Robert Greene’s Speech at Yale (transcript)

Robert Greene · c. 2010

The piece opens with

Accepting life's realities brings success and power; denying or running from them does not

Their wordsMy idea is that to the degree that you accept these realities in life, you are going to be successful and powerful. And to the degree that you deny them and you avoid them and you hate them and you are miserable about them and you try and run away, you are not going to have success in life.

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Our reading
Accepting life's realities brings success and power; denying or running from them does not

Their wordsMy idea is that to the degree that you accept these realities in life, you are going to be successful and powerful. And to the degree that you deny them and you avoid them and you hate them and you are miserable about them and you try and run away, you are not going to have success in life.
Our reading
Humans are by nature the Machiavellian animal, the product of 40 million years of evolution from primates

Their wordsWe are, by our nature, the Machiavellian animal. It is 40 million years of evolution starting from primates back then to who we are now.
Our reading
There is nothing wrong with people playing political games or with seducers and con artists; it is just reality

Their wordsThere is nothing wrong with the fact that in this world people are playing political games. There is nothing wrong with the fact that there are seducers and con artists and it is going on all the time. It is just reality.
Our reading
The more you bring out your uniqueness and individuality, the more power you will have

Their wordsAnd to the extent that you bring out your uniqueness in life, that you become more of an individual, that you bring more of your individuality into play, the more power you are going to have.
Our reading
No job or boss protects you any more; self-reliance and expressing individuality are the only way to power

Their wordsYou no longer can depend on anybody and any job or your boss protecting you. We are all dealing with a world that is so much more insecure, where we have to learn these self-reliant skills, where putting out our individuality is the only way we are going to get power in this world.

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