Robert Greene almost died. Here’s what it taught him about living

Episode of My First Million · November 11, 2026 · 1 h 22 min

Robert Greene tells Shaan Puri and Sam Parr about his new book The Law of the Sublime, his stroke, near-death experience, AI, power and charisma.

Summary

Author Robert Greene joined hosts Shaan Puri and Sam Parr to discuss his new book, The Law of the Sublime, which he said grew out of nearly dying from a stroke eight years earlier. Greene argued that people suffer from a narrowing of experience driven largely by smartphones and algorithmic feeds, and recommended leaving the phone behind and going into nature to recover a childlike sense of awe. He illustrated the book's ideas with the story of Nando Parrado's escape across the Andes after the 1972 Uruguayan rugby team plane crash, and Parr and Greene connected it to Viktor Frankl's view that purpose sustains survival.

Greene described writing the book by hand across roughly 120 notebooks because the stroke left him unable to type, and said his sense of purpose kept him going. He outlined what he would teach first in a course on power, beginning with saying less than necessary and strategic withdrawal, and discussed how celebrities can create mystery. Parr cited investor Josh Kushner as an example of these principles. On artificial intelligence, Greene called himself a pessimist, warning about misuse by the dark side of human nature, eroding mental skills among young people, public resentment, and the decimation of the legal profession.

Greene described near-death experience research, citing Susan Blackmore's Dying to Live, and his own altered perceptions after waking from a coma, which he compared in part to psychedelics, while stressing he would not wish a stroke on anyone. He recounted conversations with Tim Ryan about a cross-party vision for the country, argued Democrats lack a mythic message, and analyzed charisma through figures such as John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Marilyn Monroe, Winston Churchill and 50 Cent, arguing that confidence is its core and that many charismatic people come from troubled backgrounds.

Puri described a personality test that flagged him as high in narcissism, prompting Greene to argue that great people are not necessarily nice, citing Kobe Bryant and Steve Jobs. Asked whom he admires wholly, Greene named Ryan Holiday and Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault. The episode closed with discussion of creating for oneself rather than the market, with Puri citing musician Mike Posner.

Chapters

0:09
The Law of the Sublime
Puri contrasts Greene's earlier power-focused books with his new book, which Greene says arose from nearly dying.
2:04
Is this time different?
Greene argues technology and social media create a genuinely new sense of powerlessness, while the hosts describe near-universal phone addiction.
10:51
Go outside and feeling flat
Greene recommends leaving phones behind in nature and explains why external stimulation leaves people empty.
17:48
The immense and the impossible
Greene recounts Nando Parrado's escape from the Andes crash and the role of purpose in survival.
25:29
Purpose, the stroke and The 48 Laws of Power
Greene describes his years of failed jobs, the origins of The 48 Laws of Power and the stroke that gave him a mission to write one more book.
27:49
Say less and disappear
Greene outlines a power course built on saying less and strategic absence, and Parr cites Josh Kushner as an example.
35:46
Greene's AI outlook
Greene voices pessimism about AI's misuse, its effect on young minds, public resentment and the legal profession.
40:49
Handwriting the book
Greene explains his notebook-based, dictated and one-handed editing process.
43:06
Near-death experiences
Greene surveys near-death experience research and describes his own lingering perceptual changes and reduced fear of death.
50:52
Mythic leaders and charisma
Greene discusses Tim Ryan, Democrats' messaging, Kennedy's television charisma and the troubled origins of charismatic figures.
1:07:14
Greatness versus goodness
After Puri's narcissism anecdote, Greene argues great achievers need not be virtuous and names Ryan Holiday and Mark Daigneault as people he admires.
1:16:20
Creating for yourself
The hosts praise Greene's artistic courage and Greene explains his philosophy of writing what he needs to express.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Robert Greene
Greene argues that people suffer from narrow experience, largely caused by technology.
“People are suffering from the narrowness of their experience, a lot of it coming from technology”
Listen from 0:59 · The Law of the Sublime
Robert Greene
Greene says technology-driven powerlessness is the one factor that might make the present a distinct crisis, though he lacks data.
“That is the only element that I think is different now that would make me say that there's a level of crisis that maybe didn't exist in the past”
Listen from 3:26 · Smartphone addiction
Shaan Puri
Puri estimates that over 90 percent of adults have smartphones and over 90 percent of them are addicted.
“It's affecting 90 plus percent of people. And of the people who have it, 90 plus percent of them are addicted to it”
Listen from 6:28 · Smartphone addiction
Robert Greene
Greene recommends going into nature and locking the phone away to refocus the mind outward.
“go out into nature, go out into Central Park or go into Connecticut somewhere and leave your goddamn phone behind, lock it in a drawer”
Listen from 10:51 · Smartphone addiction
Robert Greene
Greene draws from the Andes survival story that people's perceived limits are self-imposed.
“we put limits on what we think we can do, but there are actually no limits”
Listen from 21:39 · Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Robert Greene
Greene recounts that his then-girlfriend's quick 911 call during his stroke saved him from death or severe brain damage.
“If they had arrived 30 seconds later or a minute later, I'd either be dead or I'd have intense brain damage”
Listen from 25:29 · Stroke
Sam Parr
Parr argues that rereading and mastering a single text is better than reading many books on one topic.
“it's probably better to get one piece and reread it multiple times and truly master it”
Listen from 28:06 · The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene
Greene says the first lesson of a power course would be to say less than necessary, especially in the social media era.
“i'll always say less than necessary people talk way too much they're always talking talking talking talking particularly the year of social media”
Listen from 30:14 · The 48 Laws of Power
Sam Parr
Parr describes Josh Kushner as an exemplar of several of Greene's laws of power.
“he is a textbook case study on implementing a handful of the laws of power”
Listen from 33:13 · The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene
Greene advises even celebrities to periodically disappear to create mystery and avoid audience fatigue.
“disappearing for a while and creating some air of mystery is absolutely critical because people are going to grow tired of you”
Listen from 34:04 · The 48 Laws of Power
Robert Greene
Greene believes public fear and resentment of AI could produce political demands for regulation and limits on data centers.
“people are so upset that they demand that there are laws in place that are going to regulate ai”
Listen from 36:55 · Artificial intelligence
Linked moment · 37:27Skip to 37:27 using a listen link in the info box.
Robert Greene
Greene predicts that AI will devastate the legal profession.
“The profession of lawyers is going to be decimated by AI. Absolutely decimated, right?”
Listen from 37:27 · Artificial intelligence
Robert Greene
Greene says roughly 85 percent of near-death experiences are positive, with around 15 percent hellish.
“So 85% more or less of near-death experiences are actually quite positive”
Listen from 43:55 · Near-death experience
Robert Greene
Greene interprets near-death experiences as the dying brain's constructed reality breaking down, revealing things as they are.
“when the brain is dying, that reality that it's been constructing for you throughout your whole life breaks down”
Listen from 44:48 · Near-death experience
Robert Greene
Greene stresses that unlike some illnesses, stroke leaves permanent losses and should not be romanticized.
“With a stroke, you don't recover. You don't get back your leg. You can't hike. You can't walk. You can't swim”
Listen from 50:30 · Stroke
Robert Greene
Greene argues Democrats fail by offering policy lists rather than a mythic, cross-party vision.
“what's the undoing of Democrats is they just give a laundry list of policies”
Listen from 51:30 · Charisma
Robert Greene
Greene credits John F. Kennedy as the first president to use television powerfully to project charisma.
“Kennedy was the very first president who actually used the medium of the television in a very, very powerful way”
Listen from 54:56 · Charisma
Robert Greene
Greene says his research found many charismatic people came from troubled childhoods.
“About a huge percentage of people that we would consider charismatic come from very troubled backgrounds”
Listen from 1:00:00 · Charisma
Robert Greene
Greene identifies confidence as the most charismatic quality.
“Well, confidence is by far the most charismatic quality that you could have”
Listen from 1:01:24 · Charisma
Robert Greene
Greene argues society should accept that great achievers like Steve Jobs are often not virtuous people.
“Steve Jobs was a raging asshole. He was terrible. He was the worst manager in the world”
Listen from 1:08:57
Robert Greene
Greene credits Mark Daigneault with an innovative offensive-rebounding strategy later adopted widely in the NBA.
“He created this new way of playing in the NBA that was unheard of, which was all about going for rebounds”
Listen from 1:13:58 · Oklahoma City Thunder
Robert Greene
Greene believes work created from genuine purpose will find an audience because the creator's excitement transmits to it.
“If you have a reason for writing or creating music, It will find an audience because the level of excitement and pleasure you feel will translate to the listeners”
Listen from 1:20:19 · The Law of the Sublime

People

In the conversation

Sam ParrEntrepreneur, founder of The Hustle and Hampton, co-host of My First Million
Shaan PuriEntrepreneur and investor, co-host of My First Million, former Twitch executive
Robert GreeneElizabethan writer credited with the 'upstart crow' pamphlet

Discussed

Nando ParradoUruguayan survivor of the 1972 Andes plane crash who hiked out to find rescue
Viktor FranklAustrian psychiatrist and author known for writing on meaning and the space between stimulus and response
Susan BlackmoreBritish psychologist and author of Dying to Live
Josh KushnerAmerican venture capitalist and founder of Thrive Capital
Tim RyanFormer U.S. congressman from Ohio and 2022 Senate candidate
John F. KennedyU.S. politician who campaigned at and stayed in the Blennerhassett Hotel in 1960
Malcolm XCivil rights leader whose autobiography El-Sayed recommended
Marilyn MonroeAmerican actress known for her beauty mark
Winston ChurchillBritish prime minister during the Second World War
50 CentAmerican rapper who co-wrote a book with Greene
Kobe BryantLate NBA player quoted by Kelly on hard work
Steve JobsCo-founder of Apple
Ryan HolidayAmerican author on Stoicism and founder of Daily Stoic
Mark DaigneaultOklahoma City Thunder head coach
Conor McGregorIrish mixed martial artist and former UFC two-division champion
Jaylen BrownBoston Celtics guard-forward at the center of the hosts' first-team All-NBA case
Mike PosnerMusician who topped iTunes U as a student, cited by Puri as an example of growth hacking

Topics

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From the publisher

Get Sam's top 9 books for entrepreneurs (+ his reading strategy): https://clickhubspot.com/rhagt Episode 881: Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) and Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) talk to Robert Greene about living a more meaningful life. — Show Notes: (0:00) People Are Suffering (2:00) Everything Is Amazing and No One Is Happy (10:45) Go Outside (14:20) Feeling Flat (18:00) The Immense and the Impossible (29:35) Say Less Than Necessary (30:05) Disappear (35:30) Robert's AI Prediction (40:55) Handwriting a 400-Page Book (41:25) Surviving Near-Death Experiences (49:20) Mythical Leaders (59:10) Brimming With Confidence — Links: • The Law of the Sublime — Robert Greene (new book)https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634294/the-law-of-the-sublime-by-robert-greene/ • The 48 Laws of Power — Robert Greenehttps://powerseductionandwar.com/books/ • Mastery — Robert Greenehttps://powerseductionandwar.com/books/ • The Art of Seduction — Robert Greenehttps://powerseductionandwar.com/books/ • The Laws of Human Nature — Robert Greenehttps://powerseductionandwar.com/books/ • The 33 Strategies of War — Robert Greenehttps://powerseductionandwar.com/books/ • The 50th Law — 50 Cent & Robert Greenehttps://powerseductionandwar.com/books/ • The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World — Jonathan Freedlandhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-escape-artist-jonathan-freedland/1140945882 • Man's Search for Meaning — Viktor E. Franklhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/206272/mans-search-for-meaning-by-viktor-e-frankl/ • Dying to Live: Near-Death Experiences — Susan Blackmorehttps://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dying-to-Live/Susan-J-Blackmore/9780879758707/ • Everything Is Amazing and Nobody Is Happy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbIGbZ6gq_Y • Robert Greene's Official Website - https://powerseductionandwar.com/ • Robert Greene's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/robertgreeneofficial/ — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton (joinhampton.com): My…

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 14, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Self-Improvement·Philosophy·Books