Rule #2: Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn to use Enemies

Law 2

Never put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn how to use Enemies

"Be wary of friends-they will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy.  They also become spoiled and tyrannical. But hire a former enemy and he will be more loyal than a friend, because he has more to prove.  In fact, you have more to fear from friends than from enemies.  If you have no enemies, find a way to make them."

This was the second rule written by Robert Greene and a very important one that should be practiced by those who want to maintain their power.  It sounds very harsh when you first think about it, "Why shouldn't I trust my friends?  They're always there for me."  Actually, in reality, it can be dangerous game to play since if you rely on your friends too much to build you power, you end up losing a lot of it in most times to disappointments which actually may end up breaking your friendship.

" Thus for my own part I have more than once been deceived by the person I loved most and of whose love, above everyone else's, I have been most confident.  So that I believe that it may be right to love and serve one person above all others, according to merit and worth but never to trust so much in this tempting trap of a friendship as to have cause to repent of it later on. "

Baldassare Castiglione
1478-1529

Learning to use your enemies instead of your friends gives you a whole new degree of power, and this is why: Enemies are at least truthful in the fact that they dislike you, and are likely to show their emotions openly towards you.  Friends, on the other hand, tend to brush thing under the rug about the qualities they dislike to soften the harshness and avoid conflict.  Do we really know our friends as well as we believe?  Sometimes we laugh extra hard at each others jokes to keep each other happy, and act happy when they succeed, but deep down feel envy eating away inside.  

Basically, when you hire your friends, they will very likely limit your power because they feel like they are condescending to your whim, which is the very last thing they want to do.  "Keep friends for friendship, but work with the skilled and the competent."  If you lucky and your friends are both skilled and competent, then go ahead, but still be wary of the complications that may ensue in the struggle to obtain a balance in power.

"Your enemies, on the other hand, are an untapped gold mine that you must learn to exploit."  There are many lessons in history that dictate this point, and it also occurs regularly in movies, novels, video games, and more. The reason why this has always been a key to power is because you are essentially killing two birds with one stone.  By befriending your enemy, he no longer becomes a danger to you, and he can also further your cause further in your quest for power.

For instance, Kobe and Shaq were enemies in the past, they hated each other and it seemed that they would not be able to play well as team mates.  After overcoming this obstacle, they went on to win championships and proved this laws effectiveness yet again.

Remember that in your quest for power, it is sometimes difficult to discern between your friends and your enemies, but you can always reap benefits from either party if you are careful and not let your emotions cloud your judgement.