26．揪出他人的把柄

揪出他人的把柄。这是控制他人意志的艺术。与其说需要决心，毋宁说需要技巧。你必须懂得如何着手。每一决断都有其特定的动机，并随个人品味之异而异。所有人都有崇拜情结：重名、重利，或者如多数人那样，重个人愉悦。控制人们的诀窍是：明了他们的崇拜物是什么，从而牵着他们的鼻子走。掌握某人行事的主要动机，就等于拥有了开启其欲望之门的钥匙。你所需寻找的初始动机，并非总是人性中最高尚的部分，更多时候，它常常是人性中最卑下的东西，因为世人秉性不良者比秉性良善者要多。揣测一个人的主要兴趣，以言语要求他，以诱惑促其行动，他必为你所用。

26．Find out each man's thumbscrew

Find out each man's thumbscrew. It is the art of setting their wills in action. It needs more skill than resolution. You must know where to get at any one. Every volition has a special motive which varies according to taste. All men are idolaters, some of fame, others of self-interest, most of pleasure. Skill consists in knowing these idols in order to bring them into play. Knowing any man's mainspring of motive you have as it were the key to his will. Have resort to primary motors, which are not always the highest but more often the lowest part of his nature: there are more dispositions badly organized than well. First guess a man's ruling passion, appeal to it by a word, set it in motion by temptation, and you will infallibly give checkmate to his freedom of will.