Law 32 of 48
Play to People's Fantasies.
Appeal to people's desires and fantasies to gain their favor and loyalty. By understanding their dreams and aspirations, you can manipulate their perceptions and behaviors. Craft narratives and experiences that fulfill their deepest wishes and fantasies.
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
People will pay more to keep a hope alive than to fix the problem in front of them, and anyone selling can feel that. The defence is noticing when an offer answers your daydream rather than your situation. What is sound underneath is that a dull truth still needs a picture people can want.
Where you would have seen it
A gym sells you a membership by describing who you will be in June, never the four cold mornings a week that get you there. You sign in a good mood, stop going within a month, and still feel vaguely grateful to them.
Try it today
Before your next large purchase, write down the exact outcome you are buying and the work it will require of you. Buy only if you still want it.
Where this shows up
Law 32 tends to come up in these parts of life. Follow a path to read the other laws that belong with it:
Laws that go with it
If law 32 landed, these are the entries people usually read next — they cover overlapping ground: law 6, law 3, law 4.
Create an Air of Mystery.
Interest survives where explanation stops, which is why the person who narrates every thought becomes furniture.
PersuasionComposureLaw 3Conceal Your Intentions.
There is a difference between lying about what you want and simply not announcing it before it is ready.
At WorkPersuasionLaw 4Always Say Less than Necessary.
People hear a pause as composure and fill it in your favour; they hear volume as need.
NegotiatingComposure