Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

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.

it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.

People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.

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.

…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.

Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved

All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.

A man who is used to acting in one way never changes; he must come to ruin when the times, in changing, no longer are in harmony with his ways.

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. 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.

Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.

A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.

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.

Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves

I hold strongly to this: that it is better to be impetuous than circumspect; because fortune is a woman and if she is to be submissive it is necessary to beat and coerce her.

The promise given was necessity of the past: the word borken is a necessity of the present" -Niccolo Machiavelli

It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.

For one change always leaves a dovetail into which another will fit.

When evening comes, I return home and go into my study. On the threshold I strip off my muddy, sweaty, workday clothes, and put on the robes of court and palace, and in this graver dress I enter the antique courts of the ancients and am welcomed by them, and there I taste the food that alone is mine, and for which I was born. And there I make bold to speak to them and ask the motives of their actions, and they, in their humanity, reply to me. And for the space of four hours I forget the world, remember no vexation, fear poverty no more, tremble no more at death: I pass indeed into their world.

Is it better to be loved or feared?

A prince is also esteemed when he is a true friend and a true enemy.

And it ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.

Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.

He who causes another to become powerful ruins himself, for he brings such a power into being either by design or by force, and both of these elements are suspects to the one whom he has made powerful.

One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.

And truly it is a very natural and ordinary thing to desire to acquire, and always, when men do it who can, they will be praised or not blamed; but when they cannot, and wish to do it anyway, here lies the error and the blame.

Master the rules of the game until you can play it better they can.

Quod Principi plaevit habet legis vigorem

Any injury we do to a man must be such that we need not fear his vengeance.

Without an opportunity, their abilities would have been wasted, and without their abilities, the opportunity would have arisen in vain.

If you have to injure someone, then make it so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

It is of the greatest important in this world that a man should know himself, and the measure of his own strength and means; and he who knows that he has not a genius for fighting must learn how to govern by the arts of peace.

These opportunities, then, gave these men the chance they needed, and their great abilities made them recognize it.

An unavoidable war is called justice. When brutality is the only option left it is holy

For, although one may be very strong in armed forces, yet in entering a province one has always need of the goodwill of the natives.

One Must Be A Fox In Order To Recognize Traps, And A Lion To Frighten Off Wolves

A prince is also esteemed when he shows himself a true friend or a true enemy, that is, when, without reservation, he takes his stand with one side or the other. This is always wiser than trying to be neutral, for if two powerful neighbors of yours fall out they are either of such sort that the victor may give you reason to fear him or they are not. In either case it will be better for you to take sides and wage an honest war.

Who was it who said, 'The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present'?" The Italian looked quickly at the American immortal and then he dipped his head in a bow. "I do believe I said that once...a long, long time ago." "You also wrote that a prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise," Billy said with a grin. "Yes, I did say that.You're full of surprises, Billy." Billy looked from the city to the Italian. "So what do you see-faceless masses or individuals?" "Individuals," Machiavelli whispered. "Reason enough to break your promise to your Elder master and a bird-tailed monster?" Machiavelli nodded. "Reason enough," he said. "I knew you were going to say that." The American immortal reached out and squeezed the Italian's arm. "You're a good man, Niccolo Machiavelli." "I don't think so. Right now, my thoughts make me waerloga-an oath breaker.A warlock." "Warlock." Billy the Kid tilted his head. "I like it. Got a nice ring to it. I'm thinking I might become a warlock too.

Those who believe that where great personages are concerned new favors cause old injuries to be forgotten deceive themselves.

For this can be said of men in general: that they are ungrateful, fickle, hypocrites and dissemblers, avoiders of dangers, greedy for gain; and while you benefit them, they are entirely yours, offering you their blood, their goods, their life, their children,...when need is far away, but when you actually become needy, they turn away. (translated by Wayne A. Rebhorn)

He who has not first laid his foundations may be able with great ability to lay them afterwards, but they will be laid with trouble to the architect and danger to the building. – Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince

...instead of praying for some new holy man to save you, learn the way to Hell in order to steer clear of it yourself.

And although one should not reason about Moses, as he was a mere executor of things that had been ordered for him by God, nonetheless he should be admired if only for that grace which made him deserving of speaking with God.

Puţini văd cum suntem într-adevăr, dar toţi văd ce ne prefacem că suntem.

Ognuno vede quello che tu pari, pochi sentono quello che tu se

Florence which included diplomatic missions to various European courts.

at Florence which included diplomatic missions to various European courts. Imprisoned

There is in everything a latent evil peculiar to it.

And the first cause of your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art.

The dictatorship did not elate me, nor did exile depress me.

The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.

...discontented inhabitants who willingly admit a foreign power either through excessive ambition or through fear, as was the case with the Etolians, who admitted the Romans into Greece. So it was with every province that the Romans entered: they were brought in by the inhabitants themselves.

Niccolo Machiavelli folded his arms across his chest and looked at the alchemyst. “I always knew we would meet again,” he said in French. “Though I never imagined it would be in these circumstances,” he added with a smile. “I was certain I’d get you in Paris last Saturday.” He bowed, an old-fashioned courtly gesture as Perenelle joined her husband. “Mistress Perenelle, it seems we are forever destined to meet on islands.” “The last time we met you had poisoned my husband and attempted to kill me,” Perenelle reminded him, speaking in Italian. Over three thousand years previously, the Sorceress and the Italian had fought at the foot of Mount Etna in Sicily. Although Perenelle had defeated Machiavelli, the energies they unleashed caused the ancient volcano to erupt. Lava flowed for five weeks after the battle and destroyed ten villages. “Forgive me. I was younger then, and foolish. And you emerged the victor of the encounter. I carry the scars to this day.” “Let us try and not blow up this island,” she said with a smile. Then she stretched out her hand. “I saw you try to save me earlier. There is no longer any enmity between us.” Machiavelli took her fingers in his and bent over them. “Thank you. That pleases me.

...no one should marvel at the ease with which Alexander [the Great] kept possession of Asia, or at the difficulties which others, like Pyrrhus and many more, had in preserving their conquests. The difference does not arise from the greater or lesser ability of the conqueror, but from dissimilarities in the conquered lands.

I watch Fox news for the comedy, MSNBC when I need to be reminded that mind midgets exist and CNN when I want to check out the latest in media lies and special interest propaganda. On the other 364 days of the year I read the American transcendentalists, David Hume, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, Niccolo Machiavelli and Diogenes of Sinope.

it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank.

it is not reasonable that he who is armed should yield obedience willingly to him who is unarmed,

It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles

Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy.

He had all the attributes of a king except a kingdom.

You can't have good laws if you don't have good armed forces.

De modo geral, os homens julgam mais com os olhos do que com o tato: todos podem ver, mas poucos são capazes de sentir. Todos veem nossa aparência, poucos sentem o que realmente somos [...]

How we live is so difference than 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. The Prince.

THE PRINCE – NICCOLO MACHIAVELL CHAPTER VI: Of New Princedoms Which a Prince Acquires With His Own Arms and by Merit Note: “For since men for the most part follow in the footsteps an imitate the actions of the others, and yet are unable to adhere exactly to those paths which others have taken, or attain to the virtues of those whom they would resemble, the wise man should always follow the roads that have been trodden by the great, and imitate those have most excelled, so that if he cannot reach the perfection, he may at least acquire something of its savour.

(About Cesare Borgia) What cruelties were not the result of his? Who could count all his crimes? Such was the man that Machiavel prefers to all the great geniuses of his time, and to the heroes of antiquity, and of which he finds the life and action make a good example for those that fortune favors.

First Edition: January 2018 In honor of Martin Nils “Marty” Richert, my uncle and a retired Air Force colonel.  A kind and humble man, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery during the rescue of a Marine pilot in the Vietnam War.  Marty later served with distinction in Berlin, Germany before the Berlin Wall came down.  He regularly traveled into the former East Germany and has told me many fascinating tales that captivate me to this day.  I credit Marty for planting the initial seeds of my love and fascination for Germany.  He’s a great man. Never was anything great achieved without danger. ​-Niccolo Machiavelli PART ONE The Call CHAPTER

Alexander never did what he said, Cesare never said what he did. Italian Proverb. Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. And I shall dare to say this also, that to have them and always to observe them is injurious, and that to appear to have them is useful; to appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright, and to be so, but with a mind so framed that should you require not to be so, you may be able and know how to change to the opposite. And you have to understand this, that a prince, especially a new one, cannot observe all those things for which men are esteemed, being often forced, in order to maintain the state, to act contrary to fidelity, friendship, humanity, and religion. Therefore it is necessary for him to have a mind ready to turn itself accordingly as the winds and variations of fortune force it, yet, as I have said above, not to diverge from the good if he can avoid doing so, but, if compelled, then to know how to set about it.

Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 – 1527)

Among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised. The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli PROLOGUE 16 June 1941 Union Station El Paso, Texas The killer's code name was HECKLE.

Our personalities create an inferno for others and they seal us off in hells of our own. We bite at the carcass of history and tear away our feeble dreams in bloody chunks. Bernard Mandeville was correct. So was Thomas Hobbes. And Niccolo Machiavelli. There is no limit to the hyena in us. It is a miracle we are upright.

Politics have no relation to morals. ― Niccolo Machiavelli Politics begins with morals that uphold societal values, and political personalities cannot become noteworthy without morals, respect, discipline, law, and fairness in the context of the Constitution. ― Ehsan Sehgal

All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer. (Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

The Italian political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli is notorious for his blunt advice that a ruler interested in maintaining and in creasing his power should make use of deceitfulness, cunning, and lies, combined with a ruthless use of force.

Double Act “It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.” ― Niccolo Machiavelli

Among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised. The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli

[...] idealist political rhetoric should not blind policy makers to the requirements of security, which often has a logic all its own. There is nothing wrong with lofty national security rhetoric that seeks to inspire a world built on something more enlightened than the will of the strong. But it is foolhardy to allow your aspirations to substitute for defense planning based on logic and evidence. As Niccolo Machiavelli observed in The Prince, "any one who would act up to a perfect standard of goodness in everything, must be ruined among so many who are not good." Failure to make military preparations for plausible threats because it would be inconsistent with your ideals is a smooth path to destruction.

Good managers succeed because of, not in spite of, their teams and raise their game by raising the game of the whole team, not by distancing themselves from them in pointing out their errors.

Before all else, be armed. ― Niccolo Machiavelli Be fair, honest, sincere, neutral, and compromising before all else and war's terror. ― Ehsan Sehgal