The 48 Laws of Power: Law 6 Summary & Analysis

Court attention at all cost. Greene contends that because appearance is everything, it’s important to stand out and attract as much attention as possible, even with scandal. P. T. Barnum, for example, made people so angry that he was once almost lynched by a mob, but this attraction of scandalous attention, particularly the beginning of his career, helped him to seem more legitimate later.

Greene recommends finding a peculiar way to dress, perhaps even one that is controversial and seems to be bad. He advises to never discriminate between good attention and bad attention. Thomas Edison kept himself constantly in the public eye to fund his many projects.

Still, while attention is important, it’s also important to cultivate an air of mystery, since an enigma can also intrigue people. A woman known only as the Mata Hari gained fame in Paris for her Indian-inspired dances that supposedly ended with her in the nude. Only much later, after she was arrested and executed for being a German spy, did it come out that she was from Holland and had no Indian heritage at all. The Mata Hari was never the best dancer, but people were intrigued by the mystery about her.

Greene says that mysteries don’t have to be big and awe-inspiring—even everyday mysteries can intrigue people. The principle remains true, whether for serious artists or con artists. Mystery can make the mediocre more interesting. When you feel cornered, you can sometimes get out of a bad situation by doing something unexpected or inexplicable. This law of attracting attention, while vital at the beginning of a career, may have exceptions later on. It’s important not to wear the public out or appear too eager for attention, which comes off as insecurity.