A trick to be aware of comes from La Rochefoucauld, who wrote, “Sincerity is found in very few men, and is often the cleverest of ruses—one is sincere in order to draw out the confidence and secrets of the other.”
Daily Law: By pretending to bare their heart to you, clever nonplayers know they make it more likely that you will reveal your own secrets. They give you a false confession in hopes that you will give them a real one.
The 48 Laws of Power
, Law 14: Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy
THE VILLAIN DOESN’T THINK HE’S THE VILLAIN When you read these lines from Aaron Sorkin’s A Few Good Men , see them, if you can, as honorable and noble and coming from a posture of pure, selfless patr iotism. COL. JESSUP (JACK NIC HOLSON) Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You?…I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon, and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entit led to. Black Irish JAB #7, “Bad Guys, Pa rt One” In the villain’s eyes, he’s th e hero. To him, the hero is the v illain. The Bad Guy is just following his own moral vision of reality. He’s just trying to do h is job.
The manner of one’s death can be in accord with the manner of one’s life, and therefore it can be a moral action.
An animal simply dies, but a human should return his soul to its creator.
—HENRI AMIEL
Christ’s greatest words were said immediately before his death, when he forgave his persecutors, who did not understand what they did.
The words and actions of a dying person have great power over people, and thus it is important both to live a good life and to die in a good way.
A good death takes away the sins of a bad life.
During the minutes of death, a person can see a candle, in the light of which he reads the book of a life filled with problems, lies, evils, and misfortunes.
And, in the minutes of dying, this candle lights up all the world with a very bright and clear light, and brightens up all the corners of a person’s life, even those corners which were always covered with darkness; and then it makes some slight noise, and the light goes down and disappears forever.
When you get ready to die, do not worry about the usual things, like following rituals or taking care of everyday business.
Be prepared so that you can die in the best way possible.
Use all the mighty influence of those powerful strong minutes of death, when a person exists partially in the other world, and his words and deeds have special power over those who remain in this world.