Law 47: Do Not go Past The Mark You Aimed For, In Victory Learn When To Stop

The 48 Laws Of Power Summary Series

Alexander Emmanual Sandalis

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Judgement

“The moment of victory is often the moment of greatest peril. In the heat of victory, arrogance and overconfidence can push you past the goal you had aimed for, and by going too far, you make more enemies than you defeat. Do not allow success to go to your head. There is no substitute for strategy and careful planning. Set a goal, and when you reach it, stop.”

There’s a particular quote by Socrates that echoes this sentiment.

This means not getting to high or too low — stay unwavered to avoid reacting out of emotion.

The most common thing people try to avoid is staying too low — the depressive emotions. People are quick come to come to someone’s aid to try and lift you up. But how often do people come in a moment of great achievement to help you bring your emotions back down to neutral? Some may think, ‘but why would you want to bring someone down from the high of an achievement?’. It’s not about stopping the elated feelings of achievement, rather it’s about mitigating the potential character defemating effects of letting success get to your head.

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Alexander Emmanual Sandalis

Self-reflective writings & book summaries on philosophy, psychology and human behaviour. Video’s + podcast → youtube.com/emmanualalexander