51 quotes found
“Is it better to be loved or feared?”
“He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command”
“... War is the sole art looked for in one who rules...”
“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”
“Florence which included diplomatic missions to various European courts.”
“at Florence which included diplomatic missions to various European courts. Imprisoned”
“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; but since love and fear...”
“From this arises 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: but since love and fear ...”
“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”
“Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing ...”
“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...”
“Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to b...”
“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.”
“God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.”
“Again, a Prince should show himself a patron of merit, and should honour those who excel in every art. He ought accordingly to encourage his subjects by enabling them to pursue their callings, whet...”
“The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.”
“In conclusion, the arms of others either fall from your back, or they weigh you down, or they bind you fast.”
“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 power...”
“It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.”
“There are many who think a wise prince ought, when he has the chance, to foment astutely some enmity, so that by suppressing it he will augment his greatness.”
“Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil.”
“A prince ought to have two fears one from within on account of his subjects the other from without on account of external powers. From the latter he is defended by being well armed and having good ...”
“Therefore a wise prince ought to adopt such a course that his citizens will always in every sort and kind of circumstance have need of the state and of him, and then he will always find them faithful.”
“Armour belonging to someone else either chops off you or weighs you down or is too tight”
