals to keep their true thoughts, beliefs, and unconventional ideas private, and instead, outwardly conform to the prevailing customs, traditions, and opinions of the people around them. The core rationale is that by openly displaying nonconformity or radical thinking, one risks alienating others, arousing suspicion, and being labeled a troublemaker, which ultimately restricts one’s freedom to operate and advance. The Law encourages adopting a protective social camouflage—a mask of conventionality—to blend in.
How to Use the 38th Law of Power Ethically
Applying the 38th Law ethically centers on using the prescribed outward conformity as a tool for peaceful coexistence, effective communication, and positive influence, rather than as a means of deceit or cynical manipulation. The ethical use recognizes that outward social harmony is often necessary to achieve a greater good, or to simply function in a complex society, without compromising one’s core integrity or independent thought.1. Fostering Respectful Dialogue and Understanding
- Ethical Principle: Use conformity to build trust and open doors, not to exploit naivety.
- Application: When entering a new social or professional environment with radically different values or deeply entrenched customs (e.g., a foreign culture, a traditional corporation, or a specific community), temporary outward compliance shows respect. By honoring the group’s rituals and avoiding confrontational displays of difference, you establish rapport. This conformity is a necessary prerequisite for genuine, constructive dialogue. Once trust is established, your carefully selected non-conforming ideas will be received as thoughtful input, not as a hostile critique.
2. Prioritizing the Message Over the Messenger’s Ego
- Ethical Principle: The true value of an idea or a necessary change is more important than personal recognition for radical thinking.
- Application: If you possess a brilliant, innovative, or controversial idea that could genuinely benefit an organization or a community, presenting it in a familiar, conventional framework makes it palatable. Ethical use involves “translating” the radical idea into the group’s existing language, values, and accepted norms. You are conforming the presentation style, not the idea’s substance. This allows the group to adopt the beneficial idea without being threatened by the source’s unconventional nature.
3. Protecting Independence for Self-Improvement
- Ethical Principle: Shielding one’s inner world allows for independent moral and intellectual development without societal interference.
- Application: The ethical use of “Think As You Like” means preserving the mental space to challenge your own assumptions, engage in critical thinking, and form genuine moral conclusions without the pressure of immediate social judgment. Outward conformity provides a protective shield, conserving mental energy that would otherwise be spent defending unconventional thoughts. This conserved energy can then be directed toward ethical, self-driven growth, enabling you to become a more thoughtful and principled person whose eventual actions, once deemed necessary, are backed by deeply considered independent thought.
4. Avoiding Unnecessary Conflict and Promoting Social Lubrication
- Ethical Principle: Choose your battles wisely, saving genuine nonconformity for issues of true moral substance.
- Application: Much of social conformity involves minor, morally neutral behaviors (e.g., dress code, small talk topics, scheduling preferences). Ethically, it is acceptable and even beneficial to conform in these superficial areas simply to “lubricate” social interactions and avoid petty, distracting conflicts. This is not deceit; it is social efficiency. By conforming to low-stakes conventions, you preserve your credibility and political capital for the few, critical moments when you must, for ethical reasons, choose to stand apart and risk the consequences of nonconformity.
In summary, the ethical application of the 38th Law is a practice in strategic patience and respectful presentation. It is the conscious choice to meet people where they are (outwardly) in order to eventually lead them to where they need to go (through the gradual, conventional introduction of independent thought).
The 38th Law of Power, often interpreted as “Think as you like but behave like others,” is a complex and often misunderstood principle. In the context of The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene, this law advocates for a strategic kind of intellectual detachment. It suggests that while one should maintain their independent, critical thoughts and unconventional beliefs, they should outwardly conform to the prevailing customs, norms, and religious or social dogmas of the community. This dual existence is a tactical maneuver designed to avoid unnecessary conflict, suspicion, or alienation from the very people whose goodwill or obedience one might eventually need. The core idea is that displaying unconventional thoughts or a lack of respect for tradition will only earn one enemies and the reputation of a dangerous eccentric, undermining their ability to exert influence.
…through the eyes of an angoleiro
To interpret this law “through the eyes of an angoleiro” adds a profound layer of meaning, specifically drawing on the philosophy, history, and practice of Capoeira Angola. An angoleiro is a practitioner, and often a master (mestre), of Capoeira Angola, the older, more traditional, and philosophical form of the Afro-Brazilian art.
For an angoleiro, the 38th Law is not just about avoiding trouble; it is a fundamental principle of the game (jogo), survival, and mastery.
- The Malandragem of the Game: The angoleiro operates with malandragem—a concept that encompasses cunning, street-smarts, and strategic ambiguity. The core of Capoeira Angola is deception. The body is low to the ground, appearing slow, vulnerable, and non-threatening. This “behaving like others” (i.e., appearing humble, perhaps even weak or merely playful) is a facade. Internally, the angoleiro is “thinking as they like”—calculating, anticipating, and ready to explode with a disruptive movement (golpe) at the perfect moment. They hide their true power and intention behind the smile, the slow rhythm (ginga), and the ritualized obedience to the roda (the circle).
- Respect for Tradition and the Mask of Humility: Capoeira Angola is steeped in tradition, ritual, and a strict hierarchy. The angoleiro will show absolute respect for the mestre, the berimbau (the lead instrument), and the specific structure of the roda. This outward adherence to form is essential for credibility and acceptance. If they openly challenged the tradition or displayed arrogance—the opposite of conformity—they would be cast out. Their internal “thought” might be innovative, planning a new combination or subtly challenging a peer, but their external “behavior” is always one of deference and belonging.
- Survival in a Hostile Environment: Historically, Capoeira was persecuted and outlawed in Brazil. The capoeiristas had to “think as they liked” (develop a potent, subversive, and beautiful fighting system) while “behaving like others” (disguising their fighting as a dance, a folk-play, or a simple game). This dual nature was their life-saving camouflage. The angoleiro understands this history of necessary concealment deeply. Their art is a hidden weapon, cloaked in song, poetry, and a seemingly playful performance.
- The Secret of the Axé (Life Force): The angoleiro knows that true power (Axé) is accumulated slowly, through years of discipline, observation, and internal refinement. They do not advertise their knowledge or seek external validation through flashy displays. The roda is their laboratory for independent thought, but the jogo must be played within the accepted parameters of tradition to preserve the Axé of the art itself.
In essence, for the angoleiro, the 38th Law is not a cynical manipulation but a wise strategy of concealment, allowing the true, unique, and powerful self to develop without the external pressures of immediate judgment or confrontation. They conform on the surface to maintain their freedom to innovate and thrive in the depths.
Jogo Corpo Fechado 