The 48 Laws of Power

Parents teach us how to speak in a year. But we must spend a lifetime learning how to be silent. When you try to use language to impress others, the more you speak, the more mediocre you appear, and the more mistakes you make. This is roughly the meaning of “language carries Zen insight”: the less one speaks, the more unknown there is, and humans are naturally fearful of the unknown.

Everyone is like Wu Dalang; when running a business, they dislike having staff who are taller than them. Like Liu Bang, there are too few people capable of being managed who are superior to oneself, so you won’t encounter them. Since the vast majority of leaders are Wu Dalang, when you showcase your abilities, you risk making them wary of you.