Life According to Machiavelli: A User’s Guide to Getting What You Want Without Feeling Bad About It
By Mike Walk (or some poor soul who read The Prince too many times)
As a Christian man, it is plumb difficult to balance being a foll'wer of Christ with being a wild-eyed Machiavellian. But, through lots of prayer and devious planning, it can be done.
Some people say, “Be kind to others and life will reward you.” These people are now broke, tired, and on their third “temporary” roommate who eats their cereal without permission. Others say, “Be Machiavellian—cunning, strategic, and ruthless.” Those people are running companies, dating supermodels, and somehow never paying for their own drinks.
So, in the spirit of personal advancement—and maybe just a smidge of self-respect—let’s explore how you too can take a Machiavellian approach to life, without actually joining the mafia or becoming a Bond villain (unless that’s your thing; I’m not here to judge).
Step 1: Stop Caring About Being Liked
Machiavelli once famously said, “It’s better to be feared than loved, if you can’t be both.” Modern translation: Stop crying because Jane from accounting didn’t invite you to her dog’s birthday party. Fear works. People respect fear. Nobody respects the office pushover, except to ask them to cover a Saturday shift “just this once” for the 47th time.
Pro tip: “Fear” doesn’t have to mean you keep a snake in your desk drawer (though, admittedly, that would be kind of awesome). It can simply mean that people know you’re not afraid to say “No” with the icy tone of someone who’s just read their electric bill.
Step 2: Control the Narrative (a.k.a. Become a Spin Master)
The truth is important… to historians. For the rest of us, the truth is negotiable. If you’re late to work, it’s not because you overslept; it’s because you “took a little extra time meditating on today’s priorities to maximize productivity.”
Machiavelli knew that whoever controls the story controls the power. This is why politicians can say, “I didn’t fail—I learned a valuable lesson,” and somehow keep their job. You can too. All you need is confidence, a straight face, and the unshakable ability to pretend the thing that just happened is exactly what you planned all along.
Step 3: Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Employed Elsewhere
You’ve heard the phrase, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” This is terrible advice unless you enjoy ulcers. Your enemies will sabotage you if you give them the chance—so don’t. Instead, send them away with glowing references. Make them somebody else’s problem. This isn’t just cunning; it’s community service.
Meanwhile, keep your friends nearby, but not so close they think they can borrow your car “for just a week.”
Step 4: The Art of Calculated Niceness
Machiavelli never said you have to be mean all the time. In fact, an occasional burst of generosity can be a strategic power move. Bring donuts to the office once and you’re the hero for a week. Do it every day, and you’re the “donut guy” who people stop appreciating somewhere around day five.
The key is timing. Be nice when it serves a purpose, not just because you read a motivational coffee mug.
Step 5: Play Chess While Everyone Else Plays Candy Crush
Life is a game of chess, not checkers. You need strategy, patience, and the ability to think five moves ahead—because everyone else is busy thinking about lunch.
Your coworkers might be planning the next company picnic; you’re planning how that picnic will subtly lead to your promotion. While they’re Instagramming the potato salad, you’re introducing yourself to the CEO’s spouse and mentioning your “innovative vision” for the department.
Step 6: Remember—It’s All a Performance
Machiavelli knew leaders were actors, and so are you. You don’t need an actual crown to run your personal kingdom—just the ability to convincingly play the part. If you want people to think you’re confident, walk into a room like you own the place. If you want them to think you’re a genius, occasionally say, “Interesting…” and then wander away like you’re going to solve quantum physics in the break room.
Closing Thoughts
Taking a Machiavellian approach to life isn’t about being evil—it’s about being strategic. Think of it as self-defense in a world where half the people will walk all over you if you let them, and the other half will try to sell you essential oils while doing it.
You don’t have to manipulate, deceive, or dominate all the time. Just enough so that you can live your life without being the human equivalent of the free samples table at Costco.
So go ahead—be bold, be cunning, be charming, and, above all, be in control. And if anyone accuses you of being Machiavellian, just smile sweetly and say, “That’s food for thought.”
Quotes to live by:
It is better to be feared than loved, if you can't be both.
The world is not ruled by the loveable but by the unreadable.
People follow those who they can't predict (read).
Being liked is cheap, but being respected is invaluable.
The world rewards the strategic, not the sincere.
You are what people see.
Kindness doesn't earn respect, it earns usury.
Say Less, Gain More.
Unpredictability is the Most Feared Weapon Of All.
Respect Is Earned In Your Absence.
The Calm Mind Rules The Storm.
Patience allows You To Strike At The Right Moment.
Being virtuous is not nearly as important as APPEARING to be virtuous.
You aren't Weak. You just lack a strategy.
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How to control someone:
Rule 01 – Let Them Believe They’re Free. Don't give orders. Give options.
Rule 02 – Control the Frame, Then Speak the Facts.
Rule 03 – Mirror Their Fear, Then Redirect It. Turn fear into motivation
Rule 04 – Make Them Believe the Idea Was Theirs.
Rule 05 – Tie Their Identity to Your Influence
Rule 06 – Control the Rhythm.
Rule 07 – Build Silence Into Your Presence.
Rule 08 – Use Reputation as a Decoy.
Rule 09 – Influence the Influencer.
Rule 10 – Disarm Them with a Shared Weakness.
Rule 11 – Control Their Future by Framing Their Past.
Rule 12 – Reward Them with Positioning, Not Praise.
Rule 13 – Control Minds by Controlling What They Fear to Lose.
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