Law 21: Play A Sucker To Catch A Sucker — Seem Dumber Than Your Mark

48 Laws Of Power Summary Series

Judgement

“No one likes feeling stupider than the next person. The trick, then, is to make your victims feel smart — and not just smart, but smarter than you are. Once convinced of this, they will never suspect that you may have ulterior motives.”

Keys To Power

This feeling is especially prevalent in the insecure who feel inferior to their surroundings. Many will condemn the skills and accomplishments of others by using justifications that placate their ego and satisfy their self worth. They’ll say things like,

“She only has book knowledge, I got real knowledge.”