This chapter explores how to recognize the strategies being used against you, when to implement your own, and how to adapt your approach to maximize effectiveness.
Mastering Strategies
Power is Not Just Taken—It is Orchestrated.
They want you always reacting, emotional, impulsive, and chaotic. This way you’re acting from a place of fear, rather than strategy. Because real power belongs not to those who shout the loudest or strike the hardest. It belongs to those who see the entire board, who plan ten moves ahead, who maneuver unseen while others are still deciding whether to act at all.
They have a strategy, for every occasion and every interaction. They don’t act randomly. Every policy, every restriction, every shift in power is calculated. The laws they pass today are designed to lay the groundwork for the ones they will pass tomorrow.
If you’re not thinking in the same way—if you’re only reacting to what is happening in this moment—you’re already behind.
Why You Need a Strategy—And More Than One
They don’t expect you to be a strategist. They don’t expect you to play the long game. This is why strategy is so important. But knowing one strategy is not enough. As the adage says, “If you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” To be truly powerful, you must be fluent in many strategies, so that no matter the situation, you have the right tool at hand.
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A strategy keeps you from wasting energy. Not every fight is worth your time.
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A strategy keeps you unpredictable. If they cannot anticipate your moves, they cannot counter them.
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A strategy makes you more dangerous. It turns your resistance into something with direction, with force, with purpose.
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A vast knowledge of strategies makes you adaptable. When one method fails, another can take its place.
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Knowing how strategies work lets you recognize when they are being used against you. If you see the move, you can counter it.
Strategic Systems You Must Understand
Different battles require different tools. If you only understand one system, you become predictable—easy to counter, easy to defeat. But if you study them all, you become impossible to anticipate. Strategy and game theory are the foundation of this knowledge.
Game theory is the study of strategic decision-making—how individuals, businesses, and nations make choices when their success depends on the choices of others. It helps you anticipate behavior in both competitive and cooperative situations, whether in war, business, or daily life.
Many of the most influential books on strategy and game theory are in the public domain, available for free as digital copies, or easily accessible through public libraries. If you want to sharpen your strategic mind, start with these essential works.
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The Art of War – Sun Tzu
A timeless guide on strategy, deception, and adaptability in conflict. Sun Tzu’s principles of winning without fighting, exploiting weaknesses, and maintaining flexibility apply not only to warfare but also to business, politics, and personal decision-making.
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The 36 Stratagems – Anonymous
A collection of brilliant, sometimes deceptive tactics used in warfare, politics, and diplomacy. Each stratagem illustrates a different approach to overcoming obstacles, outmaneuvering opponents, and securing victory through cunning rather than brute force.
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The Prince – Niccolò Machiavelli
A pragmatic and ruthless guide to power, Machiavelli outlines how rulers should navigate politics, deception, and public perception to maintain control. Its lessons on leadership, manipulation, and strategic thinking remain influential in business and government.
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The Book of Five Rings – Miyamoto Musashi
Written by a legendary samurai, this book explores combat strategy, discipline, and adaptability. Though rooted in swordsmanship, its lessons on mindset, leadership, and resilience make it highly applicable to business and personal success.
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The Bhagavad Gita - A philosophical and strategic dialogue between Prince Arjuna and Lord Krishna, focusing on duty, leadership, and ethical decision-making. It teaches the importance of acting decisively while remaining detached from personal gain—a crucial lesson in strategy.
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The Icelandic Sagas - Epic historical tales of Viking warriors, leaders, and explorers that offer deep insights into leadership, loyalty, and survival. These stories highlight the strategic decisions that shaped nations and remain relevant for understanding resilience and power dynamics.
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The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist's Guide to Success in Business and Life – Avinash K. Dixit & Barry J. Nalebuff
The best modern introduction to Game Theory, blending real-world examples from business, politics, and sports. It explains strategic decision-making in competitive situations, from corporate negotiations to everyday interactions, in an engaging and accessible way.
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Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life – Avinash K. Dixit & Barry J. Nalebuff
The precursor to The Art of Strategy, this book introduces fundamental Game Theory concepts with a strong focus on strategic decision-making. It breaks down how to anticipate competitors’ moves, create advantages, and maximize outcomes in various fields.
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Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life – Len Fisher
A light, entertaining exploration of Game Theory using everyday situations. Fisher explains strategic interactions and how social cooperation works, making this book an easy and fun introduction to decision science.
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The Compleat Strategyst: Being a Primer on the Theory of Games of Strategy – J.D. Williams
A witty, easy-to-read introduction to Game Theory, originally written for military students. It covers strategic thinking, probability, and logical decision-making with engaging examples that make even complex concepts feel intuitive.
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Game Theory: A Playful Introduction – Matt DeVos & Deborah A. Kent
Uses puzzles, games, and interactive problem-solving exercises to introduce Game Theory concepts. Ideal for those who prefer learning through hands-on examples rather than dry theoretical discussions.
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Prisoner’s Dilemma – William Poundstone
A mix of history and Game Theory, this book explains the famous Prisoner’s Dilemma and its implications for war, business, and psychology. It explores how strategic decision-making has shaped global events, from nuclear deterrence to economic policies.
If you’re not sure where to start, begin with these three essential books. Each one lays a foundation for understanding strategy, power, and decision-making in different ways.
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The Art of War – Sun Tzu
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The Prince – Niccolò Machiavelli
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The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist’s Guide to Success in Business and Life – Avinash K. Dixit & Barry J. Nalebuff
These three books provide a foundation for mastering strategy—one rooted in history, psychology, and modern decision-making. Read them, absorb them, and start thinking like a strategist.
Why You Must Learn Strategy and Game Theory Before It’s Too Late
You don’t need to be a general or a Wall Street shark to understand strategy—you just need to be the average gal living in uncertain times. Whether you like it or not, you’re in a game, and the rules are not in your favor. If you don’t know how to play, you’ll lose before you even realize a battle has begun.
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Because Power is a Rigged Game and You’re Already a Player - Oppressive regimes don’t take power overnight. They chip away at rights, rewrite laws, and shift public opinion one calculated step at a time. If you don’t understand the strategies they’re using, you’ll fall for them. Knowing how power works means seeing the next move before it happens—and stopping it before it’s too late.
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Because Resistance Without Strategy is Just Wasted Energy - Outrage isn’t enough. If anger alone could topple oppressive regimes, history would look very different. Dictatorial leaders expect emotional reactions; they don’t expect calculated, organized opposition. Knowing when to strike, when to hold back, and how to outmaneuver those in power is what separates those who survive from those who get crushed.
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Because Game Theory Teaches You to Predict and Outsmart Opponents - Game theory isn’t just about chess and poker—it’s about understanding human behavior, incentives, and decision-making. Dictators stay in power because they manipulate fear, divide opposition, and bait people into bad choices. Game theory helps you recognize traps before you walk into them and find ways to force your opponent into a losing position without ever throwing a punch.
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Because They Expect You to Be Passive - Oppressive regimes rely on one thing above all: compliance. They assume you’ll obey out of fear, exhaustion, or confusion. But history proves that those who understand the game—who know how to organize, disrupt, and navigate oppressive systems—are the ones who resist most effectively. If you know the playbook, you’re harder to control.
The First Task: Start Thinking Like a Master Strategist
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Pick one ongoing issue in your life or the world around you. What are the long-term consequences of ignoring it? What would a strategic response look like?
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Identify one rule or expectation that keeps people in line. Who benefits from it? How could it be subverted?
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Find one historical example of a successful long-term strategy. What lessons can be applied now?
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Choose a strategy text from the list above and study it. Add it to your arsenal. Learn to use it before you need it.
"Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception."
— Niccolò Machiavelli
Historical Reflection
Queen Nzinga
In the 17th century, as European colonizers descended upon Africa, carving up land and enslaving its people, one ruler stood in their way. Queen Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba did not bow. She did not surrender. She did not fight on their terms. She outmaneuvered them. Through diplomacy, deception, and guerrilla warfare, Nzinga played the Portuguese against their enemies, tricked them into signing deals she never intended to honor, and built an empire they could never conquer.
When Nzinga’s brother, the king of Ndongo, sent her to negotiate peace with the Portuguese in 1624, the governor refused to offer her a chair, forcing her to stand while he sat—a deliberate insult meant to establish dominance. Nzinga did not react. Instead, she ordered one of her attendants to kneel and serve as her throne. She sat, looking the governor in the eye, refusing to be lower than him. Then, she negotiated a peace treaty. The Portuguese signed it—and she never honored a word of it.
When her brother died, Nzinga seized power. The Portuguese expected her to submit. Instead, she waged war on her own terms. She forged alliances with the Dutch, strategically weakening Portugal’s hold on the slave trade. She adopted guerrilla warfare tactics, training her warriors to ambush and disappear into the jungle. She created a sanctuary for runaway slaves, turning former captives into her fiercest fighters. The Portuguese, with all their firepower and military strength, could not defeat her.
For four decades, Nzinga fought, negotiated, and deceived her way to survival. She understood that war is not always fought with weapons—sometimes, it is fought with deception, strategy, and patience. She knew when to negotiate and when to betray. She never fought a battle she could not win. She made the enemy believe they had control—until it was too late.
Nzinga did not just resist colonial rule—she played the colonizers against each other, using their greed, their arrogance, and their assumptions against them. While other kingdoms fell, she endured. While other leaders submitted, she remained untouchable. In a world where empires expected submission, Nzinga proved that power does not belong to those who take it by force, but to those who know how to wield it.