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Francesco Guicciardini

Francesco Guicciardini Books

Historian

Francesco Guicciardini was an Italian historian renowned for his profound insights into Italian history and diplomatic policy. His work, 'The History of Italy', is one of the most important historical works of the Renaissance.

Ricordi

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Counsels and Reflections of Francesco G...

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Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi)

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Maxims and Reflections

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The History of Italy

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The history of Italy: from the year 149...

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Related Quotes

“It is great folly to offend many if you only want to insult one man”

Philosophy Human Nature Behavior

Book:Maxims and Reflections

Source: Maxims and Reflections

“Guardate quanto gli uomini ingannano loro medesimi: ciascuno reputa brutti e peccati che lui non fa, leggieri quegli che fa; e con questa regola si misura spesso el male e el bene, più che col considerare e gradi e qualità delle cose.”

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Né e pazzi né e savi non possono finalmente resistere a quello che ha a essere: però io non lessi mai cosa che mi paressi meglio detta che quella che disse colui: "Ducunt volentes fata, nolentes trahunt".”

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Ferdinando [King of Naples] resolv’d, in good Earnest, to try how to compromise the Affair of the Castles; being persuaded, that that when this Obstacle was remov'd, Matters would easily return into the fame peaceable Channel. But by removing the Causes, the Effects that sprung from them are not always remov'd. For, as it frequently happens, that Resolutions taken out of Fear seldom appear sufficient to the Fearful.”

Fear Rivalry Realpolitik

Book:The History of Italy

Source: The History of Italy

“As it is our nature to be more moved by hope than fear, the example of one we see abundantly rewarded cheers and encourages us far more than the sight of many who have not been well treated disquiets us.”

Wells Example Sight Moved Treated Cheer Role Models

Book:Ricordi

Source: Ricordi

“To relinquish a present good through apprehension of a future evil is in most instances unwise ... from a fear which may afterwards turn out groundless, you lost the good that lay within your grasp.”

May Turns Evil Lost Future Lays Instance Apprehension Unwise

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them.”

Source: Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

“The return we reap from generous actions is not always evident.”

Life Action Acting Hard Work Return Generosity Generous Evident Reap

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Like other men, I have sought honours and preferment, and often have obtained them beyond my wishes or hopes. Yet never have I found in them that content which I had figured beforehand in my mind. A strong reason, if we well consider it, why we should disencumber ourselves of vain desires.”

Ifs Men Should Mind Wells Reason Desire Found Strong Wish Vain Honour My Wish

Book:Ricordi

Source: Ricordi

“Be careful how you do one man a pleasure which must needs occasion equal displeasure in another. For he who is thus slighted will not forget, but will think the offence to himself the greater in that another profits by it; while he who receives the pleasure will either not remember it, or will consider the favour done him less than it really was.”

Thinking Men Needs Done Remember Forget Pleasure Greater Equal Profit Careful Occasions One Man Be Careful Favour Offence Displeasure Slighted

Book:Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

Source: Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

“Conspiracies, since they cannot be engaged in without the fellowship of others, are for that reason most perilous; for as most men are either fools or knaves, we run excessive risk in making such folk our companions.”

Men Reason Running Risk Fool Folks Engaged Companion Conspiracy Fellowship Knaves

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Pay no heed to those who tell you that they have relinquished place and power of their own accord, and from their love of quiet. For almost always they have been brought to this retirement by their insufficiency and against their will.”

Has Beens Pay Quiet Retirement Accord Heed Insufficiency

Book:Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

Source: Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

“How much luckier than all the rest of mankind are the astrologers who, if they tell one truth among a hundred lies, obtain so much credit that even their lies are believed.”

Ifs Lying Belief Mankind Hundred Credit Superstitions

Book:Ricordi

Source: Ricordi

“He is less likely to be mistaken who looks forward to a change in the affairs of the world than he who regards them as firm and stable.”

World Looks Change Regard Affair Firm Stable Mistaken

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“There is no evil in human affairs that has not some good mingled with it. [It., Non e male alcuno nelle cose umane che non abbia congiunto seco qualche bene.]”

Humans Evil Males Affair

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“By numberless examples it will evidently appear that human affairs are as subject to change and fluctuation as the waters of the sea agitated by the winds.”

Humans Water Sea Subjects Example Wind Affair Fluctuation

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Keep your eye fixed not so much on what they [people] ought in reason to do, as on what they are likely to do based on their disposition and habits.”

People Reason Eye Ought Habit Fixed Disposition

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Even though many people prove to be ungrateful, do not let that stop you from benefiting others-for not only is beneficence in itself a noble and almost divine quality, it may also happen that while you practice it, you will encounter someone so grateful that he will make up for all the others' ingratitude.”

People May Happens Quality Practice Divine Prove Grateful Noble Encounters Ungrateful Ingratitude So Grateful Beneficence Benefiting Others

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Waste no time with revolutions that do not remove the causes of your complaints but simply change the faces of those in charge.”

Faces Causes Change Revolution Waste Remove Complaints

Book:Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi)

Source: Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi)

“To give vent now and then to his feelings, whether of pleasure or discontent, is a great ease to a man's heart.”

Men Giving Heart Feelings Pleasure Emotion Ease Now And Then Discontent Chakra

Book:Ricordi

Source: Ricordi

“Ambassadors are the eye and ear of states.”

States Eye Ears Ambassadors Statesmanship

Book:The history of Italy: from the year 1490 to 1532

Source: The history of Italy: from the year 1490 to 1532

“Experience has always shown, and reason also, that affairs which depend on many seldom succeed.”

Reason Depends Succeed Affair

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“We fight to great disadvantage when we fight with those who have nothing to lose.”

Fighting Loses Disadvantages Nothing To Lose

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“He who imitates what is evil always goes beyond the example that is set; on the contrary, he who imitates what is good always falls short.”

Fall Evil Example Contrary

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“...be more guided by hope than fear.”

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Ambition is not in itself an evil; nor is he to be condemned whose spirit prompts him to seek fame by worthy and honourable ways.”

Way Spirit Evil Fame Ambition Worthy Prompts

Book:Ricordi

Source: Ricordi

“Affairs that depend on many rarely succeed.”

Depends Succeed Affair Planning

Author:Francesco Guicciardini

“Let no one trust so entirely to natural prudence as to persuade himself that it will suffice to guide him without help from experience.”

Helping Natural Guides Prudence

Book:Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

Source: Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

“It is a great matter to be in authority over others; for authority, if it be rightly used, will make you feared beyond your actual resources.”

Ifs Matter Used Authority Resources

Book:Ricordi

Source: Ricordi

“There is nothing so fleeting as the memory of benefits received.”

Memories Benefits Fleeting

Book:Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

Source: Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

“I know no man who feels deeper disgust than I do at the ambition, avarice, and profligacy of the priesthood, as well because every one of these vices is odious in itself, as because each of them separately and all of them together are utterly abhorrent in men making profession of a life dedicated to God.”

Knows Men Feels Wells Together Ambition Vices Deeper Profession Dedicated Disgusting Avarice Priesthood Abhorrent

Book:Ricordi

Source: Ricordi

“If you attempt certain things at the right time, they are easy to accomplish - in fact, they almost get done by themselves. If you undertake them before the time is right, not only will they fail, but they will often become impossible to accomplish even when the time would have been right.”

Ifs Has Beens Done Facts Certain Easy Impossible Failing Accomplish Right Time

Book:Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi)

Source: Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi)

“The affairs of this world are so shifting and depend on so many accidents, that it is hard to form any judgment concerning the future; nay, we see from experience that the forecasts even of the wise almost always turn out false.”

World Hard Form Turns Wise This World Depends Judgment Affair Accidents Shifting Forecasts

Book:Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

Source: Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini

About the Author

Born: March 6, 1483
Died: May 22, 1540
Known for: Historian
Quotes: 33

Related Topics

Affair Men Evil Ifs Reason Wells Depends Example Ambition Change

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

RicordiRelated source material

Counsels and Reflections of Francesco GuicciardiniRelated source material

Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi)Related source material

Maxims and ReflectionsRelated source material

The History of ItalyRelated source material

The history of Italy: from the year 1490 to 1532Related source material

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