Transcripts:
[Music] Look, I'm going to be straight with you. What I am about to teach you in the next 15 minutes will fundamentally change how you see every human interaction for the rest of your life. Your father didn't teach you this. Your teachers sure as hell didn't. And most men will go to their graves never understanding these principles.
500 years ago, a man named Nicolo Makaveli wrote down the most dangerous truths about human nature ever documented. Truths so uncomfortable that his book was banned by the Catholic Church. Truths so powerful that every world leader studies them in private while publicly condemning them. And here's the thing that'll blow your mind. These aren't theories.
This is the operating manual for how humans actually work. Not how we pretend to work. Not how we wish we worked. How we actually work. So why didn't your father teach you this? Simple. Because his father didn't teach him. Because we've been programmed to believe that understanding power makes you evil.
that strategic thinking makes you manipulative, that seeing reality clearly makes you cynical. Well, I'm about to make you cynical and powerful and dangerous. Because ignorance isn't virtue, it's weakness. Here's the first truth your father never told you. People are not rational actors seeking their best interests. They are emotional creatures seeking to avoid pain and discomfort.
Makaveli wrote, "Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel." Translation: "People make decisions based on what looks good, not what is good." Watch this play out everywhere. Your friend who asks for dating advice but ignores it because it requires effort.
Your coworker who complains about being broke while buying daily Starbucks. The woman who says she wants a nice guy but consistently chooses the opposite. Here's what this means for you. Never try to logic someone into something. Appeal to their emotions, their image, their immediate gratification. Want to influence someone? Don't tell them what's best for them.
Show them what makes them feel better about themselves. Most men try to win arguments with facts. Alpha males win by understanding that facts don't change minds, feelings do. The man who masters this controls every room he enters. Your father probably taught you that loyalty is everything. That you should be loyal to your friends, your company, your woman.
Makaveli had different ideas. He said, "Since love and fear can hardly exist together. If we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than love." Here's the brutal reality. Loyalty without reciprocity is just being used. Think about the most successful men you know. Are they blindly loyal? Hell no. They're strategically loyal.
They understand that loyalty is a two-way street. And the moment someone breaks that contract, all bets are off. That friend who only calls when he needs something, he's not loyal to you. That company that preaches family values while laying people off, they're not loyal to you. That woman who keeps her options open while expecting your commitment, she's not loyal to you.
Be generous with your loyalty, but ruthless about withdrawing it. A man who continues to give loyalty where it's not returned isn't noble. He's a fool. And fools get walked on. Makaveli's lesson. Inspire loyalty through strength and value, not through weakness and need. Here's something your father definitely didn't teach you.
Your reputation isn't about being liked. It's about being respected. Makaveli understood this better than anyone. Everyone sees what you appear to be. Few experience what you really are. Translation: perception is reality in human interactions. Most men think authenticity means showing everything about yourself.
Wrong. Strategic authenticity means controlling what people see while remaining true to your core. You know what's interesting? The men who complain about being misunderstood are usually the ones with the weakest reputations. They think if people just knew the real them, everything would change. Here's the truth they can't handle.
The real you isn't what matters. What matters is the version of you that serves your goals. Want to be seen as competent? Never complain about problems, only present solutions. Want to be seen as valuable? Don't always be available. Scarcity creates value. Want to be seen as powerful? Never explain your decisions to people who can't affect your life.
Consistency plus mystery plus controlled vulnerability equals magnetic reputation. Your father probably taught you to avoid conflict, to be peaceful, to try to get along with everyone. Makaveli said the opposite. There is no avoiding war. It can only be postponed to the advantage of others. what this really means.
Conflict isn't something that happens to you. It's something that's always happening around you. And if you're not prepared, you're already losing. Every successful man I know understands this principle. They're not looking for fights, but they're never surprised by them. They prepare for confrontation during times of peace.
In your career, someone is always trying to take your position. In relationships, there's always another man willing to take your place. In social situations, there's always someone testing your boundaries. Don't start wars, but always be ready to finish them. The man who is prepared for conflict rarely has to engage in it.
Why? Because people sense his readiness and choose easier targets. Build your skills when you don't need them. Save money when you're making it. Network when you don't need favors. Stay in shape when you're not being threatened. Mchavelli's wisdom. The lion cannot protect himself from traps and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves.
One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten wolves. Be both. Here's the biggest lie your father probably told you. Just be nice and people will like you. Wrong. Makaveli understood the difference between being nice and being good. Being nice is about avoiding discomfort. Being good is about doing what's right, even when it's hard.
You want to know why women say they want nice guys but date bad boys? Because they confuse nice with weak. They confuse agreeable with good. Nice guys avoid difficult conversations. Good men have them. Nice guys say what people want to hear. Good men say what people need to hear. Nice guys seek approval.
Good men earn respect. Look at any powerful man, CEOs, presidents, champions. Are they nice? Not in the way most people define it. They're fair. They're just. They help others. But they're not people pleasers. They're not afraid of disappointing people who don't matter. Strength with kindness is attractive. Weakness with niceness is repulsive.
You can be kind without being weak. You can be good without being nice. Mchaveli's insight, men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions. Don't be the victim. Be the man who sees clearly. So, here we are. I've just given you five truths that will make you see human nature differently forever.
Your father didn't teach you these because he probably didn't know them himself. Our society doesn't teach them because they want men who are predictable, manageable, and weak. But you're not weak anymore. You understand that people are emotional, not rational, that loyalty must be earned and reciprocated, that reputation is strategic, that conflict is inevitable, that strength and goodness are not opposites.
This isn't about becoming manipulative. It's about becoming unmovable. It's about understanding the game everyone else is playing while pretending they're not playing it. It is better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both. But above all, never be ignored. You now have the knowledge to never be ignored again. Use it wisely.
And remember, I probably shouldn't have taught you this, but here we are. If this opened your eyes to something you've never seen before, you need to subscribe right now, because this is just the beginning. I'm going to show you the strategic thinking patterns that separate the 1% from everyone else. And if you're ready to dive deeper into the psychology of power and influence, check out the next video where I break down Makaveli's most dangerous principle, how to make people desperate to earn your approval. But don't watch it if you're
not ready to see how deep this rabbit hole goes.