The key to such power is ambiguity. In a society where the roles everyone plays are obvious, the refusal to conform to any standard will excite inter… - 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.

Such is the fate, in some form or other, of all those who unbalance the master’s sense of self, poke holes in his vanity, or make him doubt his pre-eminence.

Not to become someone else, but to be more thoroughly yourself.

Dreaming first of what you want and then trying to find the means to reach it is a recipe for exhaustion, waste, and defeat.