The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World

185 Pages·2007·1.81 MB·English

by  Craig Crawford

The Politics of Life

The Politics of Life
25 Rules for Survival
in a Brutal and
Manipulative
World
C R A I G C R A W F O R D
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Published in the United States of America
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Copyright © 2007 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
First Paperback Edition 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The hardback edition of this book was previously cataloged
by the Library of Congress as follows:
Crawford, Craig, 1956-
The politics of life : 25 rules for survival in a brutal and
manipulative world / Craig Crawford.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Conduct of life. I. Title.
BJ1521.C73 2007
158.2—dc22 2006034664
ISBN: 978-0-7425-5250-0 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN: 978-0-7425-5251-7 (pbk : alk. paper)
ISBN: 978-0-4422-1297-8 (electronic)
Printed in the United States of America
°°™The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence
of Paperfor Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Dedicated to my editor, David Blank, for his
keen eye and gentle ways;
to my agent, Diane Nine, for nudging me forward;
to my parents, Bill and Toby, for their
patience and courage; and
to the kind and generous people of
Lost River, West Virginia, for knowing exactly
how to treat a struggling writer.

Contents
Foreword• ix
Introduction• xv
rule 1 Life Is a Filthy Battle for Control • 1
rule 2 Better to Boldly Assert Than Cautiously Deny • 8
rule 3 Love Helps, but Fear Motivates • 13
rule 4 Popular Lies Beat Unpopular Truth • 19
rule 5 Ambition Is Never Satisfied • 25
rule 6 Only the Flexible Succeed • 31
rule 7 Better to Imitate a Winner Than Be
an Original Loser • 37
rule 8 Never Keep Your Word If Circumstances Change • 43
rule 9 To Control Others, First Walk in Their Shoes • 49
rule 10 The More Visible Your Power, the More Its
Limits Are Known • 55
rule 11 Arrogance Makes an Easy Target • 62
rule 12 Most Would Rather Follow a Leader Than
Lead a Following • 69
rule 13 Those Who Prefer to Lead a Following
Cannot Be Trusted • 75
Contents
rule 14 Never Seek a Favor That Could Cost Too
Much to Return • 81
rule 15 Leading the Way for Change Seldom Pays • 87
rule 16 Wanting Power Requires Less Intelligence
ThanSeeking Power • 94
rule 17 Those Who Are Dependent on You
WillBetheMostFaithful • 100
rule 18 A True Enemy Should Be Eliminated,
NeverTolerated • 107
rule 19 In Dealing with Passive Aggression,
BeMorePassiveand More Aggressive • 113
rule 20 Victory Can Sometimes Be Concealed
inCompromise • 120
rule 21 Implement Painful Choices Quickly
toMinimizetheEffects • 126
rule 22 Distribute Rewards Slowly
to Prolong the Effects • 132
rule 23 Allowing Others to Speak Truthfully
DiminishesTheir Respect for You • 138
rule 24 Never Postpone Inevitable Conflict • 144
rule 25 The Powerful Never Give Up Control;
ItMustBeTaken Away • 150
Index• 157
About the Author• 165
viii
Foreword
To: President Barack Obama
From: “Niccolo Machiavelli”
U
pon the occasion of your
plans for another term in office, Mr. President, and wishing
now myself to offer some proof of my admiration for this
fine book of rules based upon my own writings nearly five
centuries ago, I present here my estimation of your political
skills.
As I wrote in the dedication to my book of instruction,
The Prince, I have found “nothing amongst all I possess that I
hold more dear or esteem more highly than the knowledge of
the actions of great men, which I have acquired by long ex-
perience of modern affairs and a continued study of ancient
history.”
I maintain no quarrel with the essential rules for the
common man crafted in Mr. Crawford’s book, The Politics of
Life, and naturally I am flattered by my devoted student’s
many references to my works. But unlike him, my own med-
itations on the subject of power exclusively attend to those
who hold or seek control of the seats of government.
Still, I applaud Mr. Crawford’s guide to the practice of
politics for those of more humble station, from those who