[Ecis2023]
In his highly anticipated new book, Review Prince Nicolo Machiavelli 2022, best-selling author and political analyst Nicolo Machiavelli offers readers an insightful and thorough examination of the current state of global affairs.
You are reading: Best Book Review Prince Nicolo Machiavelli 2022
With his trademark blend of keen analysis and biting wit, Machiavelli dissects the major political events of the past year and offers his thoughts on the likely outcomes of the current geopolitical landscape.
As always, Machiavelli’s insights are sure to provoke, enlighten, and entertain readers from all corners of the political spectrum.
If you’re looking for an in-depth, unbiased review of the best book by Prince Nicolo Machiavelli, you’ve come to the right place. Our team of experts has read and evaluated Machiavelli’s work, and we’re proud to present our findings in this comprehensive review.
Table of Contents
- 1 Summary Of The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli
- 2 Introduction: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
- 3 Book Review Prince Nicolo Machiavelli
- 3.1 On Mixed Principalities
- 3.2 On New Principalities
- 3.3 On the Strength of a Principality
- 3.4 On Military
- 3.5 On Virtues and Reputation
- 3.6 On the Behavior of a Prince
- 3.7 A Prince Needs Advice And Guidance
- 3.8 Modern Society’s Parallels
- 3.9 Moral Position of Machiavelli
- 3.10 Machiavellian Norms That Are Accepted
- 4 What Machiavelli Can Teach Us?
- 4.1 Success Isn’t What It Used to Be
- 4.2 Titans and the Prince
- 5 Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince: Five + Two Great Ideas
- 6 Machiavelli The Prince Quotes
Summary Of The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli
For prospective rulers, The Prince offers a “how-to” guide. The book’s emphasis is on mixed and new principalities rather than republics and hereditary princes. A former principality that has been taken over is known as a mixed principality. In contrast, a new principality needs a new form of governance.
Machiavelli emphasizes the significance of embracing the weak and killing those who could grow strong enough to rebel while leading a mixed principality. A prince must have incredible forethought to do this. He must see issues and evils before they become too obvious and act quickly to eliminate them.
Lords, influential men, and aides must all be closely monitored. As previously stated, anyone who is strong or ambitious enough to launch a revolution must be crushed.
A prince will have been established in a new principality via virtue, fortune, or evil. Taking power by virtue is the same as taking control through force. A prince must rapidly establish himself and develop a solid leadership basis.
When a prince gains power via luck or the efforts of others, he puts himself in jeopardy because others may doubt his authority. As a result, he must immediately establish fear and affection among the populace.
Machiavelli accepts evil as a way of gaining power. Instead, he proposes that immoral deeds be carried out fast and in one go. A prince must also devise methods to keep the people reliant on the state.
According to Machiavelli, a principality’s power is determined by its military. A principality’s military should always be robust and capable of self-defense. Mercenaries should not be trusted since their primary motivation is to make money.
Machiavelli does not encourage rulers to be moral and good. The appearance of grandeur, on the other hand, is crucial. Simply put, he thinks that good men finish last and that princes should behave immorally when necessary to further their cause and keep power.
God and fortune are not to be trusted. A prince should choose his own path and take calculated risks. A prince should not be concerned about being seen as cruel but should be adored whenever possible.
Cruelty may be required to inspire the appropriate level of terror in the populace. Machiavelli ends his work with an examination of failed rulers and Italian politics.
Introduction: The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
“Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed.”
The Prince, written in the early 1500s, is one of the most widely studied and debated works on political philosophy. Although the book has been much contested and critiqued, it must be acknowledged that it has significantly affected political thinking. For centuries, the word Machiavellianism has been used to characterize politicians due to the book.
Machiavelli’s most famous book instructs prospective rulers on how to preserve and exercise power. Despite the advice’s apparent correctness, Machiavelli leads monarchs in the wrong direction.
Machiavelli’s readers’ notion of success is power alone. Still, the genuine objective Machiavelli should have preached is leading and genuinely serving others.
The Prince is organized as a “how-to” manual for principality rulers. Machiavelli ignores the republican system of administration in favor of concentrating on princes.
Each chapter delves into a different facet of the rule, such as how to acquire a principality, keep it, and whether it is better to be liked or feared. In this summary, I will describe the book and Machiavelli’s teachings before offering my opinion and interpretation.
Book Review Prince Nicolo Machiavelli
On Mixed Principalities
Hereditary principalities are swiftly dismissed by Machiavelli since they need little work to preserve. He investigates the “mixed principality,” which has been around for a while but has just been bought by a new prince. He emphasizes the need to embrace the weak and “crushing” anybody who threatens the ruler’s safety.
The indigenous’ goodwill is essential, and Machiavelli advises against trying to conquer districts with distinct languages and traditions. These territories are more difficult to conquer, and the people may rise up in rebellion. Instead, these places should be colonized and defended against powerful foreign invaders.
The Prince can acquire the goodwill of the natives by protecting the weaker colonies, and he stops other powers from obtaining too vast a kingdom by doing so.
The Prince also emphasizes the significance of a ruler’s forethought.
Any uprisings or factions inside a prince’s realm that have the potential to rebel must be swiftly identified. It will be too late if the “evil” stays unnoticed until the situation becomes public since additional people may join the insurrection. As a result, an issue must be eliminated before it can acquire momentum among the general public.
Machiavelli claims that individuals who help others gain power cannot be trusted since they either gained authority via “shrewdness” or “force.”
If a prince is supported by others, he should try to eliminate such assistants since they have the potential to create power that may undermine the Prince’s leadership. A prince should never assist others in gaining power because those who have assisted him will destroy him for the same reasons.
In a state with numerous lords or strong persons, a prince will have difficulties preserving his control. These nations may seem simple to capture at first since all that is required is identifying one or two significant disgruntled leaders to help with the upheaval.
However, for the reasons stated above, this might be perilous since the leaders who backed the new ruler may readily launch their own efforts to gain control of the state. These states are contrasted by Machiavelli with those that have a supreme ruler.
The supreme ruler appoints his aides and may dismiss them at any time. Because the existing ruler’s assistants are more loyal, these nations are more difficult to capture. On the other hand, these realms are simpler to manage since the Prince may set up his own system of advisers and servants once captured.
The last feature of Machiavelli’s mixed principalities is controlling principalities that were once free and had their own laws and statutes before being annexed.
These countries are used to independence and autonomy, and losing it may be difficult for them to accept. Machiavelli outlines three options:
- Destroying the city/state.
- Residing in the conquered region to keep a close eye on it.
- Allowing the principality to continue under its present ruler and instituting an oligarchical government to keep the new ruler happy.
Previously free cities or principalities, on the other hand, are very difficult to retain. Those who have never been governed are less inclined to accept a prince and are more likely to resist. As a result, Machiavelli believes that the best choice may be destruction or close governance.
On New Principalities
Machiavelli concludes his examination of hybrid principalities by offering recommendations on ruling wholly new kingdoms.
A new principality needs an entirely new administration and brings previously divided people together under one authority. He first differentiates between rulers who have risen to power via “virtue” and those who have risen to power by “fortune.”
Because virtue, according to Machiavelli, is defined as the capacity and desire to conquer, those who have become rulers via virtue have often done so by conquering and defeating others.
Because some may be outraged by the shift, and others will only show “lukewarm” support, these princes must build new administration systems and vigorously defend them. To guarantee that the prince’s power is unchallenged, he must take up guns and govern by force.
Machiavelli also covers people who have risen to the position of king of principalities via luck or the power of others.
This is risky for a prince since he will not have shown himself worthy of such a strong position, and he may become reliant on someone else for his newly acquired status.
The trick is to create control swiftly and generate fear and affection in the people. They must adore the prince to stay loyal, but they must fear him to never seek their own authority.
The prince who gains power via an evil or immoral deed, such as killing a political rival, is the following kind of ruler to be explored. Controversially, Machiavelli does not condemn sinful acts but seeks justification for them.
He says that evil merely needs to be quick and “necessary.” “Examine deeply into all those hurts which he needs to inflict and accomplish them in one stroke so that he does not have to repeat them every day,” he advises.
A prince may also govern by a more civil means, such as the people’s desire or the nobility of the principality.
As previously indicated, Machiavelli distrusts nobility and anybody in positions of authority. He says that an ambitious elite should be avoided like the plague.
On the other hand, nobles who lack bravery or who bound themselves to the prince should be lauded and utilized. If the prince comes to power via the people’s desire, he entirely relies on the people’s goodwill.
Machiavelli strongly recommends against relying on others for power since those who provide it may just as quickly take it away.
Instead, Machiavelli recommends that a prince should “follow such a path that his population would constantly need the state and him in every form and kind of condition.” People will stay loyal if they rely on him rather than the other way around.
On the Strength of a Principality
Machiavelli claims that force is the measure of strength. A powerful principality would have such strong defenses that it would never be challenged and would not need friends’ assistance. To guarantee that the people have no motive to rebel, the military should be far-reaching and intense, and the people should be of high spirit.
On Military
According to Machiavelli, mercenaries should not be trusted. They will not be competent troops since their motivation is money rather than serving the principality.
Many of Italy’s troubles, according to Machiavelli, stem from an overreliance on hired foreign warriors.
A strong state needs its own warriors to fiercely protect it.
“A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, then war and its rules and discipline.” he wrote.
A prince’s power is shown via combat and force. The prince must be well-versed in his territory and well-prepared to deal with any assault, as well as studying and imitating great military leaders.
On Virtues and Reputation
“For a man who seeks to behave perfectly up to his professions of virtue quickly meets with what destroys him amid so much that is bad,” Machiavelli writes, “for a man who wishes to act entirely according to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil.”
In essence, there is too much evil in the world for the prince to be as noble as he claims to be all the time. “A prince who wants to hold his own must thus know how to do evil and whether or not to employ it according to circumstances.”
A ruler should be virtuous and moral in theory. Still, when choosing between morality and selfish pleasures, Machiavelli advises selfish appetites.
On reputation, Machiavelli encourages the prince not to be concerned about being seen as cruel. As he takes from the privileged and gives to the vulnerable, overly liberal might lead to economic troubles and public disapproval. Liberality may breed hate, while cruelty breeds fear.
Machiavelli claims that compassion is preferable above cruelty when selecting whether to be clement (merciful) or harsh, but that too much pity might lead to chaos.
As a result, a prince should have no qualms about killing a criminal. A prince must also decide whether he wants to be feared or adored. When men are afraid, it is easy to unify them, but they are less inclined to rebel against a revered ruler.
After that, a prince must establish a balance between the two. He should try to be liked and, at the very least, avoid hatred, which might lead to rebellion. It may be essential for a prince to perform terrible things to instill dread, but this is vital to keep the peace. Above all, the prince need command.
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Regarding religion and image, Machiavelli is unafraid to state that actual morality is unnecessary. He claims that keeping genuine faith and behaving in truly charitable and generous ways will hurt the prince.
What matters most, though, is the appearance of religion and morality.
As “he who wishes to mislead will always find someone who allows himself to be tricked,” this look may be extremely helpful and simple to acquire. “Everyone sees what you seem to be, few really know what you are, and those few dare not dispute the view of the many,” the prince is secure after many have been tricked.
To put it another way, once a reputation is created, no one will dare to question it, even if they know the reality.
On the Behavior of a Prince
As previously said, a prince should want to be like a great guy while avoiding hate. A prince should be either a “genuine friend or a plain opponent” in international affairs.
It is preferable to state one’s position on an issue than to be seen as a suspicious buddy by everybody.
The ruler should also foster peaceful agriculture and trade among his subjects rather than instilling dread of hefty taxes.
“He ought to entertain the people with festivals and spectacles” says the author.
A Prince Needs Advice And Guidance
The prince, on the other hand, should have total control over who his advisers are and what kind of advice they provide.
Advisors should be faithful servants, and any conduct that suggests selfish motivations or ambition should be strictly monitored.
Also, the prince must be careful of flattery. Because flattery may undermine the prince’s capacity to anticipate possible opponents, he should ask his trustworthy advisers to speak candidly.
Machiavelli also instructs rulers to take control of their own fortunes rather than relying on fate or God. Because “fortune is a lady… and it is observed that she allows herself to be dominated by the adventurous…,” a prince should be daring and risk-taking.
As a result, she is constantly womanly and a lover of young guys, who are less careful.” A prince, according to Machiavelli, may forge his own successful path rather than waiting for good fortune or God to do so.
Machiavelli ends The Prince with a study of former Italian monarchs’ shortcomings. He criticizes them for not following the norms he set down, and he urges the then-current Pope to use Machiavellian techniques to gain control of Italy.
Modern Society’s Parallels
In many respects, the Prince encourages and even glorifies immoral conduct. This is distressing and contentious in and of itself, but what is really disheartening are the precise connections between Machiavelli’s advice and the behavior we witness in some of our country’s leaders.
Although Machiavelli is credited with coining the name Machiavellianism, the underlying behavior would exist even without him. The drive to conquer and govern has been fundamental in man for hundreds of years, as Machiavelli points out. Machiavelli just acknowledges and applauds this ambition.
When public politicians acquire Machiavellian views about morality and do what is “necessary” to remain in power, the dark side of politics emerges.
Bill Clinton lied to the American people about his immoral conduct in order to keep his job. During the 1972 presidential election, Richard Nixon sought to hide the Republican Party’s unlawful operations. These are only two examples of public immoral behavior by American politicians; many more immoral actions may have occurred that ordinary citizens like me are unaware of.
I do not think that Presidents Clinton or Nixon were fundamentally evil or immoral persons and that they may have joined politics for the right reasons; nonetheless, in order to keep power, both of them sacrificed their values at some time. They came to the conclusion that the objectives justified the methods.
Machiavelli was a firm believer in the significance of keeping a great man’s image.
Politicians nowadays seem to put a high value on their public image. Over one billion dollars was spent on advertising in the 2012 presidential election (The Washington Post). We used to see a lot of advertising that portrayed political opponents as out of touch or just plain terrible people.
If politicians did not feel that image is essential, they would not spend so much time undermining others’ reputations. They are attempting to project a favorable impression of themselves, or at the very least one that is superior to that of their opponents.
I am skeptical that all politicians are as virtuous as they would have us think, given the countless public political scandals we have seen.
Machiavelli emphasizes the significance of pleasing one’s elders and masters. While this nation lacks elders or lords, it does have highly affluent political donors. Individual political donations are allowed at $2,500, while businesses, unions, and rich people may give Super PACs millions of dollars.
Because politicians rely on campaign contributions to win elections, there is a financial incentive to keep special interests satisfied in order to keep the funds pouring in.
Machiavelli also urges rulers to keep their subjects reliant on the government.
There are several points of view on this issue, but one may claim that American politicians have intended to increase people’s reliance on the government.
Through programs like Social Security and Obamacare, we’ve witnessed a massive expansion of government reach, and a cynic may say that these entitlement programs are meant to garner people’s goodwill and votes. It’s debatable whether this government growth is a good thing or not, but it’s happening nonetheless.
Moral Position of Machiavelli
Machiavelli advocates a self-centered and consequential morality. It is always possible to use the objectives to justify the methods. He claims that lovely men always come in last and that absolute integrity and dignity will never lead to power. Machiavelli’s position is one with which I strongly disagree.
I don’t think we’re particularly adept at determining which methods are justified by which aims. It’s easy to fall into the trap of justifying all forms and losing sight of values and virtues while using a consequentialist approach.
Machiavelli is accurate in that upholding values and ideals does not necessarily lead to power or monetary gain, but his perspective is exceptionally narrow. What good is power if you sell your soul to get it?
If we preserve our morals, I feel we will be a lot happier and satisfied in the long term. A clear conscience is much more valuable than power.
Machiavellian Norms That Are Accepted
Despite my general disapproval of the techniques advocated in the book, I must admit that sure of Machiavelli’s theories are essential to how our society operates. Machiavelli is credited with inventing the political realism theory.
“How one lives is so far removed from how one ought to live,” he observed, “that he who neglects what is done for what ought to be done sooner causes his destruction than his preservation.”
While I disagree with this moral perspective on a personal level and feel we should concentrate on what must be done, realism is a recognized aspect of how governments operate.
We expect our government to make complex moral judgments that sometimes need considering the consequences.
Any moral position other than reality would make it virtually hard to justify dropping an atomic bomb that may kill thousands of people and create massive harm. The choice to slaughter millions of people in wars would never be supported by traditional intellectual or Christian beliefs.
Traditional moral systems never say that killing should be made. However, we continue to rationalize war and slaughter by citing the benefits it brings: safety and international order. This would not be the case in a perfect world, but Machiavelli knew we do not live in one.
Machiavelli also stressed the significance of a well-equipped military. The United States adheres to this philosophy to a large degree.
We spend more on our military than any other nation, and our military triumphs are primarily responsible for our status as a powerhouse.
We depend on our military to secure energy and commerce routes throughout the globe, as T. Boone Pickens pointed out in a TED Talk last year. Our military strategy would be praised by Machiavelli.
What Machiavelli Can Teach Us?
The Prince teaches us some valuable lessons. Leaders, according to Machiavelli, should take firm stands on topics. While this may not always be the most excellent decision, I feel there is merit in being consistent in one’s beliefs. Machiavelli understood that pleasing everyone is impossible.
We can all benefit from not trying to satisfy everyone all of the time and making difficult choices. We often see politicians attempt hard to accommodate every shift in public opinion. As a result, they lose credibility as voters lose faith in the candidate’s campaign pledges.
This was one of the most common complaints against John Kerry during the 2004 race; in fact, “Kerry’s Top Ten Flip-Flops” is Google’s fourth result for “flip-flopper.” Machiavelli understood that a successful leader must be willing to play the bad guy if a higher aim is to be reached. He just had the incorrect objectives in mind.
Machiavelli might teach a businessperson a thing or two.
A merger with a new principality and a purchase with a mixed principality might be compared. As Machiavelli advises, the leader must swiftly develop a foundation and culture during a merger.
When purchasing a new corporation, a leader may face some of the same issues that Machiavelli mentions when acquiring an established principality.
The purchased company’s workers will be used to their own standards and operating processes, and they may be wary of the new management.
In this case, the acquirer could do well to follow Machiavelli’s counsel and spend a lot of time with the new staff. This allowed him to effectively convey new regulations and objectives and obtain a deeper grasp of the new workers’ morale and values.
Success Isn’t What It Used to Be
According to the Prince, success is merely power, but strength has no objective other than itself. “Power is not a means; it is an aim,” said George Orwell in 1984. Machiavelli opposes the use of power for the greater good. He elevates power to the pinnacle of his ambitions. This is, in my opinion, the incorrect finale.
Politicians and leaders should endeavor to serve the people rather than pursue power for its own purpose. Machiavelli’s primary concern for the public is that they remain happy so that he may hold power.
I believe society will be considerably better off if leaders join politics to effect constructive change rather than for personal gain.
Consider George Washington as a counterpoint to Machiavelli. George Washington declined to run for president. Some think he purposefully avoided it. He did not see the president as a means to gain power but rather as a considerable duty.
On the other hand, the people wanted him (he obtained 100% of the vote), and he thought that the government should reflect the people.
As president, Washington was a fantastic leader. However, the most influential act of his presidency may have been his choice to resign, a move that would have perplexed Machiavelli. Although there were no term limitations at the time, Washington chose to leave after two terms. He had no desire to establish a new monarchy.
The presidency isn’t meant to elevate an individual’s authority; it represents and serves the people. Washington realized that one man couldn’t be that representative and servant all of the time (CATO Institute, “The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King”).
Even though George Washington did not follow Machiavellian ideals, he built what has become the world’s most powerful nation in many respects.
Machiavellian thinking should be avoided in the corporate sector.
Those who are just interested in power and development, in my opinion, are swiftly and readily weeded out of organizations. Instead, we should focus on producing high-quality work, and the promotions will follow. Machiavelli’s perspective, as previously said, is excessively short-term.
A worker who employs Machiavellian techniques may score a few short-term victories. Still, the worker who preserves morals and integrity will be far happier and prosperous in the long run.
If a corporation encourages Machiavellian conduct, it is generally not a place where a reasonable person wants to work. Even if there is no monetary incentive for virtue, a moral person will keep their conscience, which is priceless.
Titans and the Prince
Machiavelli’s beliefs and precepts contradict practically everything we’ve been taught about morality and ethics as Aggies and Titans. We are not taught that Aggies do not lie, cheat, or steal unless they have a compelling cause to do so. Even in the most difficult circumstances, we must stick to our ideals.
Britt Harris has not taught us to seek power and financial gain in Titans. Instead, he encourages people to have “vision, bravery, honesty, and care for others” (Titans Handbook).
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These values are very different from those advocated by Machiavelli. Morality and compassion can never offer satisfaction or fulfillment while controlling others’ will.
Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince: Five + Two Great Ideas
- When the problem is detected early on, it may be readily corrected; if you wait until it manifests itself, any treatment will be too late since the sickness will have progressed to the point of being incurable. This suggests that prevention is preferable to cure.
- Men gladly shift their rulers in the hopes of a better future. That is why political parties exist.
- When states are obtained in a province with different languages, cultures, and institutions, complications occur, and it takes a lot of luck and effort to keep them. One of the finest and most successful strategies would be for the conqueror to move in and live there. This strategy would make a new possession more stable and long-lasting.
- Whoever is responsible for another’s rise to power is doomed, for authority is gained with cunning or force, both dubious to the one who has risen to power.
- Governments that spring up out of nowhere, like everything else in nature that is pushed to develop, lack deep roots and ramifications. As a result, the first poor spell destroys them.
- It is more difficult for a guy who becomes a prince with the support of the nobility to keep his position than for one who does so with the help of the people. Like the prince, he is surrounded by many people who think they are on equal footing with him. As a result, he cannot command or govern them as he wishes.
- Prosperity is fleeting; if a man acts prudence and caution, and the moment and circumstances are favorable, he will thrive; nevertheless, if circumstances change and he does not adjust his policy to reflect the change, he will be wrecked.
Machiavelli The Prince Quotes
I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.
Men in general judge more by the sense of sight than by the sense of touch, because everyone can see but few can test by feeling.
There is no avoiding war, it can only be postponed to the advantage of your enemy.
Alexander never did what he said, Cesare never said what he did.
Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.
It is a common fault not to anticipate storms when the sea is calm.
An unavoidable war is called justice. When brutality is the only option left it is holy.
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.
Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.
If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.
A prince must not have any other object nor any other thought… but war, its institutions, and its discipline; because that is the only art befitting one who commands.
Never do an enemy a small injury.
Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many.
The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.
He who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against.
The best fortress which a prince can possess is the affection of his people.
A prince is also esteemed when he is a true friend and a true enemy.
The first way to lose a state is to neglect the art of war; the first way to gain a state is to be skilled in the art of war.
There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
That defense alone is effectual, sure, and durable which depends upon yourself and your own valor.
25. A Prince should esteem the great, but must not make himself odious to the people.
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experiences what you really are.
The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.
Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are; and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion.
There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.
Since love and fear can hardly exist together if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.
Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.
I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
How we live is so different from how we ought to live that he who studies what ought to be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation.
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones.
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.
Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.
And here comes in the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both.
It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system.
Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. – Niccolo Machiavelli.
Appear as you may wish to be.
Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of the trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil.
The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.
Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves.
It is better to act and repent than not to act and regret.
One should never fall in the belief that you can find someone to pick you up.
For, in truth, there is no sure way of holding other than by destroying.
…the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.
It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean; the rest have failed.
Without an opportunity, their abilities would have been wasted, and without their abilities, the opportunity would have arisen in vain.
Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.
As a general thing, anyone who is not your friend will advise neutrality while anyone who is your friend will ask you to join him, weapon in hand.
If you wish to please me, and to bring success and honor to yourself, do right and study because others will help you if you help yourself.
“Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.
“Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.
He who has once begun to live by robbery will always find pretexts for seizing what belongs to others.
He who thinks new favors will cause great personages to forget old injuries deceives himself.
It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things.
“Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.”
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