Greene’s first book, The 48 Laws of Power, first published in 1998, presents itself as a guide for anyone who wants power, observes power, or wants to arm themselves against power. The laws are derived from quotations of the works of historical figures like Niccolò Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Haile Selassie I, Carl von Clausewitz, Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, and P.T. Barnum.^[10] Each law has its own chapter, complete with a “transgression of the law,” “observance of the law,” and/or a “reversal.”

Greene says the idea behind his first book is that power is amoral, i.e., it is neither good nor evil. He states The 48 Laws of Power is intended to highlight how we conceptualize power and how we behave in different hierarchical institutions.^[11]

The 48 Laws of Power has sold more than 1.2 million copies^[6] and has been referenced by 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Quincy “QD3″ Jones III, Chris Lighty, Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Michael Jackson,^[12] Courtney Love,^[13] and Will Smith.^{[6][14][7][15][16][17]} Busta Rhymes says he used The 48 Laws of Power to deal with problematic movie producers.^[7] It has been mentioned in songs by Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Drake and in videos by The Kid LAROI and Central Cee.^{[14][18][19][20][21]} Greene has claimed that former Cuban President Fidel Castro had also read the book.^[6]