Law 19 of 48
Do Not Offend the Wrong Person.
Be cautious not to offend individuals who hold significant influence or power. Offending the wrong person can lead to severe consequences, such as damaged relationships or retaliation. Exercise diplomacy and tact when interacting with others.
Independent commentary on a principle popularised in The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the authors or their publishers.
What it actually means
The cost of a slight has nothing to do with how minor it felt to you. Some people absorb an insult and some file it, and the ones who file it are rarely the obvious authority figures. Judge who you are dealing with rather than how small the offence looks from your side.
Where you would have seen it
You are short with the office manager over a room booking on a bad morning. Months later every request of yours takes a week, no rule has been broken anywhere, and there is nothing you can point to.
Try it today
Name one person you were curt with this month who holds no formal power over you. Apologise plainly today, with no explanation attached.
Where this shows up
Law 19 tends to come up in these parts of life. Follow a path to read the other laws that belong with it:
Friends & Family · At Work · Persuasion
Laws that go with it
If law 19 landed, these are the entries people usually read next — they cover overlapping ground: law 14, law 16, law 2.
Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy.
Some warmth is reconnaissance.
Friends & FamilyAt WorkPersuasionLaw 16Use Absence to Increase Respect and Honor.
Constant availability gets priced accordingly.
Friends & FamilyPersuasionAt WorkLaw 2Never Put too Much Trust in Friends, Learn How to Use Enemies.
Friendship makes obligations invisible: nobody states the terms, so nobody can be held to them.
Friends & FamilyAt Work